The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-25
A BEAUTIFUL SYSTEM.

Friends OF the city administration
commend the auditors statement of the
city finances. as Of Dec. 81. 1905. for its
iueidity. IT'S comprehensveness and gen
eral merit Except for political bias. no
reason appears for praise on the face Of
the report itself
To begin with. the statement. due in
January. was not furnished until late
In May. yet an administration news
paper says with unconscious humor
that salt Lake has provided itself with
a system OF keeping accounts 50 per
feet that, like a bank. a financial bal
snee can he struck any day" The
bank that should keep its books so per
fsctly that four months and a half
we're required to get a balance would
not be in business long. II salt Lake
has g perfect system. the auditors Of
flee stands convicted Of gross incompe-
tency in handling it-unless the state
ment was suppressed for reason.
The report as published offers no sin
gle answer to the questions that most
concern the taxpayer. the stockhoIder
o. the municipal corporation. Tt does
not show explicitly how much the city
itseif owes. or where it would be if
called on to pay its outstanding debts.
II does not show how that last bond
issue was applied. whether to old debts
or 10 new construction II makes no
effort 20 segregate the money on hand
which is available for city expenses and
The money held i'm trust for private
property owners who have paid special
assessments. And being nearly five
months behind the time Of issue. it
leaves the taxpayer. as usual i'm COM
plete ignorance Of the present status
Of the city's finances. although the law
calls for monthly statements which will
show the true condition OF affairs.
In the detailed expense accounts Of
departments. which show only lump
sums, some items of interest can be dug
out by patient study of the schedule.
From these figures it appears that ev-
cry department Of the city administra-
ton. except seven, increased its dis
bursements. The total increase of these
ordinary running expenses for the year
was in the neighborhood of $3.50. 900.
while the decrease in the seven depart
Inents was about $4,000 leaving a net
increase in operating account of over
100000. In addition. the interest on
water bonds, $4,000. and $4,000 for
sewer account bring up the total 10 q
very neat burden added TO the regular
load on the taxpayer. OF the $4,000 in
crease in sewer account. about $4,000
went for the botch job on the inter
ceptinE sewer. which viii probably cost
at least S25,OoO more before it is in con-
ditto. for service.
An expert accountant. with the aid
OF the auditors books, might be able
TO tell. by weeks Of study. Just how
salt Lake City stands financially. bat
unfortunately the people who pay the
bills are not expert accountants. and
they have mo- time 10 spend on getting
facts which the auditor is paid to fur
p.sh them. They are thankful. of course
fer such a beautiful system Of account
ing ana for the nice bundle or figures
handed 10 them almost five months late
and they viii have TO be content with
that-that. and the certainty that they
viii get another raise Of about a mill ir
their tax rate this year as evidence thai
the system is working all right