The Newtown bee., 1908-06-19

@********ea plete statement of the Selectmen's acc count, did not consider it advisable to take up the following fiscal years of the Seleetmen's accounts, in like manner, without further instructions. For full knowledge of the Select mems account it is necessary to give this report careful study. have al- so compiled under separate cover a statement of the Town Orders for this same fiscal year in order to show a bet ter form for the printed report of the Selectmen than the form now used Tn giving the town order in numerical or der. In this manner of report 1t i' shown, the amount paid to each per. son, and for what purpose. and ] would recommend that this form be adopted for future reports, and the account called Ordinary Expense" be omit, ted, and the names of accounts be used as in this statement. 1 would also sug- gest that Pauper Ledger be kept by the Selectmen showing an itemized ac- count with each poor person helped by the town.
 TOWN CLERKS ACCOUNTS. O.
 Under separate cover 1 show a de- tailed statement of the records of ane the amounts paid to M. J. Houlihan by town orders for fees for services as Town Clerk for the three fiscal years from September 5,l9O4, to September I 15, 1907. amounting to S4l2.S and for other purposes than fees 353.2l Total amount for town orders
 for three years S766. .O9
 Overpayments by error in paying tho same charge twice appear as follows On order No. 3649, $l6.40 and order No. 1113. Sl4.36, total S30.76. This amount has been paid by M. J. Houli han to Frank Wright, treasurer, or March 2S, 1908.
 Under separate cover 1 show state ment of the Town Clerks accounts per taining to the matter of Dog Licenses for 1905, in which l find the amount ot the same should be S451.l5 instead O. S449. 15, as entered on the Treasurer's book as received for Dog Licenses.
 TAX COLLECTORS ACCO UNITS.
 The examination of the Tax Accounts of Robert A. Clark, Collector of Tax es, during his term of office. December 1893, to October, 1904, has necessitatet an enormous amount of work, due first to the fact that no lists of collec tions were filed by the Collector witt the Town Treasurer as required by law and secondly to the fact that the As sessors' books were incomplete ant not correct in additions, and thirdly t the fact that the Collectors books to the seven years in evidence were no correct copies of the Assessors book and not correct in extensions and addl tions. A detailed report of each year list is given under separate cover fo each year. The errors above mentlone are corrected and given in detail in m! reports of examination of each year. list, which also shows an itemlzet statement of the amount of taxes ant interest the Collectors books show t have been collected, together witt lists of abatement;, outstanding taxes liens, uncollected interest. etc.
 The Assessors book of the 1899 lis does not contain the full assessment o poll taxes, the omission of which is loss to the town of about S2OO.
 Aside from the above, the work wa further complicated by the Tax Collec tors books for the 1897, 1898. 1899 an 1900 lists being missing, which prohib tied the same treatment of these fou years, as used in the examination the other seven years lists. It wa therefore necessary to ascertain tn amount that the Collector book shoul have been and my report of the exam ination of these four years gives in de tail an exact copy of the items whic the Collectors book should contain tc gether with an itemized list of taxe collected, outstanding and abated. Thi was derived by a comparison of tn four years with the preceding and sub sequent years, that is; persons ta that was paid for the 1895 and l89 lists and for the 1901 and 1902 lists was considered to have been paid fo the 1897, 1889. 1899 and 1900 lists 9th lists the Collectors books are missing.
 While it is possible that the omis sions of the poll taxes on the 1899 lis may have been discovered before tn Collectors book was completed an they may have been included in tn book (the book not being in evidenc to verify this) it is not so consldere in this examination and only the l poll taxes entered on the Assessors book are included in the total Of tn Collectors book for that year.
 The Collectors books for the lSSs 1890, 1891, and 1892 lists. which wer issued to George H. Botsford, Collet tor, and which were given after hi death to MT Clark, who was appointe to collect the remainder of the fou books, are also missing, which furthe complicates the examination, since
 is impossible to definitely ascertain tn amount collected from these four book by Mr Clark; however an analysis the collections of the 1893 list sho that a certain amount (see report c 1893 list) was collected after the la: payment was made by Mir Clark to tt Town Treasurer to the credit of los taxes and the amount of collection from these four "Botsford' books thf cannot be ascertained is therefore r, duced to small amount, being onl