The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-07-20
COMMISSIONS PLANS
CLOSER WATCH ON
PUBLIC UTILITIES
Appoints \. Gooding Field Perm
anent Auditor and win Hereafter
Require Regular Adults and Re-
ports On Corporations


Marking new era in the control Of
public sefvire corporations by tho pub.
lie utilities rommission, the emnl6v.
inent Of permanent auditor for that
body, az a salary OF $3.50 month
was announced yesterday.
n Uooding Field, who acted as an.
ditor for tho commission in the In,
ter-island Gaze and other eases has
beer appointed to the newly created
position.
W. T.. Garden, chairman of the com.
mission, IN announcing Fields appoint
ment. stated that the move marked
the beginning Of revolutionizine 81
the commission 3 conduct OF its bust.
ness
Hereafter be said, periodical audits
be made, He stated: NJ
II will prove cheaper, more con.
venient and more expeditions for the
commission to have a permanent audit.
or instead Of hiring one At a tenporary
and higher salary each time an audit
IL made.
Hereafter periodical audits win be
made Of Az corporations subject 10
his commission y regulation.
We plan to revolntionize the com.
ulission 3 conduct OF business. The
work win De etandariized. as viii the
regulation a corporations. and rules
and regulations win be made that win
bring, u Is hoped, more regularity and
uniformity TO the commissions work.
making things more convenient for
both the commission anu the public
utilities.
lone az the FIRST steps win be the
issuance of uniform system Of accounts
IN order TO secure Standardization OF
accounting methods for utility eorpof
ations. A start has been made In This
direction IN the establishment Of stand.
ardized system Of accounts for teIe
phone companies.
Among other features that will be
.tandardized by the commission will
be that Of the rendering Of reports by
the utilities.
Yesterday the secretary Of the con
mission was instructed to ascertain the
dates on WHICH ~ utilities close theii
books and the dates on which they now
render annual statements to the con-.
mission.
At the same time reminders win be
sent to corporations subject TO the com
mission 3 control that not only are ne,
ports due from many for the fiscal
year 10l6-l917, but that many have
still to supply the commission with an.
nnal reports for the calendar year
1915.
There are Il number Of corporations
which. have either NOT been investjoaf
ed by the commission or have been
given merely perfunctory investigas
ton, stated Commissioned Garden, and
IL Is intended to complete this work
ms soon as possible. Thereafter, ii Is
attended, regular andits aud reports on
all corporations will be required
IL Is expected that the HONOLULU
Rapid Transit & Land Company win
be among the first to fall under the
inquisitorial eye Of the commission nm
der the new regime. Yesterday, the
commission decided to advise the com.
pany that by Act SO of the Session
Laws Of 1915, il was required to send
its quarterly trial balance report to
the commission instead Of TO the su,
-perintendent of public works. Re.
ports of this character since December
1914 will be requested Of the company.
Commissioner Garden denied that
this was the first move Of general
Investigation of the company but al
United that such probe would be
taken up later.
tWe have to get the Inter, Island
case of our hands first, " said Car
den.