The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1914-10-09
ARGUMENT AGAINST INITIATIVE
MEASURE No.

The bureau Of inspection and sup
ervision OF public Offices IS the only
safeguard between the taxpayer and
the official who spends the taxpayer )
money. 1t is the only authority en-
powered to check receipts and dis
bursements Of public funds and insure
proper accounting Of the same.
The examinations to April l, 1914,
revealed the following: Illegal claims
officers contracting with themselves
In counties. cities and towns, school
and road districts, s739,I45; short
ages. $685., g936s; interest on bank de-
posts not collected, s5,s75.s3; total.
S1,3ts. 71452. OF this the bureau col
lected $3.50 ,s54.5I in cash and return
ed it to the public treasury Cost Of
audits to April 1, 1914, s220.21s.30.
Amount recovered over cost Of audit.
s6s, 1887. The uncollected claims are
now in the hands Of the attorney gen
eral.
Many Illegal practices were uncov-
cred Licenses. franchise taxes and
many other revenues were not col
leeIed, entertainments, forgeries and
padded payrolls were found and lack
OF system everywhere. Where con-
tractors had been paid with local in
provemenr bonds they had illegally re-
ceived IN three years s340. 900 Of ae-
crued interest earned by the bonds be-
fore the contractor was entitled to
payment This practice has been stop
ped and suits are pending for the re-
collected
The bureau was organized June 10,
1903. The warrant debt Of the school
districts At that time was s3,212. $50 IS.
with an average attendance Of 14a,2T5
pupils this made Il per capita warrant
debt OF S22.jS. Through IT'S efforts
this deht has been reduced TO s2.939,-
5s915. with IN average attendance
OF 16s-t4t pupils or Il per CAPITA tehr
o. s1a.d3.
IL found over s1.6a0-0dd road war
rants issued IN excess Of legal Lmtra-
lions. Provision WIS made for the re-
| tiremenE OF this iehr and limit tx
Ell. which the bureau enforces, and
read ndeh.efness Is Il thing OF the
past lnrarest saved On these two
items Acne amounts 10 more than
s166.00d ger aunum.
There are Sd state departments AMI
institutions. a65+ school districts. SO
counties. 204 cities and tnwus. -
r0wnshtps. 2Ta road districts. port
Districts. and numerous drainage AMI
liking districts. besides several thous-
anu local Improvement districts. The
lav requires that townships. cities.
uuwls and school districts shall be
audIuad ut least once IN every r-yJ
years AMI all other EXAMINATIONS snail
d. made At least once 4 year" 4 full
report 1T each examination must be
1leu WITH tie accounting officer Of
the district examined. the srara audi
Tor anu the attorney general. Uni
form systems Of accounting must De
maintained IN al Offices Of the same
class anu comparative STATISTICS nusr
BE complied and published annuity
Cnder Initiative Measure No. z. all
Tie Dragging turies remain uucilaug-
ad under the direction Of the stara au-
dirur must De pertnruei with the ridi-
euIous force OF three clerks.
Over $4,000 examinations have been
nade. dr 1900 per year This for tarss
ulen would make 1910 examinations 4
wear. OF five for every WORKING lay
l manifest Ihsurrfiry.
The iefarrenr effects OF thorough
auditing, sucn as this bureau il ma
ting, UPON the office holder Ut walk
moral 6hrs VINO Is subject % me cum
mon temptations Of human 1aturg IN