THE AUDIT OFFICE.

Western Star, Issue 1577, 8 July 1891, Page 4

THE AUDIT OFFICE.

Tlie Commissioners on the Public? Trust Office inquiry in their reply to the Auditor-general admit that the circumstances arc peculiar and they make allowance tor the irritation shown by that gentleman. On partieular points, however, they state that the Auditor-general docs not include in the summary of his duties, the one most important, viz., to see that all the moneys due are accounted for as arrears or otherwise and that this duty has been systematically neglected. They observe that the Auditor has such an imperfect conception of the duties of his office as to think that they consist only in the inspection of accounts. They say no specious reasoning can excuse an officer, who examines the state of securities of widows and orphans for passing year after year as valuable security an old mortgage, when the property had long ago been sold by order of the Supreme Court. These circumstances, they urge, justify them in designating the inspection as careless and perfunctory. They find the Auditor guilty of an error of judgment in reference to payments to the consolidated fund,, and further that when under examination with regard to the books, he was offensve and displayed ignorance of his duties. They find that ho used to visit the office and sign the cash book weekly without examining either the cash books or balances. Continuing, they say the heads of the department in the Civil Service of this colony should be taught that every transaction in their department must bear the light of day, and that neither the Minister of the Grown, the Parliament nor the public will submit to a single iota of correspondence relating to the public service being kept secret on any plea whatever.