The age-herald., 1900-10-14
ANNUAL REPORT OF
 TREASURER ELLIS Condition of the States Finances on September 30, 1900. A DEFICIENCY OF S169,9Ol He Reviews Workings of the Depart ment and Points Out Savings to
 the Tax Payers = A Con-
 densed Statement
A DEFICIENCY OF S169,901

Age-Herald Bureau Hotel Clancey, Mont gomery, October 3.-(specal.) )-Tht annual report of State Treasurer Ellis for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1900, was issued today and is as follows:
 "State of Alabama, Treasury Department,
 Montgomery, October 13, 1900. Hon. Joseph F. Johnston, Governor of
 Alabama.
 Dear Sir:-In compliance with the re- quirements of the statutes I submit here- with the report of this department for the fiscal year ending September 30. 1900.
 From the condensed statement 1t will be seen that the deficiency, after setting apart all obligations due on that day, was $l69,9O1 94. The deficiency as shown therein does not agree with that shown by the auditor, by reason of the fact that he in- cludes in liabilities, estimated amounts due October 1, 1900 that the treasurer Is not authorized under the statue to do.
 Upon the recommendations of this de- partment the last General Assembly amended Section 3611 of the Code so that tax collectors are authorized to cash and take up auditors warrants drawn against appropriations for schools. Under the op- erations of this amendment, the cost of transmitting funds to and from the treas ury has been greatly reduced. The amend ment Is a good one, but it does not go far enough, for 1t rarely occurs that tax col lectors have sufficient amounts from their monthly collections to pay three months school funds Section 3610 of the Code should be amended so that county and dis trict superintendents will be required to file their payrolls, and the auditor author fzed to draw warrants monthly Instead of quarterly, as now required. Such an amendment will facilitate the payment of the warrants by the tax collectors and then they will have sufficient funds each tO hpfOrp r. tances to the treasury, and will also give the teachers their pay more promptly. Why pay salaried officials, employees and sheriffs their money every month and re- quire the teacher to wait three months? Often he is so pressed for funds that he has to borrow scale the small remun- eration he is to receive so that 1t is greatly diminished before 1t reaches him.
 "The General Assembly of 1S9S-99 passed an act authorizing the bond of the state treasurer to be made in guarantee com panies. and made an apropria ton for the payment of the premium This has proved a good law, for the treasurer is not embar- rassed by having to ask personal friends to become surety for him. and he can ad- minister the affairs of the office in more judiciouS and satisfactory manner. Anti cipating that the General Assembly would. at the same time pass what was known as the deposit bill which provided for the safe keeping of funds in banks the liabli- ty on the treasurer's bond was reduced from $250000 to $150,0 GOO. The Legislature failed to pass the deposit bill and as the funds are to remain in the treasury vault, with the increased balances, on account of the additional tax for soldiers and the special levy for schools, the penalty on said bond should be placed at the former amounts, $250,000 and additional appro- priation made to pay the premium on the same. Under the operations of the special acts for the collection of taxes for schools and soldiers, the balances in the treasury have greatly increased, standing for sev- eral months during the last year at over one million dollars With no better facili- ties for keeping these funds than that pro- Vided by the state at present. I consider It very unsafe to keep that amount of money locked up the treasury vault It occurs to me that the General Assembly should provide some safe and better way of keeping it's funds and at the same time save the entire cost of transmitting It to and from the treasury.
 Tn the discharge of the duties required Tor the four years service, I have tried to do so for the best interest of the State and have guarded every point just as I would my own private business For in- stance, in the cost of transmitting funds