Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-03
PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE
URGED FOR CHECKING EXPENSE
Congressional Body for Investigating Report of Con
troller Is Held to Be Greatest Need in Present
Fiscal System.

custody and disbursement OF public
funds and may obtain independent
information regarding the efficiency
with which the administrative serv.
ices are performing their duties. The
relationship between Congress and the
general accounting office is, thus,
that OF principal and agent. This
being so, Congress should provide
itself with means through which it
can assure itself that its agent ID
properly performing its duties and can
take action upon the matters that are
brought to its attention by such agent
through its annual and other reports.
congress as a whole cannot con.
slider the report Of the Controller
General and pass upon the recommen.
dations contained in it. What is
needed is that each House, or possibly
better still the two houses Jointly.
snail create committee on public
accounts, whose duty it will be to
receive the report of the Controller
General and, acting on behalf of the
Two houses, subject it's presentation
OF 1acts and recommendations to care.
Iul scrutiny and such further exami.
nation as it may find desirable for
the purpose of determining the fidel.
ity with which the administration has
perforemd its duties and of bringing
10 the attention Of Congress matters
requiring it's action,
Grave Issues Arise.
The need has been demonstrated nv
experience under the existing system.
Grave issues have arisen between the
general accounting Office and the ad.
illustrative services which can prop.
eriy De adjusted only by Congress.
Most or these issues, the Institute for
government Research finds, are cues
ions both of law and expediencv in
respect to the manner in which +ba
governmental affairs shall be con.
Quoted. This being so, it is a mistake
DR.. Willoughby argues, to reIy rpon
the courts for the settlement of these
issues, since 1t may we'll happen that
the decisions arrived at, while being
fully justified from the standpoint Of
existing law, will sustain practices
which are counter to principles of
good administration.
Inc annual reports of the Controller
General have, moreover, pointed out
various provisions of existing law.
which, In his opinion, should be
changed. Many of these relate to mat.
tiers or great Importance and urgency.
With committee such as is sug.
gested all of these matters could re-
ceive prompt attention and that bv a
pody winch will soon become familiar
with all the details of the problems of
nnanclal administration and control.
Example of England.
Any doubt that there may be re.
garding this can, it is believed. be re.
moved by a consideration of the ex.
perience of Great Britain in seeking
to perfect the means for giving reality
to the control of it's House of Com
mons over the conduct of the financial
affairs OF the government. AS set
forth by DR.. Williughby in his study
OF the system of financial administra-
ton or Great Britain, published by
the Institute for Government Re.
search in 1917, real control by Parlia.
ment over the expenditure of public
moneys was not secured until the
middle of the nineteenth century. The
starting point in perfecting the pres
ent efficient financial administration
of Great Britain was the report of the
great committee on public moneys in
1Ss6.57. This report after recommend
ing that provision be made for a COM
plete audit of public accounts by an
officer OF, and directly responsible to,
the House OF Commons, further recon-
mended that these audited accounts
be annually submitted to the revision
of committee of the House of Com
mons to be nominated by the Speak
err" This suggestion was one of the
first recommendation of the commit
tee to be acted upon. In 1862 Mr..
Gladstone, as chancellor of the ex-
cheQuer, secured the abortion of a
standing order making provision for
a committee of this character under
the title Of committee of public ac-
counts.
This committee, which has had an
existence since that
date, has constituted, one Of the most
important features Of the system that
Great Britain has, step by step. built
up for the administration of her finan.
cial AFFAIRS. From the start the com
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