Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1909 — Private Accountants Will Not Be Allowed to Do the Work. [ARTICLE]

Private Accountants Will Not Be Allowed to Do the Work.

W. A. Dehority, chief accountant of the state board of accounts, has set his official foot on the hopes and aspirations of a number of private accountants who had expected to receive permission from the accounting board to have the private work of the accountants in sundry counties, cities and townships Accepted by the state in lieu of work to be done by field examiners soon to be selected by the state board. Already a number oi private accountants have asked Dehority that they may be permitted to take the examination that is to beused as a basis for determining qualifications for field examiners, to receive commissions, and to be permitted, on the strength of the commission, to make private contracts with public officials and to have their reports accepted by the state board. These requests have not even been considered by the board. Under the law it is required that the public accounts be examined by field accountants to be appointed by the board and paid by the corporation which is being examined. These field examiners are to be employes of the state alone, and answerable to the state for everything done as examiners. Under the law there is no possible means by which the private accountants could be commissioned by the board and permitted to make private contracts under their commissions.

To forestall any ill feeling which might be aroused over the state «by the disappointed private accountants (and it Is understood by the board that they are endeavoring to have some public officials enjoin the activities of the state board) Mr. Dehority has written a personal letter to all the public officials whose accounts will be examined by the field examiners, explaining the purpose, and intentions ol the board, and asking the co-opera-tion of the interested officials. Replies have been received from a large per cent of these public officials, all of whom have assured the board of their co-operation. Repeated inquiries are being received by the board concerning the scope of the examinations by field examiners. The law creating the board and defining its duties provides that the uniform system of accounts shall be put in operation at the beginning of the next fiscal year of the municipality concerned, and that the examinations shall not go back beyond one year from that time, except on the authority of the governor.