Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-30
REPORT SHOWS CITY
FUNDS ARE JUGCLED
Warrants Valued at Nearly
$4,000 Gone and Can
not Be Found.
DEPARTMENTS SHORT
Special Audit of Books Dis
closes F'renzied Finance
Methods.

JUGGLING OF FUNDS from one
er temporary deficiencies the dis
appearance of warrants valued
at $44.64O.41. Irregularities in
payments of bills. alteration Of
receipts ana gross absence
of business administration are charged
To some of the retiring city officials
by and IN an audit and report of the
city's financial condition, recently
completed by Charles NJ. Heltzeli and
Nelson Il snyder. public accountants,
and made public Friday morning.
lnto almost every department of the
city administration do these condi-
tions extend, according to the report,
from that of city Auditor Cline, the
electrical and plumbing inspection
department, the cemetery board s
funds and other divisions of the citys
business
one of the first items taken up is
the disappearance of d box Of war
rants acgreeatinG almost $4,000, Of
which the largest item is for the Con-
Ncntioi nall. uI Sl2 30Il2. The water
works is represented among these
missing warrants by some $1U,365.73
and the public market fund is minus
81, $50 of warrants
. In addition to the total of $4i.-
64O.4l, warrants also are missing for
the last portion of the period covered
by the previous audit
Lose on Stamps"
The report also states that in the
matter OF warrants drawn for postage
stamps. generally in amounts of $lUO
each, vouchers tor $2,420 were sub
niitted for the past 10 months or an
average of $3.50 Il month. The war
rants were shown TO have been drawn
By City Auditor Cline and the war
rants were endorsed by him, but none
OF this amount appear to have been
turned over to the postmaster mere.
In many of these vouchers there are
no supporting postoffice receipts at.
tached and those which were attached
bear evidence of having been altered
The report also shows that $3.50 of
the citys money was spent for two
Wheclers On two occasions supposed
to have been purchased from a local
Hardware company and that attempts
by the accountants to secure an eA-
pianation of this action were truitless
The Tree spending OF the CITY
money for stamps and wheelers was
not the only wav in which means OF
leaving the chests well drained was
found, the report showing that Tulsa
in the past several months has Ueen
using more pencils, at the taxpayers
expense. than the city OF st. LOUIS
which brings from the accountants
the following statement:
irregularities in payments 10
Deshon and Dawson, are detaiied III
full and refunds should be demanded
of them or SUIT Instituted ioi reeo'e''
of the amounts.
Used Many Pencils.
"The city of St Louis would not
4 "a
city of Tulsa paid for in the period
covered by our audit"
Clerical errors by which the city
did not secure charges made against
the electrical and plumbing inspec-
tors also were discovered although
the report states that no insinuation
is meant that things in these two de-
partments could be termed Irregular.
The report of the accounts also
shows that the unedrtakers of Tulsa
have been dealt loosely with by the
administration and that they have
succeeded in gaining control to a
certain extent, of the cemeteries or
the city, for which they are acting as
agents in the collection of lot sales.
bound under no provision to reim-
burse the city until after they nave
secured their charges from funds
Which are open as the only means or
Bills To iSc Collected.
1t is shown in the audit that the
Nowbray Undertaking company is in
debted to the city for miscellaneous
lots. to the extent of s1,454 and for
which the same company is not
technically liable $62. 1t is also shown
that there is now outstanding for
lots sold. s1.33s.5O, for which 1t Is
suggested suits be brought for col
lection.
The health department is shown to
have been lax in its methods. per-
mitting undertakers to make pay
ments for burial permits, at long in
tervals, being one OF the points on
which department is criticized.
Il While the report brings to light
many irregularities in the various de-
partments, 1t was suggested that no
change be attempted by the present
administrator. leaving the inaugura-
ton of a business administration to
the incoming officials.