The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-10-21

The old form Is followed and practicaAy
all that Is published Is an abstract Oh
two cash books kept by two duteeen'
officers both dealing with the came hb-
ures and both handling them in the SANE
unsystematic way. What possto'o ~
iect can be served by such system 1
am at a loss 10 understand. IL Is Is
though A merchant should keep Two
bookkeepers who should each keep sepa-
rate cash books and separate l~oscls.
Such a proceeding would be thought d
most extravagant and useless one ana l
deem It such IN the case 81 the city.
I can understand the necessity for coll
lect0r. a treasurer and an auditor but /
| cannot understand the necessity n the
auditor keeping a cash book 10 enter
| the receipts of the city revenues ana thelr
disbursement This Is the business or d
| treasurer He is charged with the re-
sponsibiity OF receiving and discussing
the revenues. The business and duty OF
an auditor is not to keep accounts but
TO check the accounts kept BY others and
to certify TO their correctness. Tender such
| q system which s. that I'm force In all
business undertakings We should have
| not two abstracts from cash books pub
| Ushed but one cash account made oct by
the treasurer vita the corresponding
| ledger accounts and these an certified by
the auditor as being correct AS now
! published the city accounts 90 not bear
auv certldcation OF their correctness by
any officer Of the city. The Auditor pre-
seuts one account. the treasurer another
and these are assumed 60 Do correct.
Again such a cash account as I have
suggested should be published by the
| Treasurer. should not be as at present
an unassorted aggregation Of totals. some
rfl nf
eminent and some 20 another. tut an
assorted aggregation OF the totals Of the
receipts and payments made on each sep
arate department of the city.s business.
! AS now presented no citizen can tell from
| the accounts what are the receipts ana
payments properly chargcable 10 each
! department lf presented Do the form !
suggest. one side of the account would
| give the receipts and the other the pay
| r1ents on each department for the year.
| no one examining the accounts as no"
presented can tell what f. the cost Tor
| instance of running the city HAL on OF
| the Courts Of Justice. nor the cost OF
| the MANAGEMENT Of the financial affairs
of the city. 4 proper account would
show each department dehited with every
| charge against &c and credited with all
| receipts properly belonging Co It, rms
| would show the net profits on cost To the
| city. such system Of accounts when
| uauguratod would be just as easy 70
! keep as the present one and would intel
| Ngibiy disclose 90 every citizen the &C.
! rlrtments whore retrenchment was ne
! cessary and where the taxes wer heins
! spent The English system of municipal
| accounts requires this 10 be done and
| fits simplicity ana usefulness IS beyond
| question. There is room for great in-
| proveuent in the system i'm force here
| and f. should be the business of the
) City Accountant TO inaugurate this az
I once. / VIII gladly place az his service
| the accounts of an English corporate
| town II he viii accept OF the help they
| win afford him. one word more on the
| form OF the accounts aT PRESENTED. hoth
! the Auditor and Treasurer's accounts
| commence with an item Ga large one)
! nearly thrce-Quartors OF million ool-
| lars Bills payable This item, ape
! pears In this form though the amounts
| liter on both the debit and credit side
| Of the account. Surely this cannot be
] correct. The one iJ seems % me should
/ be bills payable the other "bils re-
| ceivable" This whole question ot bills
i5 TO me an incxplicab'c one. / DO not
find such an item in the accounts OF Hal-
| timore. Philadelphia or Atlanta. What
/ thousands Of dollars in Bills floating
! cannot conceive. Taxes are received I'm
coin or currency and bonds sold are paid
for IN the Ike medium of exchange.
The cities obligations ough, therefore.
to De DISCHARGED in like currency There
| s mo- place for bill either payable or re-
ccivabIe in the citys accounts Dr. tne
business was conducted and managed
properly except it mignr Doe 90 The exc
tent of any floating debt converted into
NEGOTIABLE Obligations 40 short dates.
Tho item "blIlf payable entered in the
accounts. however. greatly cy.e.d the
whole floating debt of the city The
| existence of these bills ID ans constant
| loss t0 the citizens and they should Doe
retired. rn a future article I VIII deal
| with different Items off the accounts.
r. h.. JACKSON.
| Eichmord. VA, OCT 20 ln.