The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-12-13
THAT ALLEGED DEFICIT
NOT CERTAIN THAT WIFI EXIST INTHE ACCOUNTS OF THE CITY.
The Yearly Accounts Not Yet Closed-City Auditor Brown Win Issue Statement of the City's Finances in n Day 6r Two Meeting of Board of Finance.


 The final meeting of the board of finance of 1895 was held last evening, completed. The only members of the board present were, besides the mayor, Aldermen Parish and Reyes and Coun- cilmen Dewell and Rourke The only bills approved last night were those which had come in since the last meet ing and which must be paid out of last years appropriations. Ths regular weekly payrolls of the several depart ments of the city government for the week ending December 10 were approv ed and after very brief session the several members departed for their re- sepctive homes.
 The statement made in the evening papers last evening to the effect that the city was $73,000 behind on last years estimates was denied last even- ing by a member of the board, who stated that no such discrepancy exist ed Why said he, Hook at the ab- sur0ity of the statement. The accounts for last year have not yet been closed, and 1t is impossible for the city au- ditor or any one to state how the finan- ces of the city stand unt'l after the ac, counts for the Sear have been closed and balance struck. At the present time it is absolutely impossible for anyone to get at the exact figures, and at present everything is merely mat ter of guess work. The city auditor will within a day or two have the ac- counts for the year closed up, and then and not till then, can anyone tell just exactly how the accounts stand The report of the auditor for the year will in all probability be presented to the court of common council at the special meeting of the board of aldermen next Monday night"
 The same gentleman also stated that the income for the year had not reach- ed the figures estimated by the previous administration, and there had also been a number of bills inherited from the previous administration which had to be paid out of the income for last year, and these, together with the extra appropriations voted during the year by the court of common council. might possibly make a small deficit but whether it would or not he could not say with any positiyeness. Among the extra appropriations voted by the court of common council was one of $500 for the pay roll of the police depart l ment, and another of $l, 400 to reimburse the board of public works for the amount expended in fighting the elm tree beetles last summer.
 Al the meeting of the board of finance last evening the alleged deficit was not, so it is said, even so much as informally discussed nor will anything be done until City Auditor Browns report has been submitted.
 City Auditor Brown in speaking of the matter said that he would imme- l diately make up his balance sheet and issue a statement showing just how all accounts stand. He also said that some extraordinary expenses had been in- cured during the past year, which made the real expenses above the esti- mates and that the estimated revenue from taxes had been much larger than that actually received. He would not say, however that any deficit would ap- pear when the statement was made, but that within a few days a complete statement of the city's finaces would be made.