Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1922-09-22
State Accounts.
CRutland Herald.)

The Connecticut accountant who has
been auditing the books of the state
auditor and treasurer in Montpelier rec
ommends that the bookkeeping be i'll one
department, and the records kept in such
a manner that it would be possible to
determine the revenues and expenses as
distinguished from receipts and dis
bursementS His recommendations
sound as though a little Improvement in
the system would be advisable-enough,
say, so that an auditor could tell Offhand
whether there was a million-dollar sur
plus in the treasury or the state was
going into bankruptcy. Springfield Re
porter.
There have been a lot of strange COM
ments on this recent audit of the states
books but we do not recall one that is
more absurd than this. Possibly it was
intended to be taken in a humorous or
at least a Pickwickian sense. The books
of the state show exactly where We stand
Mt all times; the trouble comes in under
taking to make estimate for the future
something that even budget commit
tees fail to do with complete success.
A taxpayer gets Il statement about
every six months showing where the
state stands, and he may step into the
treasurer's Office and be informed in the
time it takes to run up column of fig
ures what the balances are in the vari
Gus accounts; in an hour or two he car
receive detailed statement from either
the treasurers or auditors office.
This suggests the principal criticism
offered by the recent official audit, which
was that some accounts We're duplicated
in the treasurer's and auditors offices
This is true in a measure, but no more
than is necessary to maintain check
one office upon the Understanding tC
the best accounting methods. The treas
49,, IA haI1 ltrp x1rifI Ia pa.
tape and less "help" than any Other
Office in the country where the yearly
turnover is around five million dollars.
Before any taxpayer takes with toe
much seriousness the suggestions of tht
recent audit. let him drop into the
treasurers Office and ask any reasonable
question about the states financial bust
will be forthcoming. Also note the sim
plicity, the inter-checking and the self
proving sort of bookkeeping that is done
there.
The state is not supposed to act or
the suggestion of every expert who hap
pens to be called in to "check up" thu
books. Almost every one will have sug
gestions to offer like the statesmen will
special filing, loose-leaf and card inde'
systems. The suggestions are probabl!
good, but like the young lawyers brief
not necessarily the right thing for thu
business in question. The head of tn
business is the man who must select tn
system and make the improvements il
the end; he alone knows whether the,
are best suited thereto.
The states bookkeeping system is no
perfect, and in time it may need chang
or extension, but it was developed iron
the suggestions of experts. CAREFUL
adapted to Vermont needs by our owl
auditor the treasurer, Will i. Davis, 0
the board of control and other coupe
tent book accounts men. 1t is not top
heavy. 1t is fairly simple and it seem
to answer its purposes excellently. I'm
til there is some better reason given, tn
Herald would say that it is a good thin
to let alone.