The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-07
NIP REPORT Of
CITY TREASURER
Special Auditors Prevent City's
Real Financial Condition Be-
ing Made Public.
PRETTY SOFT FOR THEM
STILL CHARGING $40 PER DAY
FOR BooKKEEPERs.

Six weeks ago the city treasurer sub
mitted TO the mayor his annual re-
port for 1907.
Because of the interference of the
special auditors who have been AT work
on the city's books for over year,
this report has never been made pub
lie.
The auditors claim that the report
has not been made in conformity with
the new system" which they are in
stalling. and therefore it must be re-
Vised. The statistics were compiled by
Frank Godbe, deputy treasurer. and
show the exact condition of the city
at the close of business December 81
last Unlike the figures given out by
the special auditors, school boy can
understand them.
Several conferences have been had.
Ihes pecial auditors. Westerman and
Trader, approa ched Gideon Snyder, city
treasurer, on The subject of changing
the report, and he informed them that
the report would remain as ii is until
the mayor ordered differently The
mayor has as yet not taken any ac-
ton, but he has not given The report
10 the public
Whether the special auditors will be
allowed TO frame the treasurer's report
10 suit themselves rests with Frank
SWsnsoa, former city treasurer The
report Is in reality his report, and he
can refuse to approve any document
submitted by the auditors.
AS TO Warrants Outstanding.
The controversy is over the insertion
into the report of the amount of the
warrants outstanding against the Vari-
Gus funds on December 81 The ex-
act condition of the city can only be
determined by asceTtaining the differ
enee between the total cash in the gem
eral funds and the amount of out
standing warrants against each of those
funds. Thes peciaI auditors say that
the treasurer has no business to have
anything to do with outstanding war
rants ami that his only lookout is to
report the amount of cash on hand cor
rectly.
The treasurer takes serious excep-
ton TO this claim, as he says that in
order to redeem warrants intelligentIv
he must know the amount of those
outstanding As he is under a $3.50
900 bond. il is not likely that he will
abide by any rule as to his conduct
which the special auditors may lay
down.
The faTcical report submitted By
Il
ago arrives at the city's financial con
dition by figuring the difference be-
tween the assets and liabilities. which
amounts TO about S49.00 according to
the figures submitted AS has been
explained, about S150.00O worth of un-
collected taxes and water rates. much
Of which date back ten or fifteen
years. and can not be realized en-, are
considered among the assets.
Showing is UnfaVora5Ie.
According To the treasurer's way OF
ascertaining the financial condition of
the city, a much poorer showing is
made for the American" administra-
ton, and for that reason the auditors
with the finance committee have de-
termined to sidetrack his report and
substitute another which wills show
nothing. The report desired is simply
the amount of cash in each fund As
has been explained many times, the
amount of cash has nothing To do with
the financial condition of the city. as
there may be 5000 900 in the bank and
standing warrants amounting to
s210.0e0. which would make the city
about $4,000 in the hole.
IN fact, the actual condition, sup
pressed by the finance committee and
auditors, is known absolutely to be
worse than that.
A. the close OF business February
% there was S203. 503.92 belonging 10
the city in the National Bank of the
Republic. OF this all but So. 6SS.34 be-
longed 10 the special funds, which con-
sist of money paid in by citizens tc
compensate contractors for public i'm
prOvements. These are only trust
funds, few are oveTdraWn and those
only slightly, and the fund does nos
figure in determining the actual con-
diti1n of affairs.
Despite the $50 900 i'm the general
expense funds, there We're about $500
600 worth of warrants outstanding
against these funds. which means that
there is already an overdraft of $50. =