Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-04-06
NO CASH GONE,
BUT INEFF|C|ENCY
TANGLED BOOKS
Experts Report System to Pre-
vent Repetition of For
man Mixup.

The tangled affairs Of George For
man, erstwhile city auditor. have been
Strengthened out after a years work
by expert accountants, and show but
little more than that Mr.. Forman was
inefficient and allowed his work to go
undone for years. Not a penny of the
city's money. however. is missing, ac-
cording to the final report of Price.
Waterhouse & Co., submitted to the
finance committee OF the Common
Council last night.
For the first time in the history of
the city Ne~warkers know today just
what the municipality owns in realty
and other property. The total is given
as SOS, 400, 174.93 1t cost the city s11, 900
to learn this. and to create order out
of the chaos of Mr.. Forman's books
Had it not beer for the excellent man
ner in which Mr.. Forman's chief Jerk,
Andrew K. Brady. kept the other ac-
counts. the report declares the work
of the accountants would have been
impossible. Material aid was rem
dered them by a memorandum ledger
kept by Mr.. Brady.
Finds Mary Discrepancies.
Many discrepancies between actual
conditions and conditions iepres nted
by the auditors books were re. called,
none of which, however, the report
states. impaired in any way the amour
of Newark's holdings. Accounts in
some instances showed wide variations
in amoun from what they should have
shown, and in order to arrive at a
basis for computations the accountants
had to go back to 1895 to begin their
work.
Should the city follow out certain
suggestions contained in the report it
would be impossible for a city auditor
to leave his accounts in such con.u-
sion again as did Mr.. Forman when he
disappeared on April Is last-almost a
year g
Suggestions of Experts.
The experts suggest In their report
that the owners of all property upon
which taxes prior to 1906 are in ar
rears should be notified by the city
auditor of the amount of their indebt-
edness and requested to advise that
official of any discrepancies in the
amounts charged against them. In
view of the length of time during
which these taxes have been outstand-
ing the re ort suggests the ACCESSIBILITY.
after the veriication of the am units
has been made, of selling the properties
against which these taxes run and col
lectjng into the treasury the amount
owing to the city.
In the investigation of the tax &C.
counts for the years 1903 to 1906 the
experts found in many instances where
a portion of the arrears had been sold
n certificates issued therefore.
In reference to the system of account
past, the r ort a this to say:
1.-The accounts of a municipality
must, of course, be kept in accord with
State laws and ordinances of council
in addition to meeting any special re-
quirements imposed by local conditions.
Bearing this in mind there is compare
lively little Iy way of criticism which
we wish to offer in respect of the f.
nancial accounting system of YOU city,
although we believe that improvements
can be effected if the provisions of the
proposed city charter are made effect
i've"
Hitherto" the report continues,
there has been a lack of coordination
of departments and the annual finan-
cial reports of the city have beer
rather fragmentary and somewhat in
accurate in consequence thereof. AS for
instance, the comptroller's report for
1909 contained an error of S100, 900 in the
statement of the bonded Indebtedness
of the city. The auditors report should.
of course, cover all the finances of the
city and departmental reports should
not be issued separately therefrom."