Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 299, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1912 — BOARD OF ACCOUNTS MAKES ITS REPORT [ARTICLE]

BOARD OF ACCOUNTS MAKES ITS REPORT

Claims That Nearly 12,000,000 is Owing to Municipalities, Counties and State. Indianapolis, Dee, 16.— “ Illegally retained moneys” and “county school funds in chaotic conditions,” quotations from the first exhaustive report of the operation of the state board of accounts, made publie Saturday, were provoking terms of which the report contained no sequel Actions instituted by the at-torney-general on reports of the accounting board, however, , were made public from time to time as the different actions were brought against the involved' public officials. Nearly seven thousand offices, including boards, commissions, county and city offices, justices peace, township and school officials, are under the supervision of the accounting board, whieh has operated since 1910. “There has been no general official revision of the Indiana statutes for more than thirty years,” said the board, “and the apparently conflicting provisions of many enactments relating to public business have not only tjeen exceedingly troublesome to officers, but have added greatly yto the responsibilities of this department and have increased the difficulties of its field examiners.” Nearly $2,000,000 is owing to municipalities, counties and the state from former and present office holders, according to the report, exactly No names of officials onplaces)are given. Theboard secured the-return of $448,515.87, but in so doing spent $237,416.48. Defending the big percentage of cost in recovering the public’s money, the report declared: “The benefits accruing from the administration of the accounting law are not to be measured by the amount of recoveries in dollars and cents, but by -Its general repressive effect, Its aid and assistance at all times to officers in the performance of their official duties and in the ultimate bringing about of uniform systems of accounting as applied to all offices, insuring accuracy, efficiency and strict compliance will all legal requirements.” A sugar beet promoter is trying to interest the farmers near "Valparaiso. He proposes the building of a sugar beet factory if the farmers will grow enough beets, stating that a factory disburses about $750,000 per year, $500,000 of whieh goes to the farmer. It is going to be uphill work, however, to get our small grain farmers to give up a sure thing for the uncertainty of sugar beets. The Delphi Herald has been purchased by P. M. Smith, who has run newspapers at Otterbein, Brookston and Chalmers. He is a conscientious man and a hard worker and should be able to greatly improve The Herald. • Christmas Sale of Slippers for men, women and children at Geo. E. Collins' Shoe Store. W. J. Wright made a trip to Chicago today.