The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-11-30
4 CRITICISM OF
C|IY'S BUSINESS
METHODS IS MADE
Continued on Page ThreeD

bull elk. appraised at s2a5 is enumer
ated but the female elks. whose num-
Der is considerable. are not in the in
veutory at all Your committee are
unable TO see the utility of an iuven-
tory as defective as that.
While examining the inventory your
committee came across the statement
made by the park superintendent of
his receipts and disbursements The
receipts amounted TO s907O7. Among
the items was one designated other
sources" mot named) s205.Ss 1t is
evident that such report does not
give the data for determining wheth-
er il is correct or not. A duplicate
receipt given upon carbon paper. such
as is used in department stores, would
add little To the labor of the super
intendent and would furnish some
check upon the accuracy of the re-
port of his sales. We were informed
that the park superintendent receives
the money direct from purchasers.
but that, in many cases. no account Is
furnished to the controller showing
the items. We called upon the con-
troller for an itemized account of the
s90I.61 received by the city and he
furnished the sUbjoined statement
but there was nothing of record to
show the number. character. quality
or value OF the plants, hay and logs
sold. or the amount of work done for
the chautauQua and what was chars-
any other manner
Is Poor System.
1t would be manifestly impossible
for any one to conduct large bust
ness on such system. While we
have no reason to believe that the SUI
perintendent is not entirely honest
and accurate yet it must be said that
if the place should ever be held by
one who is not. countless opportun-
tiles for peculation would be furnish
ed; the plants sold might be worth ten
times the amount turned over and in
regard to the other sources perfect
freedom would be given to an unprin-
| Al
pleased and keep the rest. Such a
system should be changed at once.
Your committee in like manner. eN-
! amined the appraisement of the other
parks of the city and found no separ-
ate value given to the fountains and
other improvements upon them. For
instance. in Starr Park. containing
ia acres, there is a residence renting
for $3.50 year, but no statement of
its value.
A little tract of land on Eighth
street was leased May 9Th. 1907. for
ten years to the Home Telephone Co.
who are to grade. fence, SOW. plant
vines, keep the walks in repair but
pay no rent and the lessees have
erected a structure upon the premises
In like manner the use of the second
story of the old engine house on South
Sixth street, appraised at $1,000, is
given to the South Side Improvement
association for their meetings. without
rent and the association contemplates
asking that the city repair the roof for
them. These things are trifles. but
they show the business methods which
prevail. For these two things the
council is responsible.
The Market House.
Your committee. in considering the
appraisement of the market house and
grounds, mentioned in the city inven-
tory, also discovered instances of a
lack of business methods similar to
those which prevailed in regard to
! Glen Miller. 1t is fair to say that the
market house conditions have improv-
| ed in late years: there is no longer a
deficiency, such as invariably used to
exist; the receipts are now little
but the system is capable of further
improvement.
The market master alone keeps the
accounts, showing deficiencies in mar
ket rents and the amounts paid or
due from those who have the privilege
| of backing up their wagons at the
market place and there are no means
by which the controller can check up
the accounts and ascertain what is
paid over the sums he has received.
4 system of duplicate receipts ought
| TO be provided here. The controller,
although he has list of the stalls
| bid for at auction at prices from Sill
| to S26 each, has no list of the temper
airy market privileges and no know
| ledge of what is or ought to be paid
for them. This system should be i'm
mediately changed.
hAr of loo
in other matters in which the council
could effect a saving for the city by
! appropriate ordinances.
Raise Milk License Fee!
Thus the milk inspector gets a sal
| AIRY of 81 GOO. The license fee for each
milkman is s1.00. producing for the
| city only s43. Some of the milk deal
ers run number of wagons, others
! have only a single wagon Yet have