The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-01-24

In the performance CO these and
other highly responsible duties, the
services of v 81 people are requir-
ed in the Washington office alone.
Exact knowledge Demanded.
It is apparent that to record the
great amount of business which pass
es through the treasurer's office, with
it's extraordinary maze of entries,
transfers, issues, r~edemptions, ex-
changes. ETC., not only Is unusual skill
required from the bookkeepers and &C
countants, but the system Of account
ing should be SO complete and effec-
tive in all its parts that it would
thoroughly control the millions Of
items passing through the books each
year and every moment safeguard the
vast sums for which the treasurer is
responsible under the law.
Mr.. Burke, whose title is treasurer
Of the United States" was appointed
to the position he holds largely be-
cause Of his delivery of the North Da-
during the Baltimore convention.
Much of the confusion which pre-
walls is attributed to the use OF a ma
chine for the clearance of checks,
which is under the charge of Jasper
N. Baker, an examiner in the office Of
the director Of the mint. Mr.. Baker
was assigned to the ~treasurer's Office,
through such assignment is asserted
to have been Illegal. MI. Baker is
said to have the ear of Assistant
Secretary of the Treasury Williams.
something Mr.. Burke does not en-
Joy. =.
Formerly Were Kept Exact. .
During the Spanfsn-American war.
pytan fhn prNrlr' xxyn- e. a, .1,o- 49, -
1t is today. the ~treasurer's office is
said to have been up to date at all
times. '
In February last the treasury de-
partment, because Of the congestion
reported. put into force a new method
of paying government creditors, This
carried with 1t the transfer to Wash
ingtOn of the accounts of nearly all
the disbursing officers Of the govern
ment, Inc as a result the office was
overwhelmed by the volume Of bust
ness which fell upon 1t.
Extraordinary efforts were made to
recover from the disorder into which
the accounts were thrown by reason
OF, this change of method, but the
work of the office in September last
at the end Of seven months, accord
ing to the Chase report, was in seri-
Gus condition.
Makes Demands for Remedy.
with the work on national bank
accounts w and one-half months be-
midland" the report says, with a
week or more accumulation Of n
cleared checks constantly on hand,
with d~isbursing officers accounts I'M
balanced and unstated for months,
with controlling accounts ignored by
reason of the pressure Of details, and
with the task Of bringing order out
Of the confusion which now exists
deemed hopeless by the clerks engaged
upon the; work. 1t is manifest that the
efficiency of the staff is seriously af-
fected. and that the condition calls
for immediate and effective remedies.
@On account Of the transfer to
Washington on Feb. /, 1913. Of ali dis
bursting officers accounts Texcept a
few kept In Hawaii and the Philip
pines1, the treasurer's office IL carry-
ing on its book accounts with over
$500 disburstng officers. which are
kept in nine 1edgers and suppose 10
be controlled by summarizes ac[n,ls,nfs
in the cash room As q rnaffay ~
fact, these controlling cou ara
such in am only, no ATTEMPT haying
been made since Feb. 1 to reconcile
the total OF the balances in the dataii.
ed ledgers with the 'contralling ac-
counts.
Tn fact. the detailed ACCOUNTS have
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