CITY BALANCE-SHEET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16996, 1 November 1918, Page 4

CITY BALANCE-SHEET.

| " TAGS" OF AUDIT DEPARTMENT. The city balance-sheet and statutory accounts to March 3!, 1918, have' been returned from t},e Audit Department, and were received at a special meeting of the City Council last evening. The Department certified the balance-sheet and accounts to bi> coiTect, but "tags" were appended by the deputy-controller and auditor to the effect that there was "no statutory authority for the council to trade in ca tie and rabbits; interest moneys Jiad been used fnr purposes other than thoss for which they were received, : and the sinking fund in connection with proposed loans was without statutory j authority, nor was it represented by a j corresponding hank /account or bv invest- [ ment. I 'he city treasurer, reporting on the exceptions, said the last-mentioned had been made to all balance-sheets since 1913. In connection with interest moneys, the exception was taken for th? reason that al though the interest account was in credit at the balancing period by £22,778 ss. the district fund bank account, which was composed of a number of statutory accounts, including interest account, was overdrawn by £6090 3s 4d. Members of the council were aware, however, of the heavy financial responsibilities which the district fund had at prescrr, to carry. The exception respecting cattlo and rabbits was in reference to transactions in cattle appearing in the Hat-kin's Point depot account and regarding the sale of rabbits at the retail fish shop. The Mayor remarked that the tags dealt with unimportant matters, and his motion for the adoption of the balance-sheet and accounts was adopted without discussion.