The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-12-17

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20 ,ae Honorable R. E. Brooks, Dis apj
opdse Travis County, Texas, Twsnt,.
sixth Judicial District: -"en'S
= Strive, the UNDERSIGNED ,.....
appointed By your honor at the r ranmos,
OF w honorable grand. jury Of Travi.
lows:4 ' 20 report as fol
nv cymmlttee assembled on the 9Th
aay q December, 1896, and ware in.
s!ructed7 BY your honor regarding tho du.
ties lot the various county officers. and
our duties, and referred by your honor
g the Revised Statutes for further in.
formation. :"
we nnd, by examination of the Stat.
utes, that We were expected to consume
I'VE days and no more in making orr ro.
port and in examination of the financial
aifairs OF the county of Travis. This
time Is entirely inadequate for the full
examination of the multiplicity of ac-
counts and vouchers involved, and would
respectfully recommend that if it should
appear to the honorable grand jury that
1t is needful or that the taxpayers of
Travis county would be benefited, n COM
plete report be ordered to be made of all
hduciary transactions of Travis county.
gong back about ten years This COM
mittee to consist of two or more good ac-
countants, to be appointed by the county
commissioners court. If the appointment
OF the foregoing committee should be
deemed advisable, then the financial COM
mittee appointed by the grand jury from
time to time could easily keep I'D the
work. The report of the asst committee
is dated December 8, 1894. This inter-
val is entirely too long to enab., us to 20
into the vast mass Of detailed matter that
has now accumulated.
The committee are far from wishing to
intimate that all accounts and entries are
not perfectly correct and regular, as, in
fact they appear to be, but offer the
above suggestion more as matter of eX-
PLANTATION as to the reason that their re-
port is not as fully in detail as the COM
mittee would like.
After some consultation, the committee
determined to take the affairs of the coun-
ty in the hands of the county and district
officers in the order hereinafter named:
The county assessor, the county collec-
tor, the county treasurer, the sheriff of
the county, the district clerk so far as he
has any connection with the financial af
fairs of Travis county, the district attor-
ney, subject to the limitations as above;
the county judge, the county attorney,
the commissioners court, who are defacto
the fiscal agents of the county, and the
county clerk, who stands in the position
of comptroller of the county. All the old
officers were reelected at the last gen
eral election except the Hon. ID. A. Nc
Fall, county judge.
1t may not be out of place here for the
committee to pay slight tribute of re-
spect and commentator to the Hon. d.
A. McFall for the excellent manner in
which we find the affairs of the county
have been conducted during the last two
years.
COUNTY ASSESSORS OFFICE.
We find from the records Of this office
that the taxes assessed were for
1S9EAd valorem E. 80. :. $79,2a ~
1894-Poll :. -. -. 2,4SS ~
1895-Ad valorem. I,f6o ~
1895-Poll :. -. -. l,0oo w
We find the books and papers in this
Office kept in a clean, accurate and bust
ness-like manner, and have no suggestions
or criticisms to offer All accounts are
brought down to December 8, 1896.
COUNTY COLLECTORS OFFICE.
The accounts of the county collector;
we find. is balanced and properly closed
each wear in the records OF the county
commissioners court. The vouchers from
treasurer, plus delinquents, plus the CO.
Iector's commission, we find to correctly
enual the amount charged to him by tne
assessor. IT. ou
We find all correct and the proper
vouchers for settlement with the county
treasurer. We have no suggestions 10 Oh,
for. everything being found correct anu
in a business-like shape.
COUNTY TREASURER.
Wa find all accounts correctly ana ac-
curafely kept: we have checked the paie
onnos found in the general ledger OF
avis county in the Office of the county
,,ark in the accounts of the collector anu
We and these accounts to agree wltn
~ hooks in the offices of the two onlcers
ohon uoT named. We find that Travis coun-
~ had On hand at the close OF business,
Hooo,nber 8. 1896, the following amounts
-. Det tha credit of the following funds:
General revenue -, ''''''' 019 10
Court house and Jail ........ 1 i'SSoI co
Road and bridges -; .''' a791 "a
Interest and sinking fund ..'' o''oi "
s22,2S2 "a
wo amend certificates Of Austin Ma,
,;omna, hank and First National Dank u
Iust;n, showing sufficient cash funas SUI ,,,r
iaut 20 check to cover all amounts q IW.
1T IT, county from the treasurer, W.
end d' oil funds charged upon the books S
~ tinu tba debit of Mr.. Ed Anderson oui!
receipted for by the present lrta na -,
iTh;. Comment may not be required, u. a'
the appended accounts ana panh 'e' ''A
Gates sneak for themselves, .o.ao, o,
We append and respectfully 'en oparo d +,
mart of this report, and or TINS svpt tbes,
sccount. the following statements tne h'
statements having been duly Verineu ~ !.
nc and the certificates having neen w
tanned from the two banks by tne 'oiA
mittee: o,o, fund from
Nnvamber ~ 1894, to November y io9u
Socnnd- Statement of general run
oeeou sLar q 1896. to December !