The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-03
The Latter Body Takes n Recess I'm
til Tonight in Order to Get
Further Information.
FINANCE COMMITTEES REPORT
CORRESPONDENCE WITH CONTROL
LER DUNN INCLUDED.
Treasury Balance That Disappeared
in Thin Air-The Councils
Routine Affairs.

Last nights meeting of the City Council
was devoted chiefly to the question of
granting of temporary loans. Owing TO the
muddled affairs of the city ii was necessary
for the Council to take recess of nearly
an hour to allow City Controller Dunn to
attempt TO explain certain conditions TO the
finance committee.
In Mr.. Dunn's first request to the Council
for authority to make temporary loans in
anticipation of the current revenues to pay
the bills for the months of July, August
and September he estimated that tenn
porary loans would be needed as follows:
For July, $4,000; for August, $4,000 for
September, S7O,OOO-a total of $4,000. The
Council granted authority for the tenn
pOrary loan of $4,000 for July bills and also
the request for $4,000 for August. Then
the city controller made a request for an
additional $4,000 to pay July and August
bills not set out in the loans authorized,
and last night he submitted an ordinance
authorizing a $92. 600 temporary loan for
September bills instead of the one for
$4,000 His requests to date aggregate
$4,000, instead of $4,000 made by him at
first, which startled citizens of Indianapo-
lis, who could not understand by what
methods the city administration had run
the city so deeply into debt
MAY BE REDUCED.
But City Controller Dunn may have his
estimates reduced, at least the recent re-
quest for a loan of $4,000 in addition to the
two other loans for July and August, as
the finance committee is anxious to learn
just where the money has gone before
recommending the passage of an ordinance
to prevent the city's credit from being i'm
t;.1 s-
DESTROYS of doing. The finance committee
recommended last night that a recess be
taken until tonight to further consider the
request for a $4,000 loan. 1t may be re-
duced TO 81, 5S9.5S, and the figures sub
mitted by Controller Dunn may be set out
as the basis on which the reduction will
be made
In Mr.. Dunn's communication to the
Council on Aug. he stated that there was
to the credit of the city a balance of
SIS. 9O0.53, which would be used in paying
the city's bills. 1t is evident that he fig
ured this balance to pay bills that would
come in, but in his communication of Aug.
80 he omitted the treasury balance named
and set out that there are still bills to be
paid. The committee was at loss to ac-
count for the discrepancy in the accounts
and what became of the treasury balance.
Mr. Dunn went before the committee last
night while the Council was in recess and
made the statement that the treasury bal
ance had been used to pay bills, and not a
dollar was left Still, he sets out that
there are bills left unpaid that will require
$4,000 in addition to the amounts that have
been authorized for July and August.
THE TREASURY BALANCE.
The treasury balance that was expended
in paying bills is gone and the bills have
not yet been made a matter OF public rec
ord, it is said. The members of the commit
tea 81 al hot ba ha1 Of
$50. 9OO.5S was used in paying bills there was
no necessity for authorizing a loan to pay
the bills again. Mr.. Dunn claims, however,
after he has worked out a plan to make
the best possible showing out of a bad
situation, that there are still bills to be
paid that Will require $4,000 for July and
August. Owing to the discrepancy in the
figures the committee recommended re-
cess until this evening, when an addi-
| uonal report may be received from the
controller in effort to solve the puzzle.
1t is claimed that the city's officials are
doing everything possible to prevent the
true situation of the present financial mud
die from coming to the surface at this
time, in view of the early approach of the
city election. The officials have gone so
Tar, Ii is claimed, as TO ask the heads of
the various city departments to stop pay
ment on as many bills as possible, and in
this way hope to meet the bills that have
to be paid without borrowing money in
great amounts. The treasury balance, il is
said, was expended to pay creditors who
would not be put off any longer but on
the other hand il is further claimed that
the city officials have delayed the payment
of a large number of bills so they can
unload the whole lot on the Republican Of
ficials should the coming election prove
disastrous to the Democrats.
COUNCIL ROUTINE AFFAIRS.
The ordinance TO improve West street
with asphalt did not come before the Coun-
ell last night, as the committee on sewers,
streets and alleys claimed it desired to get
an opinion from the city attorney regard
ing the matter and had not been successful
in time to report on the matter.
Mr.. Grail introduced an ordinance to
license transient merchants who solicit by
samples orders for ladies' and children s
dresses or mems attire, providing a license
of S25 a day for the privilege of soliciting
such trade. A petition signed by a number
of clothing stores and merchant tailors was
presented with the ordinance.