The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1933-06-29
OurGoueyumeut
How 1t Operates
BY William Bruckarf
CHECKS AND DOUBLE
CHECK


service only to be notified two years
later that bis accounts showed an I'm.
named amount still due him. He
made numerous trips to the building
Where he had been employed and even.
tually was told that his claim had
been approved. It was a month or SO
later before he was paid, but he sure
~ was paid, the check being for a
total of three cents
Though that may seem to be an en-
aggerated case, 1t actually is not out
OF the ordinary. Your Uncle Sam
watches pennies closer, i dare say,
than most OF US. He has to do 1t. The
government is approximately five bill
lion dollar business It's records are,
and have to be, exact to the penny
Had the circumstance of the three
cent incident, mentioned above, been
favorable to Uncle Sam, the amount
would have been collected even had 1t
been necessary to sue In court and
obtain judgment.
The necessity for maintaining such
a close watch on the pennies is the
reason why there is general account
Ing office. The comptroller general of
the United States. who is head OF the
general accounting office, never has the
good Will OF all Offices of the govern
menf at one time. The nature of his
Job makes popularity impossible. He
is required BY law to tread on too
many toes.
Let me illustrate how, In doing his
job, the comptroller general gains SO
much disfavor He passes upon every
payment that is made out of federal
funds; every penny that is appropri-
ated by congress has to be spent ac-
cording to the letter OF the law. and
the comptroller generals Job is to see
that the several hundred disbursing
officers OF the government do 1t that
way. It takes no stretch of the imagi.
nation, therefore. to understand that
when q disbursing officer makes pay
menf and then is told by the comp
froller general few weeks later that
the payment was not In accordance
with laW-Well, 1t Is the exception
rather than the rule when that de-
cision falls to produce an argument.
fou probably would argue, too, II you
were held liable for the government
II Is not alone with the dIsbursing
officers that the comptroller general
has troubles; he meets individuals to
whom the disbursing officers go to get
Dack their overpayments. and frequent.
~ they demand reconsideration. Over
payments may result In the purchase
Of supplies for the government. In the
payment OF salaries, In the settlement
OF general claims, or In such things
as refund of expenditures paid by gov
ernmental representatives.
Laws require, for instance that an
Individual travelling at government ex-
pense, must take the most direct route.
Picture then what the reaction Is Of
an Individual who Is informed weeks
after ne had made a trip that II he
had taken the proper train. or boat.
the expense to government would have
been S1.06 less, and that he must pay
back that sum out of his own jeans.
lfou select your own language and |
Will match 1t with expressions have
heard, because they cover the whole
category Of epithets.)
But all of this Is necessary, or else
he government would be the loser,
not In thousands Of dollars, but In mil
ions, annually. Government supplies
ire costly. The appropriations for
hem are astounding II there was no
heck on the way the money is spent,
I Is easy to understand what would
Happen The taxpayers would be
allied upon to furnish more money.
So congress arranged long time
lgo to have an auditing system for
III government accounts. 1t was not
because 1t feared dishonesty among
he workers. There Is very little OF
his In the government. But the laws
ire intended to provide for expendi-
nres, and II those laws are not carried
nut chaos naturally would result.
There had to be central authority,
therefore,, for checking all the pay
nents This brings about uniformity
4 Interpretation of the laws and as
ures orderly conduct of payments by
he government. No one doubts the
'ropriety OF such course.
Thus, every check that Is made out
y any government disbursing officer
nyWhere sooner or later finds Its way
through the regulation channel--some
all 1t red tape-to the scrutInizing
We OF the comptroller general whose
ssistants, numbering scores, deter
line whether the payment was proper.
he magnitude Of this Job of auditing
ecomes apparent when 1t Is known
hat rulings from the general account
1g office average about thirty per
7eek, or about five each day, and that
hese arise from examination of about
wo and one-half million checks a
ionth
@, 1881. Western Newspaper Union.
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Limited Vision
Our thoughts are often worse than
rp are inst ne fhou arc oftor katto- |