The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1904-01-12
Street and Water Board De-
olines to Have It's Ac-
counts Removed From
It's Offices.
MUST pROTEcTlTs BONDS MEN
Eoard Has Also Hired an Ex-
pert to Work in Con-
junction With the
Mayors Man.
Mayors Man.

The Street and Water Commissioners
this morning hired an expert accountant
to 20 over the books of the Water De
partment along with Expert Price. Of the
New York Audit Company, whom the
Mayor, after consultation with other Of
ficials, decided to put upon the Water
Departments books. discrepancy of
sl05 having been found in the accounts
ofDeputy Registrar Daniel Smith. This
discrepancy is generally believed to be
technical error in bookkeeping.
The Board also refused point-blank II
allow the books to be removed from the
Boards oGices, and contends that the in
vestigation of the books shall be conduct
ed within the Office where the records are
supposed to be kept The investigation
Of the books has been going on in room
apart from the offices Of the Street and
Water Board The Commissioners claim
that it is unfair to their bondsmen to al
low these books to 60 out of their hands
Under the existing circumstances. Each
Commissioner is under $4,000 bonds.
They claim they don't even know what
room in the City Hall is being used by
the expert accountant in conducting his
investigation Of the books.
Mayor Fagan today sent the following
communication to the Office Of the Street
and Water Board
january u, 1904.
ssTo the Honorab the Board Of Street
and Water Commissioners of Jersey
City
s1GsatIenlen- Several days ago my at
tention was called to 9. discrepancy in
the accounts of the Water Registrars
office which convinced me that it was
any duty to have the books of that office
thoroughly examined. For that purpose
have employed an expert from the
Audit Company, of New York. This ex-
pert informs me that certain of the
books upon which he is at work could
be tampered with, if interested parties
had possession of them at night.
i have today requested the President
of your Board to order these books de-
livered to me at the cloae OF each busi-
ness day. which request has BY him been
refused. / therefore formally demand
that your Board issue orders that such
books as the accountant may request
shall be placed in my custody at the
ciosa Of each business day. as long as the
responsible for the safety of these books
while they are in my charge
Respectfully submitted,
Mayor"
The discrepancy alluded to by the
Mayor, and which brought about the in
vestigaticn of the books, was the failure
of Deputy Registrar Daniel Smith TO
credit $105 paid by the Jersey City Gal
vanizing Company for water rent on No
vember 25 last. The receipt for the
money reached the Galvanizing Com
pany witk only the receipt stamp of the
Water Registrar, whereas the law COM
pels also the stamping of the Comptrol-
lers receipt thereon. On the day in ques-
tion, Deputy Registrar Smith found upon
counting Sof his receipts of the day $105
that he could not account for. He sup
posed some one would call the next day,
or perhaps later, making inquiries that
would enable him to straighten the mat
ter out. he was intensely busy on the
day in question, there having been an
unusual rush of citizens to pay their
water rents. Many of tie receipts come.
by mail In answer to tills sent out. Just
how the bills Of the jersey City Galvan-s
izing Company came to reach that CON
oern with only tho Water Registrars
stamped receipt thereon and without that
Of the Comptroller, Mr.. Smith says is a
mystery TO him.
After he affixes the Water Registrars
stamped receipt TO such bills they are
seat through a pneumatic tube down
stairs to the Comptroleiss Office for the
stamped signature of the Comptroller
Whether. while his attention was mo-
mentarily distIacted some one, who paid
the bill in cash. picked the receipt up
before 4 was sonk to the Comptroler's
Office OF whether he unwittingly tossed
ths receipt, Ne&oTe sonding it 10 the
Gomptrollsrs Office, into pile Of re-
ceipted bills to be sent out by mail and
forgot to credit the cash received there
on. Mr. Smith says he does not know.
He produced the meney as soon as in
qsitry was made ana he learned that the
AtvAS9 1du D&S1 Oel0 ~ khe SfSey lily
Gaiyanizing Company.
Generally speaking, the investigation
now being conducted Of the Water De
partmenfs books at the Mayors bidding,
while occasioniig some pelitical excite
rnent on account OF the Mayors attitude
ssWns5 the present elective Board
Is considered to amount to little. Know
Lag enes. sven some of the Mayors polit-
Ical friends, DO rot anticipate any revela-
tons beyond ordinary errors in book
keeping DepAy Registrar Smith is
considered one oi the most honest and
trustworthy officials iii The city.
Riss.. warm haaIthy blood is given by
Hood's eersepaf'lla and thus coughs.
1~ts- 4 nazvz