The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-01-21
THE CITY'S FINANCES

There Is No Deficit of Seventy Thous-
and Dollars Over Nineteen Eight, but
an Overdraft of About Thirty seven
Thousand Dollars.
When Mayor Dickson assumed charge
Of the city the Caucasian rendered him
its good will and best wishes and
pledged him all reasonable support i'll
his efficient management of the affairs
of the municipality
This the Caucasian has done up to
date. From the beginning the Caucas-
ian recognized the difficulties which
| confronted the changed conditions and
which were well understood by the pro
hbitionists, and while standing firmly
for prohibition it has reflected no dis
credit nor has it attempted to impede
the present administration in any man
ner whatsoever. but the Caucasian has
not hesitated in honest and legitimate
criticism
1t will not be denied that an influence
has been and is being directed towards
the discrediting of prohibition from the
Anti side Especially has this discredit
been conspicuous from a financial view.
In the Budget of the Finance Com
mittee there is shown a deficit of $4,000
from 1908
Is there such deficit of $4,000?
There is not.
If the budget submitted by the
Finance Committee be accepted as au-
thority. the city is indeed in a dilemma
There is an error of $4,000 in the
tabulation, which is some source Of com
fort. That such an error should not
have occurred is conceded. but even the
figuring and the figures of the brainiest
of fnanciers may sometimes gang
aglee''
In the Budget submitted by the
Finance Committee and given publicity
there is, as it appears, a deficit brought
over from 1908 of $40. ..,o6.76 This
statement was astounding. 1t was a
direct reflection of the retired admins
tration and was a challenge for radical
investigation, but there is not deficit.
and if there was, it should not have been
connected with nor compiled with the
Budget by the present administration,
except it was intended as a means of
making odious the prohibition law by
the implication of an indirect if not a
direct discredit of threatened bank
ruptcy to arouse the communitys feel
ing to the cause of intoxicants, and to
howl for the repeating of the law.
However, an investigation into this
reported deficit of more than seventy
thousand dollars has been disclosed. 1t
is an overdraft in the city's account in
the Commercial National Bank for
which the bank has credits sufficient to
reduce this overdraft to about $4,000.
A further inquiry has developed that
the visible resources of the city for the
year 1909 aggregate about $IS3.ooo with
an estimated expenditure of about
$500 1t is unfortunate that the
Budget has been bungled and that the
city was cast into SO great a disad-
vantage. but instead of wasting tears or
regrets there should be great rejoicing
over the discovery that this woeful dis
|crepancies of lamentable condition
which have asto,mled the people does
not exist.
What the city administration must do
and its duty is very plain, is to make
the most of present conditions.
If there is an overdraft of thirty
seven thousand dollars to the account
of the city in the bank which is the fs-
cal agent of the city, this bank should
be expected to do its full share in re-
lieving conservatively the situation.
Practically an overdraft of $4,000 is no
great item when the resources and the
standing of the city are considered, nor
is this the first overdraft of as many or
more thousand dollars by the city, but
this query may be pertinent.
Why is it and how is it that there is.
or has been, every year, an overdraft as
in the present instance of $4,000 by the
administration in 1908?
Is it possible that it is not practicable
for men managing the affairs of the city
to be as conservatively accurate in their
estimates of expenditures and sources
of revenues as in the regular course Of
business in which they are personally
concerned as individuals of the firm?
The citizens of Shreveport and the
Taxpayers in particular have the right
to demand and should insist on all ex-
PLANTATION of this overdraft which can
not be charged to prohibition as it was