The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-24
COOL REQUEST THIS
Expert Both Wants AS
sistance in the IIlvesti- !
cation of the Water 4
Accounts.
SLOW PROGRESS In TIE EXAMINATION
Tells the Street and Water Board
That lie Doesn't Kn0jssEhen
He Will Finish.
SLOW PROGRESS In TIE EXAMINATION

The Street and Water Commissioners
had long session yesterday afternoon
Ihe Board at present consists of only
three members. Mayor Wanser has not
as yet appointed Commissioner Kaiser s.
successor and President Brown is sta
out of town. In his absence Commissioner
Harding has been elected Chairman and
an efficient one he has proven. Perhaps
the most iqnpoftant feature of yesterdays
session was in relation to Charles Both
the expert accountant who is examining
the water department records at $40 per
day. Both was paid $3.50 yesterday for
twenty-four days of ardous labor.
The Board of Finance at it's last meet
ing paid Both a good fat sum- No one dis
puted the legality of the claim; but the
Commissioners were alarmed, fearing that
at the rate of $50 day Both might take
it into his head to make his investigation
life job. He was subsequently, request
ed to report to the Board of Street and
Water Commissioners what progress he
had made and also to state about when
he thought he would complete the work
he had undertaken What purported to
be his report was filed with the Street
anu water BOard yesterday
He starts out by irnpressing it upon
the minds of the Commissioners that he
began work on December 10, 1896 to exam
inc the records of the water department
from the fiscal year 1SS7-S8 to 1897. What
he has accomplished up to the present
time, he says, would if written out, ta(bu-
lated smoothed out and punactuated, make
voluminous document full of interesting
material. He has made no detailed, tabu-
lated or copied report of what he has ac-
complished because that would take at
least ten days of his time and would con-
seruently prolong his work upon the ac-
counts for the ten years he is to examine
them. He will be prepared, he says, at
some later period to file with the Board
report which will convey satisfactory
and definite information.
With this preliminary he then says that
he has carefully gone over the cash books,
arrears cash books, adjusted reports and
registers for the years 1SS7-S8, S9 and 80
which examination comprised Is registers,
4 cash books. arrears cash books, and
parts of the seven certified adjusted re-
ports for the years narned He has also
prepared, he says, schedules and abstracts
which will be highly interesting when the
time arrives for their official inspection
The labor, he asserts of Strengthening out
the accounts, following each account
through every channel is most exacting
AT this tonouure he hints at what the
Finance Commissioners have laid plans to
forestall. He modeStly asserts that if he
had two assistants particularly two from
his own Office who understand his methods
he would be able to finish the work in
much less time.
When that paragraph was read no one
rose to dispute it. Both explains that
working, alone he can only take up the ac-
counts of a single year, while if he had
two assistants they would be able to
tackle three years simultaneously. The FL
rance Commissioners do not, object to
Both having a dozen assistants, but they
say that when they fixed his compensation
at $40 day it was with the understanding
that he should pay all assistants he need
ed. Both wants the $40 day for his own
work and the city to pay the assistants.
He is not likely to get any assistants at
the city'S expense.
Finally arriving at the point in which
the Finance Commissioners are most in
terested viz. How much longer he will
be and about when he will finish the
work he5 says that that Is a question
which cannot be determined at this time;
1t all depends upon the class of items and
the transactions he encounters.
Both concludes by asking that the FL
nance Board appoint a committee to make
Inspections of his work and progress, peri
odioally.
The report was filed. All the Commis-
sfoners have learned, they say is that
he is about one-tilird through and that
so far the city owes him between 81 800
and s15o0, and still have no Knowledge
or are put in a position to estimate now
many more hundred dollars the examina-
tion will cost.
Mr.. Boths employment may be deter
mined shortly 1t is said.