The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-07-23
REPLIES TO MAYORS CRITICISM OF
MINORITY'S FINANCIAL STATEMENT

He admits the first item of cash on
hand Dec. 81. 1907. of $37 OSS.9i is all right.
but objects TO the second item Sl60. 3i4 65
upcollected taxes of 1907. Now of this
second item Sill. $50 q was paid to the city
treasurer on Jan. 4. 1908. Suppose that
had been paid four days sooner. or at the
close of business on Dec. 81. 1907 as it
might have been. Then the cash balance
on hand would have been just that much
greater, and this large portion of the
second item would have been in the first
item and. according TO the mayor. would
then have been all right and available
for 1905 The same reasoning holds as to
balance of the second item, and shows
il to be all right a whole. The same
reasons hold as TO the flat water rates
assessed prior to 1908. $40. 1885
True. these back taxes. water rates
and cash on hand and much more had to
be used 10 pay debts incurred in 1907 as
shown in our statement of disbursements
as notice the items of the city's portion
of contracts made prior to 1908, given as
s195, 723. 81, most of which was due Dec
81, 1907, and has since been paid. Also
notice item of departmental bills incurred
in 1907 and paid in 1908. amounting to
sS7. S2S.22.
LAS to what the mayor says about the
meter and miscellaneous water receipts
being stated too high, / would say that
the auditors books show that for the
first six months s2644S.47 was collected
and we simply doubled that to get the
amount given, SoZ.oSb.Si, Tor the year.
"As TO our estimate on licenses being
too high because as the mayor states
a number of the licenses paid in 1907 ran
over into 1908. and so are not part of
the revenue for this year. and would to
that extent reduce licenses for this year
we carefully considered that fact and es-
timated that loss at about $1,000. which
would practically all occur in the first
six months of this year.
THE auditors books show over sl06,-
1891 collected In the first six months of
this year. This is sl2, 500 less than it
would have been except for the new
system Of collection. which the mayor
mentions requiring all licenses to expire
at the end of the calendar year. the last
half of this year should show about sl19-
03S9i, which, added to the collections al
ready made for the first half. make up
S225, 577.S2. or the s225.0D0 given by us.
LAS TO our estimate of departmental
expenses being too low. we took the ex-
penses for the half year ending June 80
and doubled them, and then added about
$25 coo for extra cost of running some de-
partments for the last half of the year.
One trouble with the estimate OF the
board of apportionment from which the
mayor quotes. is that all unpaid bills of
1907. amounting to over $4,000. our
statement shows. were added into the es-
timated expenses for 1908. and we find
large amounts set apart for several de-
partments which they do not need and
are not using. This is notably true of the
street and irrigation department, which
was apportioned $3.50, 225.-- while for the
half year ending June 80 il had used only
$l31i1.60.
The mayor thinks we must have for
gotten the interest on water bonds (Which
he states at $4,000 when we estimated
surplus or profits on waterworks at s75,-
600 per annum that might be used for
water main extensions. but such was not
the case. We found the revenue from
the waterworks this year to be slS5.00o.
and found that $4,000 would pay inter-
est and maintenance.
I'VE trust the mayor and our fellow
citizens will give us credit for using some
care in preparation of our statement and
not charge us with a prejudced intention
exceeding that of the special auditors to
whom he refers"