The herald., 1893-09-11
EXPERTS NOT MUCH USE.
HOW TO CORRECT RxTRAvAGAxcR
IN COUNTY MATTERS.
The Economical Tendencies of the Dis
trict Attorney should Be Encour-
aged and the Vigilance of
the Supervisors.

''This exporting OF the books of
county officers may be necessary" said
a prominent county official to reporter
yesterday, "but it might as we'll be left
undone for all the good it does"
ut shows the condition OF the books,
doesn't it7"A
i''Yes, 1t does that. but where are you
'at' then? OF course the books are kept 2
correctly. There may be clerical errors,
but the system of bookkeeping issall &
right, and when the experts get through !
they generally find the books correctly I
kept. Why shouldn't they? Do you.
suppose the leaks are going to be shown
on the books in such a way as to become
apparent to the public. No, sir, the
books balance nicely and they are 3
increasing extravagance in the manage /,
ment OF the county affairs in this I.
county"
'slf the books are all right where can I.
you put your finger on the leaks then p, q
s'In the claims that are put in and al. Z
lowed, my friend. There's where 1t
needs the argus eyed watch dog. IT.
comes in in the employment OF more :
men than is necessary to do the work,
in the charging OF more for certain lines !.
OF county expenditures in the assesss' !
ment and collection OF taxes. in the
road work, in the thousand and one {
items that are constantly being showed =
through the board of supervisors. Care
full as they may be they cannot detect
kall the extravagance and all the leaks. Y
They necessarily are obliged to depend I
more or less on county officers for es-.
timates in the various expenditures OF
their Offices. The handling OF theaI
revenues OF Los Angeles county has
grown to be big thing, and it requires .
a email army OF employees to compile
the books and do the work. The very
caee which has been mentioned, tho Z
computation of taxes by the auditor, is
a caee in point The auditor says it will
cost about $4,000, while there are men
who claim to know. who eay they can
do it and will do it for 500. Quite i
wide margin that, between the two es-
Inmates. That's the way the money
goes" ~
"Should not the experts discover
such thinge?" sse
"They should, but they don't. They
are machines who are Satisfied when
the figures come out right. That is all
they have to look after. No sir, 1t is In
the allowance OF claims. When claim
| is allowed and goes on the books that
settles it as far as they are concerned,
They may think it extravagant, but
their minds are not hired to think out
side OF certain lines. When the figures
balance they are satisfied"
"You evidently think the check ON
extravsgance is not in experts?"
Right you are. 1t is in vigilant
dietrict attorney and board OF super.
visors.
/ have noticed mutterings from vari-
ous officials about the district attor-
ney's Office scaling down their demands
aud reporting adversely on all eorts of
claims from few dollars up to . gcod
many. According to my way OF think
ing that is q good sign. The shoe "a
pinching somewhere. Naturally aurh
attention to details draws down uana
that official criticiHm and denunciaticn
But don't you forget that, even mn a
should go too far. II is leaning in 'l'e
right direction"
"The tendency is for unnecessary
penses to creep in even where cor
officials are not trying to do anytti
illegal, and where the bills are ecrn
lied by an impartial and firm board {
supervisors and their legal advisers, v.
will do more towards clean admiDis.
tration OF county affairs than all the ex-
perts in the city. Why, the supervisors
have got almost unlimited power in the
matter. The law clothes them with 1t,
and it ia tremendous task for five men
to grasp the immense amount OF de-
tails necessary if they perform their
duties conscientiously. Yet they are
we'll paid, and there is no excuse for
them to allow any great amount OF ex-
travagance to creep in. They work 30
quietly that they ought to be punched
up every once ia while."
- --.l
Caught in tho Tolls "a