Evening star., 1933-06-08
ERRORS, DELAYS
HOLD UP DISTRICT
EMPLOYEES PAY
Officials Reveal Situation
Involving Indefinite Sum
and Number.
LOSS IN DISCOUNTS
BY DEALERS LIKELY
Merchants Complain of Delays in
Getting Vouchers for Payment.
Conference Held Today.

An unknown number of District
employees face one, and possibly two,
payless pay days this month because of
errors and delays in financial accounts
which have been forwarded to the gen.
eral accounting Office, District officials
revealed today.
Just how long the department pay
rolls will be held up, and the amount
of funds involved. could not be ascer-
tained, it was said, but the funds can
not be released until the reports are
corrected. A number of District de-
partments are concerned, but officials
declined to identify them.
It was revealed also that merchants
having contracts with the District have
complained of delays in getting their
vouchers for payment and that the
District stands to lose a considerable
sum in discounts for prompt payment
accounts is speeded up.
These disclosures were made at a
meeting of all the executives, their
deputies and chief clerks of all District
departments, held at the District Build
ing shortly before noon today, when
they were impressed with the necessity
of greater speed and accuracy in han
ding accounts.
The department officials were ad-
dressed by DR.. Luther H. Reichelderfer,
president of the Board of Commits
sioners. and by Maj. Daniel j. Donovan,
District auditor, who declared past de-
lays and errors served to reflect to the
disadvantage of the efficiency of the
District government.
The General Accounting Office, Mai.
Donovan reported, several times has
lodged complaints with the District
against inaccurate statements concern
ing technical phases of accounting. He
displayed a recent report from the
Federal bureau containing between II
and Is pages Of notations of errors in
District reports.
The errors were discovered in monthly
reports by the department heads in
reports concerning handling pay cuts,
vacancies in positions, and the release
of funds when vacancies are filled
Available pay roll funds are impounded
until the errors can be corrected.
Complaint by Donovan.
Maj. Donovan also complained that
when such matters recently were called
to the attention of department heads
he urged them in any case of doubt to
COIlSult WIN MS OIlce IOr aQVlce. He
declared that only about half Of the
department executives had taken ad-
vantage of the offer.
DR.. Reichelderfer revealed that
check-up of delays in payment of vouch-
erS to merchants who held contracts
for District services, complained of by
the merchants, showed that in about
SO per ent of the cases District officers
were at fault.
Maj. Donovan said possible discounts
on bills Of this character would range
between $4,000 and $4,000 a year.
He also called attention Of the de-
partment heads to the necessity Of
speedy and accurate work in reporting
efficiency ratings of their subordinate
employees. He declared that efficiency
reports due on May Is still have not
been reported by as many as Is or
20 different District services.
The auditors criticism of department
heads was softened somewhat by a
concluding statement by Dr. Reichel-
derfer, who said that the purpose of
the meeting was not one of criticism
but one to ask a greater amount of
cooperation by all parties concerned.