Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-04-15
TRAVELLING AUDITORS DUTIES.
Some of the Things he Will Have to
90 for The Good of New Mexico.

90 Tor t1e lcCo OF New
The new office of travelling auditor
of New Mevico has excited more IA
yorable comment than any other leg
islation enacted By the 35th assembly
and the new post with the additional
powers Of the board of equalization
working with it is expected to work a
revolution in the conduct of county
finances and a better adjustment of
the tax assessments of the territory.
There is, too, much favorable com
ment of the appointment by Governor
Otero of Chas. ". Stafford of San
Juan county to the post. Mr.. Stafford
is widely known throughout New Mex
leo as a careful and reliable business
man and his long experience in the
Office of the territorial treasurer in
both of which he has been chief clerk
for the past two years has fitted him
perfectly for the duties of the new
Office. The bill creating the new Office
and outlining its duties and RESPONSE
bilities is as follows:
An act to establish the office OF trav-
cling auditor and bank examiner for
the benefit of the territory and the
several counties and for other pur-
poses.
Be it enacted by the legislative as.
sembly Of the territory of New Mex
leo:
Sec. !. The Office of travelling audi
tor and bank examiner is hereby
created and established, and the gov
ernor is hereby authorized and direct.
ed to appoint some suitable person.
who shall be a skillful accountant, to
that position, who shall serve for two
| years and until his is ap
pointed. He shall be a territoial officer
| and within thirty days after
his appointment shall qualify
by taking the oath of of
fee prescribed by law for other
territorial officers, and by giving
bond to the territory of New Mexi
| co, with sufficient surcties, to be ap
| proved by the governor, in the sum Of
+. ten thousand dollars, for the faithful,
| discharge of the duties of his Office
| Such travelling auditor and bank ex
| aminer shall maintain his Office at the
territorial capitol in hat of the audi
tor of public accounts. He shall re
| ceive a salary Of w thousand dollars
per annum, payable monthly; ant
| ditional for travelling and contingent
| expenses of his office, in the same
manner as other territorial officials
are now paid, both as to salary and
contingent expenses.
Sec. 2. 1t shall be the duty of such
travelling auditor and bank examiner
to personally visit each county seal
in the territory at least twice in eacf
! year, and oftener if he may deem il
necessary for the benefit of the terri
ritory or said county or on the re
| sioners of said county or upon the di
| rection Of the governor. 1t shall be
his duty to adopt and prescribe a sim
| pie and uniform system of keeping
/ accounts in the several counties by
the different ~treasurers and collectors
| thereof. He shall examine and audit
the accounts of the said ~treasurers
and collectors as to territorial taxes
] and report to the county commission
| ers in writing the result, with his rec
concentrations in reference to the
| same. 1t is hereby made the duty o.
| said treasurers and collectors to con
form their method of bookkeeping
and the making of reports, both t6
the territorial treasurer and auditor
of public accounts to the recommends
| lions made by the said travelling audi
| tor and bank examiner. Books of &C
| counts, records and all blanks so rec
| commended to be used by the travelling
( form and to be furnished said county
: ~treasurers and collectors free OF
| charge by the territory, through the
| office Of travelling auditor and banf
examiner, and for such purpose the
| appropriation now made by the terri
tory, for the printing of tax rolls il
hereby increased the additional sun
| of five hundred dollars per mum. II
| shall further be the duty of said trav
| cling auditor and examiner, to exam
inc into, and report to the governor
in writing, the character n amount
| of all outstanding bonds of each coun
| ty. the time and law under which the
same were issued, when by theiI
| terms due, rate of interest and the
| steps that are taken to provide for the
| payment of same; such reports to DC
| made by said travelling auditor and
bank examiner upon blanks to be pre-
| pared by him and printed by the pub
lie printer and paid for by warrant
| drawn on the salary fund and charged
| against his contingent account, and
such report shall contain such recon-
mendations to the governor as he may
deem necessary with reference
to the particular county au'
dited. and shall be made as soon as
practicable after he shall have exam.
med each county. In his report he
shall also state the assessed value OF
each county for taxation purposes, the