The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-03-30
Waste Of MONEY
BY NORRIS GANG
City Engineer Kelsey Complies
Report That Is Full of
Interest.
FORMER ADMINISTRATIONS
INC0MPETENCY Is SHOWN
Parallel Is Drawn Between
Good Business Methods and
RuinOuS Policy.

City Engineer l.. c. Kelsey has COM
piled. for presentation to the City
Council. a statement showing the ex-
penditures of the engineering depart
ment during the year 1905.
r. ]. Deighton, who did the clerical
work on the report. announces that he
experienced considerable difficulty In
securing the data, owing to the
wretched condition in which the former
Engineer left his books, but after days
of research he has been able to present
the matter in an intelligent form.
Comparisons Drawn.
The report also draws some compari-
sons. which viii be read with interest
by that long suffering individual, the
taxpayer" For example. as Will be
seen In the report there was expended
for engineering in 1902, when Mr.. Kel
sey was City Engineer. the sum Of $25,-
4S6S1, upon work which cost the city
S342. .993 SO. In 1905, however. when the
Morris gang was In the saddle the cost
OF engineering was s65, ,943 81. on work
which aggregated SAL, ,651.44. In other
words it cost the city two and three
ffths times as much for engineering in
1905 as 1t did in 1902, when the work
was only Increased a little more than
% per cent
Following is the letter of Mr.. Dcigh-
ton 20 City Engineer Kelsey, concern
ing the difficulty which was expert
enced In compiling the report:
MI. Deighton's Letter.
L. c. Kelsey, Esq, City Engineer. Dear
port on the examination OF the books OF
the City Engineer for the year 1895. In
this report are embodied the following;
Statement showing adjustment OF bal
ances showing differences Of balance be-
tween Engineers books and Auditors
records.
statement showing disbursements as
per payroll and vouchers, and showing
amounts distributed to the different ac-
counts per new distribution.
Statement showing total cost OF engi-
neering department for the year 1906.
Condition of Books.
In the making up OF this report more
time has been consumed In It's prepara-
tlon than l expected, owing to the care
less and Indifferent manner In which the
books have been kept. particularly In ref
erence 20 the distribution" OF items to
the several accounts as shown by pay
rolls.
The basis of distribution used as TO
payrols Is the monthly time books,
which | assume are the original books OF
entries, but will say that there was only
about Ihrce-fourths Of the men employed
that appear on the time books. In check
ing UP the distribution | found large
percentage OF the Items charged to the
wrong accounts, segregated Items tnat
should balance with individual totals
were wrong, totals were put down at ran
DOM irrespective as to whether they
were right or wrong and whether they
balanced with segregation OF not,
Much Labor Required.
To arrive at a proper and correct bal
ancc and the cost of this work done for
the year IL was necessary to check each
item of distribution for the year, which
was practically as much labor as making
up a now distribution.
Many Errors Found.
There are so many errors that do not
deem IL advisable in the report TO name
each specific item, but all errors and the
new distribution are shown on sheets on