Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-07-19

Total deilclt ..''...'.''..'''.'.'.'.s- ''oVo :
HOW MONEY WAS HANDLED.

| HOW MONEY w No HANDLED.
No cash-book was kept. The book
keeper received the money from the
| sales Of coke and settled nightly with
the foreman. He in turn made his settle
ments with the Superintendent each
week. Neither clerk nor foreman took
! any receipt for money so paid. both
clerk and foreman stating that the Super
intendent proved the money each time
| no received IL by the Cookbook. which
| &c the only record. No record was kept
OF daily receipts for lime. The Super
| intendent received all moneys for tar
| and ammoniacal liquor. and kept a book
purporting 20 show the dates and amounts
/ OF the same. There Is absolutely no
check on the amount of these sales.
The book-keeper, instead Of making en-
tries Of receipts from his own books,
used slips obtained by the Superintend-
on, from the Auditor OF the city, show
| ing what he had paid into the treasury,
! thus balancing books and not showing
| the discrepancies which. posting from his
own records, would have become apparent
each year. As regards junk and lime no
| figures are obtsinable, except those con-
| tanned in the superintendent report TO
| the Auditor. SO we are compelled to
| take them as accurate. no record having
been kept at all for junk, and for some
| wears back no record of the lime. one
! hook having been lost. The records,
| however. now on hand, show these re-
| celpts for the latter yeare TO have been a
few hundred dollars in excess OF amounts
paid in by the Superintendent However
| the Superintendent has been given credit
for having paid in the full amount.
THE DIFFERENT AMOUNTS
The coke account was kept by the
book Keeper, Mr. Meredith; the tar,
| LIQUOR. and junk. accounts are i'm Superin-
tendent Adams's own handwriting, while
the account OF lime was entered by Fore
man Walsh and Clerk Meredith.
| II was the custom OF Mr.. Adams 10 pay
| off the men until the sale Of coke stopped,
| in 1893, and he deducted amounts due 10y
workmen for coke. Both the foreman and
| clerk testify that no entry Of the same
was eyer made In the Cookbook. nor
/ is there any evidence Of this money ever
| having been paid into the City Treasury.
| None of the pay-rolls are signed 10y the
men. nor are the original ones audited by
the Auditor, they being copies of the
| same.
! In addition to these discrepancies. We
| ascertain that no record has been kept of
/ the sale of tar and ammoniacal liquor TO
/ the present contractor except the returns
made 10 the clerk b. the contractors
/ themselves. who had free access TO the
tar and liquor. ana were the only ones
who ascertalned the quantities for which
| they paid.
! But It is fair TO Mr.. Armltage, who had
| the contracts for tar and ammoniacal
/ llquOr, 10 say that Ai. Boudar mas made
| a calculation upon the recognized basis
| that a ton OF coal will produce from eleven
! to fourteen gallons Of tar, and has ascer-
/ tanned that there is every reason 10 be-
| lleve that Mr. Armitage made correct re-
| turns as 10 the quantities Of tar received
| by him.
ADAMS RECEIVED 1T ALL.
Your committee report that there IS no
| lust cause to believe that Mr. Meredith
| or Mr.. Walsh received one cent Of the
moneys taken from the city. All the tes-
| tImony before your committee shows that
Mr.. Adams received all the moneys taken
| from the city. Nor was there any proof
| that either Of those subordinates had any
reason to believe that Mr.. Adams was
taking said moneys.
! II was his duty to take the money from
the gas-works 10 the City Treasury. After
IL left the gas-works II went beyond the
custody or knowledge Of either OF the said
subordinates
| But your committee are OF the opinion
| that Mr. Meredith did not do his duty as
| book keeper When h. entered on his
duties in February, 1891, he adopted the
vicious system of bookkeeping then in
practice at the gas-works.
Had he done his duty the defalcation
could not have continued after his cleo
| ton. Had he not used. as above stated.
| the slips obtained by him from the Super
| intendent purpOrting 10 be statements or
| what the Superintendent had paid into
the City Treasury. his books would have
shown that Mr. Adams was not making
proper returns. And the evidence aleO
satisfied your committee that Mr.. Mere
! dith was not competent 70 keep the books
Of the department.
HAVE AN ACCOUNTANT.
Your Committee on Light recommend the
adoption Of the following resolutions
their reasons therefor are contained in the
accompanying report:
l. An examination by a competent ac-
! countant from time TO time during each
| year into not only the accounts and condi-
! ton OF this department. but Of every
other apartment Of the city government.
1t is idle to expect the committees Of the
city government to examine the books OF
their respective departing hts. IL is a re-
| sponsibiity and a labor which should not
be put upon them. Ii must be done by
some one Independent of the departments
and whose special duty ii shall be to do
such work.
2. The position now held by Mr.. ]. f.
Meredith as clerk and boOk-keeper at the
gas-works be declared vacant, and that
your committee instead Of the Superin-
tendent be authorized to fiji the vacancy,
and he be bonded in the sum OF $50
3. That the City Attorney be instructed
TO take all proper steps TO recover the
moneys either from the estate OF Mr. w.
G.. Adams or from the surety on his diff
ferent bonds as Superintendent. and bring
suit If necessary.
Was Elected by the Committee.
The recommendations that the COM
mittee. instead OF the Superintendent, be
authorized 10 MI the position Of clerk
and book-keeper, might create the i'm
preston that Mr.. Meredith was appoint
ed by the late Superintendent. Such.
however, was not the case He was
elected by the Light Committee in No
vember, 1889. and stated at one OF the
recent meetings that he was dominated
by Mr.. William 5. Gum, and did not in
any sense owe his position TO Mr.. Adams.
The ordinance provides that the person
filling this place shall give 81 900 bond.
but Mr.. Meredith was never advised that
there was any such requirement, and
ne therefore never gave bond.
Art Treasures burned.