Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-05-16
REFORM MEASURE
PASSED ~ LEGISLATURE TO
SAVE $4,000 PER YEAR.
STATE INSPECTION OF COUNTY
ACCOUNTS TO TURN TRICK
1 aw Better Than Tims Clocks or e.
ficieney Engineers With Cioaret Ac-
eomplishmsnts-Evsr County o.
fieer and Justiess Of Peace Must Ae-
count For All Funds and Fees.
10 Ttmes-Republican,

Special 10 Times Republican.
Des Moines. May IA hundred
thousand 81 year net profit to Iowa tax
payers or comparatively small invest
ment, thru better accounting and
greater publicity to public business.
That is the certainty underlying one
of the Very many progressive reform
measures Of the Thirtyfif general
assembly, which goes into effect July
1 next. The possibilities are very
much greater.
This is the Dixon bill for state in
spection OF county business. The work
Of preparation of the blanks and sys-
TENS and methods of reports is now
under way in the office OF the state
auditor, who has general charge of this
law and will enforce ii. State Auditor
Bleakly is already at work on the plans
for the putting into force this remark
able measure To a large extent the
burden OF handling the same will fall
on Joe Wall, bookheeper and revenue
clerk for the state.
the right man for the place and worth
a great deal more TO the state than any
time clock will ever show. He was a
county auditor down in Ringgold and
he has been handling the revenue col
lections for the state for ten years
Maybe an deficiency engineer with
cigaret can tell him how to 90 some
things but not how 10 deal with ninety
nine county auditors and as many
county treasurers. And besides, ne
had a hand with the commission APP
pointed some years ago TO prepare UNI
form blanks for the counties, and THIS
work will help.
Mr. Wall has been collecting infor-
nation from other states as to how
similar laws work e.sew here. For IN :
stance the report comes from Ohio that
in the ten years the law has opera tee
there II has cost $4,000; but that IN
the same period the inspectors have
disclosed over s3,.O0,O00 which ought
| 10 have been turned over TO the coun :
ties or which was illegally paid out
and Of this approximately million
dollars was actually recovered and
turned into county treasures.
New York Has Law.
In New York the law has been IN
operation a short time. First county
| investlga aon was found TO have hun
! dried thousand dollars due il from var
| ious sources the county officials were
4. keeping still! about. Second county hao
! $3.50 900 due but the person principally
| responsible committed suicide anc
thus far oily. $4,000 has been secured
| from a surety company. This is jus
| a start.
TIE great problem in Iowa is goint
/ TO be 20 adapt to the counties and Il
I put into practical operation system
! for daily checkings between the coun-
" auditors and treasurers whereby the
| county auditor will be able each anc
| every day 10 tell, just az we'll as the
! county treasurer, how much none!
| ought to be IN the county treasury
/ The state has such system. There j:
| a checking system back and forth daily
/ SO that accounts must balance every
! day in both offices. The law o. Iowa
has required this in county affairs fol
| many years, but il has been ignored II
! most of the counties. Now il Will have
! 70 be adopted.
: The new law conten Plates inVsstisa
/ ton of accounts Of every county onice!
and this includes justices Of the peace
and consta bles. Here will be no more
! iugglerv Of fee books. no more Deglec
Of tax collections. The other Gay
! county auditor reported he had no
closed his tax books until April 3ls
instead OF April l as required by law
The county los. penalties and fnleres
galore. One county pays $3.50 thou
sand for printing official ballots ans
another s12o a thousand. Who IS iosin:
and why The inspectors will repor
not only as 10 accounts but as U
methods and prices and everything. Al
immense saving TO the taxpa yers il
sure in Iowa
The inspectors have not as yet beer
appointed for this work. II VIII b
started off at the right time, and a.!
ready wise county officials are seein'
10 i, that their books are in good snap
for inspection and examination.
The womens building at the low
state fair will not only De the hand
soonest building which the state OF low
owns in its splendid fair equipment, ou
i, will have the most beautiful locatio
on the park.
The entire state board Of agricultur
met today for the purpose of approvin
plans and definitely stalking out tn
place for the building 1t will be 10
Gated on the hillside. covering all c
the space now occupied by the women
rest building, and extending northwar
across the main avenue leading up tn
hill This avenue IS to be closed en-
, tirely The new building will exten
almost to the old building used as tn
Valley Junction dining hall.
; The building latteriy used for tn