The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-23
AUDIT COMMITTEE PUTS EXPERTS ON
 ACCOUNTS OF CITY
Peter White, Noted Municipal Accountant, In Charge
 Of Work
Committee Has Free Hand In
 Carrying On Its Work

Peter White, the municipal account.
 ant whose speciality is the systematic
 ing of city business and the auditing
 of municipal accounts, opened up his
 Bridgeport headquarters in an office
 in Mayor Wilson's suite on the tor
 floor of the City Hall. this morning
 at g o'clock. Mir White spent yes
 teTday afternoon in company with the
 audit committee, John Taylor, John
 Green and W. P. Allen. appointed by
 Mayor Wilson to handle the auditing
 and systematizing of city accounts.
 He visited the various offices of the
 City Hal, met the officials, and then
 talked things over with the commit
 tee.
 MT. White is at present conducting
 his time will be devided between St.
 Paul and this city. He expects to
 have two or three men here He has
 about half dozen at work in St. Paul!
 First we must ascertain the laws that govern your city, said MT. White, discussing the methods he pro- poses to follow. T put an expert to work on the charter and ordinances covering the city government. In this way we find out how far the various departments can go In the transaction this in mind In going over the ac- counts. t
 When, we get the laws in mind, and know what is expected of each de- partment, we go ahead with the actual work of auditing. When the auditing is done, we submit a report, giving our findings and our recommendations as to system and any other matters that may come to our notice."
 Mayor Wilson yesterday turned over to MT White the office devoted to the use of his stenographer. The latter room during MT. Whites visit to this city. MT. White Will not spend all his time here, but will exercise general supervision over the work of his as- Members of the audit committed, following their discussion of methods l 0f procedure with MT. White, express 1 sd themselves as pleased at their suc- cess in having secured him to take | charge of the work of auditing the | ,1ty's accounts.
 The committee is given broad au- horities under the action of the Com non Council authorizing their appoint nent They have practically a free | land so far as expense is concerned, | Ire authorized to employ experts. and nay compel the presence of witnesses md subject them to examinations and orce them to bring records to court
 The administration believes that wen though the cost of auditing the accounts runs into big figures, the re- ults will warrant the expense It 5 the purpose of the administration Q place the various departments Of ne city upon a uniform footing in the natter of keeping accounts. The use of the term "audit commit se'' should not confound' the duties f the committee with those of the ffice of the city auditor. The lat !; er is in sympathy with the move, 1 e1ieving it to be for the interests the city to establish the accounts f all departments on a uniform basis. | MT. White has had an interesting areer in municipal accounting. He { andtNs other auditing enterprises, nd in the accounting of the affairs ( z the traction company of San Fran isco he played an important part in raft disclosures at the time of the honorable prosecution of Abe Reuf. { He has done work of this nature ( ,r New York, Chicago, San Fran sco,, Philadelphia, St. Louis and ( ther large cities. Bridgeport is his l rst New England city. t