The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-06-16
An End to the County Auditor,

| The system of auditing the accounts
In the various counties of the State
has always been supervision of the
acts OF county officials that began at
the wrong end. The new Office of
County Controller, to be filled by elec
ton IN counties containing $50, 900
population and upwards, will go long
way toward effecting salutary reforms
and the correction of some manifest
abuses. The new County Controller
audits in advance instead Of after the
Commissioners have settled contracts
and agreements generally, ,and from the
day he goes into service until the close
OF his three-year term he is a useful
and all important individual.
The new law covers the counties of
Allegheny, Berks, Schuylkil, Lancas.
ter, Lackawanna and Luzerne, although
under the strict construction Of the
census Of 1890, Berks with I,7,s77
population, Lackawanna with I4,, ,oSS
and Lancaster with I46,o95 do not
come under its provisions. Since the
last census, however, all three have
passed beyond the required figure and
unless otherwise decided upon they
are entitled to the benefits the acts
unquestionably confers. Berks, by CEN
sus, Jacks most of meeting the pre-
scrlbed number of inhabitants, but a
recent census Of Reading shows an in.
crease Of over sixteen thousand in that
city alone, and the county easy reaches
the terms Of the law.
BY doing away with the old and
cumbersome machinery found in the
Beard of county Auditors, the county
| Controller at once establishes a form
OF government of the most valuable
character. He passes upon the receipts
and expenditures, debts and accounts
of every county official. As a check
upon the county Commissioners he
acts as public monitor Of the treas
ury, and no action can sbe taken nor
can any expenditure of money be
made without his approval. a de.
tailed estimate of the revenve required
must be made out by him before the
first day Of February of each year,
and, according to the extent and ma
ture of his estimate, the Commission
ers must base the rate of taxation
The annual county account that now
finds presentment by the Auditors at
the close of the year, as the result of
labors practically amounting to moth
ing, is part of the duty of the new
Controller, and when it is seen that
under the operations of the new law
the Commissioners become only a
body of nominal powers it Is apparent
that the new official creates changes
in existing usages and customs Of the
most heroic nature. There is very
little left for the Commissioners to do
beyond drawing their usual perquisi.es.
By the old methods the Commis
sioners made out the warrants, filed the
tax rate, entered into contracts, invited
bids and proposals for county work,
ran the records in secret to suit them
selves and ruled on the order Of
close corporation, often to the detri-
ment of the taxpayers. The new
Controller now becomes the minister.
ing power and he must minister open
ly. Amy tax payer can look over his
books and every act must be public
matter. He can have no closed doors
to his Office and the condition and
state Of the public funds is always
thoroughly known. Nothing can be
hid.
This will be revolution in coun-
ties like Schuylkill, Luzerne and Ian.
caster, where heretofore the compara
lively unimportant Office Of county
Auditor has been much sought after
on the ground doubtless, that as
public Office it was 4 private snap.
Deals in small fortunes will cease.
After the new law becomes generally
operative the way will doubtless be-
come quite clear to an amendment
including every county of the State
under its beni6cent provisions Times.