The Evening Herald

A New Officer to be Elected
This Fall.

HIS SALARY AND DUTIES

The Powers of the County Commissioners
Curtalled and the Office of County Audi-
tor Rendered a Mere Nonentity, Except
as to the Salary.

Special HERALD correspondence.

POTTSVILLE, June 10th.

GOVERNOR PATTISON
has signed Senate Bill
No 44, "Creating the
office of County Comp
troller in counties of
this state
containing
150,000 inhabitants and
over, and prescribing
his duties." By the
salary act of March 31,
1876. the salary of the Comptroller is fixed at
$2,000 per year, but by the new salary act
now before the Governor for his approval or
disapproval the salary is fixed at $3,500.
The act, of course. applies to Schuylkill
county and adds another office to the list to
be filled by election this fall. He is to give a
bond of $50,000 with at least two sureties,
and among his general and very exacting
duties are the following: He shall have a
general supervision and control of the fiscal
affairs of the county and of the accounts and
fiscal acts of all officers or other persons
who shall collect, receive or distribute the
public moneys of the county, He shall
cause to be kept a regular set of books in
detail by double entry of all fiscal operations
of the county, and on or before February 1st
of each year he shall communicate to the
Commissioners in writing a detailed estimate
of and for the legitimate purposes of the
county for the current year, including in
terests due and to fall due on all lawful debts
of the county bearing interest, and the Com
missioners shall on or before February 15
thereafter fix such rate of taxation upon the
valuation of the property of the county as
will raise sufficient sum to meet the said ex
penditures and the Commissioners shall not,
by contract or otherwise, increase the ex
penditures in any year beyond the taxes so
assessed.

In January the Comptroller shall report to
the Common Pleas Court all receipts and ex
penditures for the preceding year and make
a full statement of the financial condition of
the county, to be published in such news
papers as the court may direct, the aggregate
cost of which shall not exceed $1000 in any
year, which publication shall be in lieu of
that required by 27th section of the Act of
April 15, 1834.

He shall keep his office in rooms in the
court house to be furnished at the county's
expense and he shall furnish' the County
Commissioners whenever required a detailed
account of any officer or other person having
in his possession, or under his control, any
county funds and shall at all times between
the hours of 10 o'clock a. m. and 2 p. m. give
information respecting any of said accounts
to any taxpayer of the county demanding the
same.

The Comptroller shall scrutinize, audit and
decide on all bills, claims and demands
against the county and demand proof under
oath of the correctness of such claims, etc.
and he must countersign all receipts given by
the County Treasurer to persons paying
money into the treasury and keep a record of
the same.

Section nine of the Act provides that after
the Comptroller has assumed his official
duties the Commissioners shall draw no war-
rant for any debt, claim or demand not
audited and approved by the Comptroller.
except for the fees of jurors, witnesses, criers
and tipstaves of the courts.

All contracts made by the Commissioners of
exceeding $20 must be in writing and filed
with the Comptroller immediately after
execution, and no contract shall be made, nor
the payment thereof certified by the Comp-
troller, for over $100 unless when made with
the lowest and best bidder after due notice to
be published by the Comptroller when
directed by the Commissioners, if he approve
the purpose of the proposals invited, all bids
to be received by the Comptroller under seal
and to be in his presence opened by the
Commissioners and the contracts awarded,
the Comptroller keeping a record of such
awards, and he shall certify no warrants for
contracts not made agreeably thereto.

All warrants drawn on the County Treas-
urer by the Commissioners on certificates as
provided in the act shall be countersigned by
the Comptroller, who shall keep a correct
register thereof, noting the number, date and
amount of each and to whom and for what
issued, reporting to the Commissioners
monthly, or oftener if required, the amount
of outstanding warrants registered and
amount of money in the treasury.

He shall have the custody of all official
bonds, except his own, and all title deeds of
real estate owned by the county, contracts
entered into by or for the county, and all
books and papers relating to the financial
affairs of the county. Under this Act the
Treasurer can pay out no money except on
warrants drawn by a majority of the Com-
missioners and countersigned by the Comp
troller, the Treasurer's books to be open to
inspection of the Comptroller at all times
during office hours, and he must report daily
to the Comptroller the transactions of his
office of that day.

A chief clerk is provided for by Section 14,
to be appointed by the Comptroller and paid
such salary as the Comptroller and Commis
sioners shall fix. The clerk shall act for the
Comptroller in his absence.

All the duties devolved on the County
Auditors and powers conferred on them by
the Act of 1834 must hereafter be performed
by the Comptroller, so far as regards county
accounts and state taxes for which the county
is or may be liable, and all other accounts of
the Treasurer with the state shall be audited
by the auditor of the accounts of the Pro-
thonotary, Clerk, etc., appointed by the
court. Under the Act of April 21, 1846, and
the report required to be made by the Comp-
troller in January, as before mentioned, shall
have the same effect as the report of the
Auditors under the Act of 1834, with like
rights of appeal, thus virtually taking away
all the duties of County Auditor without
abolishing the office.

If the new salary bill is signed by the Gov
ernor it will increase the salaries of County
Commissioners to $2,500 each, instead of
$1,500; Clerk of the Courts. $6,000 instead of
$3,500; Recorder, $4,000 instead of $3,500
Poor Directors, $1,500 instead of per diem:
Jury Commissioners, $500 instead of per
diem; and it will reduce the County Audi
tors' salaries to $100 each, instead of $500.
N.