South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-07
CHICAGO AND ELKHART OFFER US A
iITTLE SUGGESTION.

Chicago is having its troubles just now-Chcagos
public lmpror smcnt board-due to absence of COM
iete backing mp its business accomplishments
and Incidentally attached somewhere onto appar-
fact of the improvements made are only
aesed least not made i'm accordance with speeih
cations feature that has been generously overlooked
THE moneys unaccounted for misappzoprated, mis-
charged whether from crookedness o. incompetent
bookkeeping said hoy the Illinois auditors up
into the hundreds Of thousands dollars All sorts
public contract concerns brought under suspi-
ciou along with the public officials, because OF the
ruixup.
Il is a lesson for municipalities all the country;
may even be suggestive to south Bend for al
We have every to suppose course. that the
various departments OF city government having
once had directions from seate accounts
Indiana with references t. proper accounting
tenn those directions have carried
have been making a lot of Improvements and in
efficient system of record making that would fail
protect the various departments and their officials,
might present a sorry situation. indeed
Yet to the east Of us is Elkhart similarly warned
South Send has been, EIkhart's board works
appears to be suffering from the Chicago disease al
least i'm have observed light
diion of Elkharts books but that its board of works
has generous approving Improvement jobs.
and paying money for work not measuring up
specifications. being reather boldly limited
accountants are poddng through South Bends books
and what they finding might interesting, it
might not They not very takative aggregation,
bur there is evidence lying around that the time of
ther expected stay has been considerably prolonged
just mention passing. The Chicago affair
and the Ekhart incident are naturally suggestive
anyone who seeing hearing things a distance
is inclined TO wonder what going under his feet
II more pleasant be sure moralize upon these
Iong-ranse happenings without local application but
when you know some Of the suspicious circumstances
that surround the letting the local paving
contracts for and then witness these auditors
hareins around beyond their expected time would
require of blindness shut of e.onjering
f there can Doe any connection between the two. We
sincerely hope that south Bend has a system of ac-
counts AID records that throw everything open and
above board coneeaAng nothing so that even an av-
eraEe citizen. upon making an investigation guess
what has been going even If these auditors
somewhat al sea.
That is the municipal books should be kept any
way The records and accounts should DE explicit
truthful plain and easily checked up with documents
vouchers. orders. and minutes the pro
lection OF the officials themselves though the rights
@ the public know should not be overlooked. The
Indiana state board Of accounts has done splendid
work az inauTuraung such bookkeeping methods over
the state-in state, county township city Offices
au.--wbere official cooperation has been obtanable.
and obtaiuable there need be no surprise if
lots should eventually begin come
We repeat. We mention il i'm passing the confident
nope that what has happened in Chicago and Ekhart.