The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-02-15
Tax Commission Urges This
County to Adopt New Sys-
tenn of Bookkeeping. s
SEES SAVINGS FOR COUNTY
Whole Plan of State Is Explained in
Letter Sent to County Clerk Friday.
Matter to Be Laid Before the County
Board Next November.

The Wisconsin state tax commission
Is urging the officials Of Kenosha
county to adopt the new state system
OF bookkeeping and the matter is to
be laid before the county board at it's
November session: The whole plan Of
the state is outlined in a letter sent to
the county clerk on Friday by the COM
mission. The letter follows:
r. II. Jones, County Clerk,
Kenosha, Wis.
Dear Sir:
There is being sent you under sep
arate cover a schedule for O. report by
the treasurer and clerk Of the financial
transactions of your county for the
last fiscal year completed on or before
January !, 1912, pursuant to provisions
of chapter 523, laws of 1911. In sub
uniting This schedule the commission
realizes that the books of few, if any,
of the counties of the state are in
proper shape to furnish this informa-
ton without careful examination Of
many Of the original vouchers and or
ders in the clerks office. The legisla-
ture, however, in requiring this report
did not design that it should be requir-
ed continuously without securing to
any municipality which desired it,
system of accounts which would admit
Of the ready filing out of such a re-
port. You will note from the enclosed
copy of the law that this office is re
quired, and it is now prepared, to in
stall systems of accounts for towns,
cities, villages and counties. Fhe
terms upon which such installation will
be made for your county will be
furnished upon application and the re-
port herein required will be returnable
in all cases where an installation of
system of accounts is ordered, only
upon the completion of such installa-
ton. In all other counties it should
be returned at the earliest possible
date consistent with care and accuracy
In its preparation.
In recommending to you new sys-
lem Of accounts, it is not the desire
nj this Office that you adopt the same
blindly. We would ask you therefore
TO consider this schedule form careful
ly with a view to measuring the value
Of the statistical information to be
tecured therefrom as compared with
such information as is now available
from the financial reports of your
county In addition to this may we
ask you also to consider the following
points relative both to your present
and the proposed accounting system?
I. Under the proposed system the
auditing of a bill, the distribution of
It's amount to the proper account, and
the payment of the same requires but
two writings by the clerk and one by
the treasurer Would this Tighten
your work?
,. In contemplation of law there
Should be some one person in the
county who is definitely made RESPONSE
BILE in the FIRST instance for the audit
ing of all accounts. Under the pro-
posed system not a. dollar will be paid
out of the treasury without first
audit Of the claim by the county clerk.
This means hundred per cent audit
What per cent audit have you in your
county nows
$. No rightful claimant for money
from public body should be con,pelled
to wait until he can come to the
county seat for his money and thus
compel the county officers to have a
large number of small outstanding
orders. Under the proposed system
there will not be one dollar of out
standing orders in your county. How
many do you have now?
(. IF you audit disbursements com
pleteiy do you have similar audit Of
receiptsg If your register of deeds,
sheriff or other fee receiving officer is
on salary basis, have YOU any method
by which you know thai the receipts
he turns in are the correct receipts
of his oficee Under the proposed sys-
tenn the clerk will be automatically
advised of the exact amount Of fees
received as well as of all other county
receipts so that his record charging
the treasurer will be made up from
records Independent of the treasurer
and that without any additional work
for the clerk.
5. Do you, under your present sys-
TEN, or does your board of audit make
up separate record of cancelled or
dersg Under the proposed system this
record is combined with the regular
order register. The board IS cancella-
ton thus becomes regular part of the
system OF books thus facilitating the
audit and making the record thereof
more permanent and more reliable.
8. Is your county indebted on bonds
or state loans? If so, have you a
record which shows (a) how much was
Grst borrowed, I'D how much is pay.