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5
FINANCES.
Upon his appointment in May, 1891, Mr. E. A. R. Adams, the Accountant,
undertook the important work of opening a complete new set of books for recording
the Vestry's finances, kept by double entry, and based upon the best Municipal
systems. Some idea of the system adopted can be gained from the Abstract of
Accounts accompanying this report, from which it will be seen that not only is an
account shown of all actual receipts and payments in the financial year, but a statement
is also given of the income and expenditure for the year, that is the income
which has accrued due and become payable in the course of the year (though
perhaps not actually received), and the expenditure incurred therein (though
perhaps not actually met) ; a balance sheet of liabilities and assets is also shown, so
that the actual result of the year's working can be seen at a glance. Moreover, all
receipts and expenditure are kept under distinct headings, and the working of each
department and each separate subject dealt with is easily ascertainable. The
capital accounts have also been carefully written up, so that the history of the
various loans and improvements can be traced. The enormous amount of detail
work involved in such a fundamental change of system cannot be understood
without an examination of the various books required, and the carrying out of the
work and getting all the books properly written up to date as they now are, has
necessitated a constant amount of night work from Mr. Adams, who has spared no
pains to put the Vestry's finances on a sound basis. The introduction of such an
admirable system has certainly relieved me of all anxiety as to the Vestry's
financial work, and I think the Vestry may now feel assured that they have the
best system of book-keeping which can be applied to the work of a local authority.
RATE COLLECTION.
The thorough investigation into the circumstances of a rate collector's
defalcations in April, 1891, showed that though the system of rate collection in
vogue possessed some good features, many of the Vestry's instructions were
unheeded, and the system of checking was performed in such a way as to be
utterly valueless. There were clear indications also that there was no proper supervision
of the work and that the rates might, on a better system, be collected very
much more closely than was being done. Owing to the important legal questions
involved in every detail of rate collection I went very carefully into the whole
question, and on Mr. Adams' appointment I worked out with him a system of
collection and supervision which, whilst maintaining the best features of the system
in vogue, included some new features suggested by municipal experience. The
clerical work was reduced to a minimum by combining the three separate "Report"
books of the collector into one book, and by a novel arrangement of the rate book
which records two rates inonebook. Collection and deposit books were substituted for
the old system of loose sheets, and the bankers' slips so formed that the Accountant