Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-04-21
GOVERNOR SARLES
REFORMS The SYSTEM

Fargo Forum: The people of the
state do not hear directly from the big
building on the hill quite as much as
they should. It may not be the fault
of the Tribune, and it may not be the
officials are to blame, but they have
gotten into rut of telling the news
paper boys that there is nothing
special doing. They are. so busy
looking after the routine business that
daily pours into the various offices,
that they do not sense the fact that
there is a vast amount occurring that
would be of interest to the taxpayers
of the state if properly disseminated.
The business men who visited the
Offices at the capitol two OF three
years ago, and again inspected the
same today, would find that Governor
Sarles has inaugurated some very i'm
portant changes which mark his ad-
n1inistration as a business one. in
every respect. One of many incidents
will illustrate this fact. The annual
report of the state treasurer was
brought to the governor, and the law
says that he shall approve and audit
lit. Governor Sarles did: not propose
to perform the duty in a perfunctory
manner. He called in the public ex.
Iaminer for him to audit the account
After a thorough examination he re
ported to the executive that it was
absolutely correct as far as the treas.
urer's books were concerned. The
governor said-"Is it all right" The
examiner replied that he thought 1t
| was, but that the treasurer's books
did not agree with the land commits,
sioner's records as they had a differ
ent system of bookkeeping and the
two could not be harmonized. The
governor then sent to st. Paul and
secured the services of an expert
bookkeeper, one of the best in the
| country, and he had system of book
keeping put into all the Offices at the
capitol thoroughly up to modern meth
DDS. It was not the fault Of the pres
ent occupants of the state offices thai
these discrepancies existed; the sys
tenn of bookkeeping had been kept the
same from territorial days, and it was
anticipated. It made much work, ant
then did not fully tell the story thai
it should. The reorganized system
makes it so that each department
shows the business of any other de
partment with which it has business
land each day the record is complete
i and the situation can be told at ;
glance. Before this all the bushes.
was shown, but if any special informa
ton was wanted it had to be laborious
~ dug out. This is what the ejectins
lof a Httle hradlheaded business sense
i has done for the various departments
Another change will soon be made
and the sub-voucher system will soo1
4 be in working order. In the old day.
a voucher simply stated that so mucl
4 : : -
4 had been expended for expense. The
4 bills were approved in that way, bu
Governor Sarles did not doubt but thu
bills were right, but felt that the state
had a right to know just what the ex
fpense was, and made the individual
itemize the amounts for each purpose
before the bills were approved. Nov
he proposes to introduce the same
system as is pursued in most of th,
| best governed states, and have sub
vouchers attached to the original bill
| for all the items of expense. The de
! tails have been worked out so tina
this system will evidence that he in
tends to have thorough business ad
ADMINISTRATION.