COUNTY COUNCIL'S BALANCE SHEET.

Otago Witness, Issue 2818, 18 March 1908, Page 83

COUNTY COUNCIL'S BALANCE SHEET.

AUDITOR-GENERAL'S TAGS. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

CHRISTCHURCH, March 11

The Selwyn. County Council, of which Mr George Witty/ M.P., is a member^ has had some little differences with the Audit Office over the long list of " tags " which had been attached to the council's balance sheet by the Auditor-general. The matter was mentioned in the council to-day, when the chairmen proposed a resolution making two amendments to the document, which were necessitated by obvious clerical mistakes. The council, he said, proposed to take no .iction in regard to the other dozen or more " tags " affixed by the Audit Office. Two members of the council (Messrs Bedford" and Wilson) then drew pointed attention to the Auditor-general's comment in regard to one particular item — viz., that it was illegal for the council to charge interest on the overdrawn accounts of 6pecial districts.

Mr Witty replied that the ratepayers concerned would have had to Day interest if they had gone anywhere else Tor the money, but as they had got it from the council they did not want to pay. He thought it was better for the council to get the interest. As to its being illegal, if the Auditorgeneral couirl have done anything he would be doing it. The duty of the Audit Office was " tagging " everything. There was scarcely a single thing it did not " tag." It might be a junior ip the office who was doing it. The duty of the Audit Office was to ascertain whether tfife money had been spent according to the balance sheet, and it had nothing to do with the law, though an error might be pointed out. This " tagging " went on year after year. There was a lot of useless quibbling by the Auditorgeneral, and in his opinion it was childish. The chairman's motion was carried.