Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-17
MANY TREASURERS
SHORT IN ACCOUNTS
SAYS Commission
Startling Disclosures Made
in Report on Economy
and Efficiency of State.
DEPARTMENTS NOW AUDIT
THEIR OWN ACCOUNTS
Through Fee System Many Have
Achieved Financial Indepen-
dcnce of Legislature.
GIVE GOVERNOR MORE POWER
Authority and Responsibility Now
DifTUscd Instead OF Being
Properly Centralized.
GIVE GOVERNOR MORE POWER
Authority and Responsibility Now
DiGTUscd Instead Of Being
Properly Centralized.

Disclosing startling shortages in city
ard county funds. recommending rad
zeal changes In the states system
oF accounting and submitting plans for
or state business generally. the report
o! tho Commission on Economy and
Efficiency will to-day be submitted to
tho General Assembly by Senator r. T..
Drewry, chairman OF the commission.
Shortugcu. variously referred to az
dehcita. shortages and cmbczzlement5.
arc cited In Il paragraph OF the rsport.
reading:
TO cito y few instances of wha, has
been revealed by state audit. IL
Washington COUNT, for example. de-
icit in the accounts O. Tic treasurer
Wal found amounting to $4,000; In
Fairfax County, q balance due b. the
treasurer Of s59,2i7 was found, With
overdratts on certain county ac-
counts. Of ii.2fS; In Warren COUNT.
thc balance set ~ against the treas
urc! amounted 10 3l6.6T3; in Cumber-
land COUNTY a shortage in the treas
urer'S accounts amounted to $3.50. and
in Suyth Count: shortage in the cash
account OF the treasurer amounted to
S5.2is. An audit made b" the state
Accountant IN tho city OF Winchester
exposed an cmbegzlcnen. OF license
taxes by the comm .ssioner OF revenue
OF Sl.7I6; IN the city OF Hucna Vista
a deficiency in the cash OF the treas
urcTo Office was found amounting 10
5000, uht,e the treasurcr's accounts
Of Farmviile for the year 1915 were
FOUND to be short sl,7s5""
DUE TO INEFFIcIENCY. RATHER
THAN MORAL TU1PITUDE
While the report points out that such
conditions may be due more to inefic-
lent administration and lack OF audit
i7E inspection. rather than 10 moral
Iurp,tudc Of individuals. 1t acrcsses The
tact that tho danger OF < systerl tnut
permits them to go unchecked cam
DOT DO ovcrcs.imated. The General Az
2embly IS urged that II is l. situation
which should be promptly corrected.
For these reasons" says the re-
port. "thS commission rccorm ends that
tne State Accountants office be pro-
.'i6ed with SUFFICIENT funds and force
IL, corporate with tho Governor in
supervising the financial system OF the
STATE and local governments, and more
cr5cicntly to 90 the work which has
been assigned 10 it. The general lax
ncgo with ahich the state. funds are
handled and accounted for under pres
oHt conditions should be corrected
without further delay.
Separate audit oc expenditures OF
the public funds By the spending au
thorities themselves is reprchens;oic.
10 cay the least. The audit OF their
oyn expense accounts By the State
Board OF Education. the Department cf
Agriculture and Immigration, the Stale
Corporation Commission and the De-
nartinent OF Prohibition, for example.
should be discontinued. Audit and dp-
prevail OF .ubvouchcrs Of all depart
mcnts. institutions and agencies OF the
state should be placed with the Aud
itor VI Public Accounts.
NAM AGENCIES NOW
INDEPENDENT OF LE;GisLATLItL;
This commission recommends. In
this connection, that hereafter all funds
no matter how deTiyed-rcceiYed b..
any department. Institution or other
asencJ OF the state should be strictly
accounted for and covered into the
state treasury and that no money
should be spent by any dcpartm cnt
except out of appropriations provided
by the General Assembly. :. number
OF our Virginia State agencies have
developed a scmihnancial independence
and freedom from executive control
and supervision that Is cSerting very
ctrinental influence on the service
as a whole. This is n needed reform
that should be dealt with swiftly aud
firmly by the. General Assembly"
Although the foregoing, pointing out
rs 1t does concrete examples tf the
alleged weakness OF the present ad-
miniptratiYe system, is the mos. start
ling feature Of the report, tho commits
sion has not neglected TO dcivc deeply
into every phase Of the Coinr.on- =
wealtlls activities. Charts showing ihe
mechanism OF tho three branches OF
the Eovernn1cnt---lcgis isfativc, judicial
and eEecutivc--are showH in an e.
fort 80 graphically rut before the As
Serlbly the eTi!. OF an ingtitutiou with
out definite form or syatcmatic dircc-
ton.
FONTS NC STRUCTURAL
WEAKNESS IN STAFF. SYSTEM
Under tho caption OF "Structura!
Weakness" the report says:
"Authorlty and responsibility arc
dlRused instead OF being placed where
d definite official can be held to ac-
count for tho administration Of the
states affairs. The people elect a
group of purely administrative officers
who arc responsible in actual practice
10, no one. these officials being account
abIo IN tho same way that the Cover
nor IS, but ere not OF sufficient import.
anse to the average citizen for hin,
Continued on Third PaEe.)