The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-03-24
vox PoPULI
: NNANNNNANNANANNS
FORMER AUDITs HAVE NOT
BEEN MADE IN DETAIL

Editor Pensacola Journal.
! see by an article in your paper of
yesterday Mayor Greenhut has made
the statement that my report Of the
c1tys affairs covers too long a period;
and that it should only have covered
that period from the end of the last
audit, June /, 1915, to October 1, 1915,
"a period of but four months.
Had done this, the people OF PEN
sacola, who are vitality interested in
the conduct Of the city's affairs, would
have been precisely where they were
before my audit was made.
All of the various audits that have
been made for the city, both for this
administration and the old, have been
audits of receipts and disbursements
that is to say, the receipts. were
checked and verified; also the dis
bursements, to see that they had been
made through the proper channel and
to locate any possible or probable de-
falcations.
The reports Of such audits have
never been sufficiently in detail for an
outsider to pick out any one item of
expense that might interest him and
give him an opportunity to decide for
himself whether or not the expendi-
ture was economical or not. And
none Of these previous audits have
ever been published for the informa-
ton Of the people, as the law requires
that my present audit shall be.
After the last audit was made a
number of voters indicated that they
were dissatisfied and this brought
forth from the auditor who made the
audit the statement that his audit
was one of receipts and disbursements
only. By petition to the governor,
the people then called for complete
and thorough audit and report of
the administration Of the commits
sioners. I was appointed by the gov
ernor to make the audit at the agreed
price Of $40 per day, which is the
rate charged in my bill.
This report, which covers two years
and four months, one copy Of which
is in the hands Of the commissioners,
the other with the governor, I have
worked at conscientiously and to the
best Of my ability, not only during the
days that have elapsed since I under
took the work, but often at night, in
order to give the people of Pensacola
a full and comprehensive history Of
the city's affairs something that they
have never heretofore had.
In this report I do not criticize nor
praise, but merely set forth facts
backed by figures gathered from the
city's records.
Any person can take the report and
by use of the index, Immediately To-
cate any receipt or expenditure item,
from the largest down to such items
as the gold pens which We're bought
from the Ball Book Store and paid
| for in September, 1915. Indeed, a
complete history of every financial
transaction of the commissioners from
the beginning of their administration
to October I, 1915, down to the very
smallest detail, may be located in this
report.
sincerely hope that when the peo-
pie have been given an opportunity tc
see this report it will please them, as
have done my best to present the
| figures so that they can be understood
Further than this, might also ado
that the mayor was advised by the
governor of the per diem charge
which l was to make for my services
and also knew of the work being done
So why wait until this late date tt
complain of the expense of the audit
F. B. HAGERMAN.