The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-06
MUNICIPAL ACCOUNTING
ROCHESTER, CONVENTION WILL
URGE UNIFORMITY OF SYSTEM.
Municipal League Has Several Impor-
tant Matters Under Consideration
plans for the Meeting.

PHILADELPHIA, May 5.-The National
Municipal League will begin the session
of its ninth annual conference on Wednes-
day afternoon of this week The meeting
will be held at Rochester, n. Y, and con-
tinue throughout Friday and Saturday
The latter evening the visiting delegates
will be given banquet by the Rochester
br1reh-r1 the league. -s'---- '--s---
On Saturday morning, after the conclu-
sion of the leagues session, there will be
a special conference of committees ap-
pointed to consider the question of munici-
pal accounting. This is a reform TO which
the league will give much attention at flu
ture meetings. The initial step in this
direction will be taken during the pres
ent session, when DR.. Edward n. Hart
we'll, of the Boston Statistical Bureau. will
present report OF the committee which has
been gathering data from all available
sources bearing upon the subject of uni
formity in the methods of keeping tie ac-
counts of municipalities.
Clinton Rogers Woodruff, secretary OF
the National Municipal League, has this
to say upon the coming meeting: ''Thc
Rochester meeting Of the National Munich
pal League bids fair to be of great prac-
ucal Importance. Its programme repre-
sents contributions from workers in all
branches of municipal activity and from
all sections of the country The subject Of
municipal accounting. to which two ses-
sions will be devoted has come to be one
of the matters calling for immediate at
tention. What, with the variety of meth
DDS in vogue and their general inadequacy,
ic ,,ic t,a
relative cost of running city governments,
and there is no common basis of compar, :
sen. This must be changed. The report
of the committee on uniform municipal
accounting will consist OF an actual exhi-
bition in the shape of the report of the
city of Newton, Mass, made up in ac-
cCrdance with the schedule recommended
by the committee.
''Then the report of the committee of
instruction in municipal government in
American educational institutions will
prove an important feature. This COM
nittee has gathered a large amount OF
Information which has been digested and
put into the report, which will be a revela-
ton TO students of the subject
THE reports from the various cities con-
corning recent events and accomplishments
will be full of interest and Importance.
They will develop degree of activity in
various parts of the country that is high
ly encouraging. These annual conferences
have been Of great value to all interested
in the movement of municipal government
and the Rochester meeting will be no less
useful"
Beside the subjects mentioned. this years S
conference will also consider primary cleo
ton reform and recent charter legislation.
The speakers who will discuss these ques-
tiQns are men of such prominence as Hon.
James ID. Phelan. mayor of San Francisco;
James w. Pryor, secretary of the City Club
of New York; Charles b. Spahe. associate
editor of the Outlook; Charles Z. Monroe,
secretary of the Municipal Association of
Milwaukee. and Ernest y. Hampstead, edi-
tor OF the Crawford County Journal