Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-09-01

million but these funds are re..r,y.a
for the improvement and prote,,,or
OF the highways throughout IN.
State.
The states financial vesr rr..
from July first to June th,rt,.tx
IN the succeeding year. After tha
revenues are collected and the hiais
nave been paid the balance in tha
! treasury belongs either TO tbe funas
Wnlch nave been collected for sneciaI
purposes such as the highway funds
OF represents surplus in the
ireasury available for the general
| oohgauons OF the State. This SIR
pius rs the barometer to indicate the
condltlon OF the States financial ~
| lalrs and the present million dollar
| surplus in cash In addition n the
various special funds that have been
coiiected Is an indication of ~.
splendid condition of the Treasury at
TINS time and guarantee of the
nsntening OF the burdens of taxation
the present policy is continued in
effect. III
| The books in the office of the
state Auditor are at all times omen
10 the examination of any interested
| clt1Zen and anyone familiar with
DOCK Keeping finds the state accounts
Easy 10 understand. The printed re-
ports, however. have not been
! ciassined in the way that is prac-
t'ced In modern business concerns.
with this in mind Mr.. Walter
q brockway, Comptroller of the
hrown Company of Portland. was
asked TINS past year by the Cover
nor and Council to examine the ac-
counting system Of sthe State and
make recommendations from the
STANDPOINT OF a private business ex-
pert This was in full cooperation
with the State Auditor and the state
Treasurer who were in cordial syn,
pathy with an examination of this
sort.
Mr.. Brockway's report was printed
oH oroer OF the Governor and Coun-
Gu ana Is available to anv interested
cluAen. 1t is a most valuable con-
t[lbutlon to the Understanding of
state finance.
Inc State Auditor is a member of
the National Association of State
AUDITORS who have themselves been
working upon this problem for the
past TWO years in cooperation with
1 l.
slble for the instituting of the Fed
eral Budget at WASHINGTON. This
ASSOCIATION has been studying most
carefully the, problem of simplified
and uniform State Accounting in
| order that it may be possible to
make comparisons as to costs of the
various Departments and Institutions
OF the states upon a similar basis.
~ IS anticipated that this will be
(, Oh tremendous value to the various
! state Governments in the retrench-
ment policy which the President is
so earnestly urgin~ at this time.
| This was one Of the mai or topics
at the recent Governors Conference
at cheyenne and Mr.. Walter 3.
/ BrockWay of Portland was invited
10 denver the principal paper upon
TINS subject and to open the discus
sion The second speaker was also
a Maine man, Hon. Wallace r. Far
rlngton, Governor of Hawaii. where
the changed system has been actuall,,
installed.
The proposed changes in order to
make the accounting system uniform
, throughout the country Is being
prepared for final consideration by
the State Auditors this fall and will
be ready for recommendation to the
Legislatures of the several States
when they meet in January. Maine
has distinctly taken the leadership
In this movement that will mean so
much both in the simplification of
! governmental accounting and IN
comparisons Of governmental costs
1t seems possible that Maine may he
one of the first States to institute
this simplited system which is likely
to mean a considerable saving in
expense and. also to mean reporting
the finances of the State in way
that will interest the citizens which
is after al the chief thing that will
serve the taxpayers of the State OF
Maine.