Southern Oregon News Review, Ashland Oregon, Ihursday, October 18, 1948
D a lly T idings today publishes a The firs t note states: The State 1 responsible for brin g in g in the
report of an a u d it of the C ity ’s T ux Street Fund .shown below cost figures and huvlng the ord
huve been credited
to malices, piepared and passed by
books
w ith continents by
the should
th
is
account
by
tne
Recorder,
etc.
the council.
auditor, w hich every person v o t­
T his is not true. Chapter 426,
There is no releiience m the
ing for the position o f C ity Re­ Oregon Laws, 1947 states, quote.
o ffic ia l a udit re p o rt about capi
corder should read."
“ Money received by the C ity m l accounts being kept as is in
It happens that this report was from the annual ten per cent a l­ d ilu te d in the purported report
no, prepared by Mr. Knox, was location of state highw ay reven­ Llowever lo r the benefit o f those
untrue i<
appropriated by this act, who published tills
no, signed by Mr. Knox,' in fact ues
had never been seen by Mr. must, according to the provision. port, pe rm it me to quote from
- oi the law , b e s e l a s id e III a a le tte r from Mi Leland J. Knox,
Knox.
Three notes are made concern­ “ state tux street fu n d ” . In a d ­ C e rtifie d P ublic Accountant, U.
ing three funds w hich had been d itio n any transfers must be S. N a tional Hank B u ild in g , Med
overdraw n in an attem pt to ju s ti­ authorized by the council, and ford, Oregon,* dated October 26,
fy the d e ficit and discredit the no a u th o riza tio n has ever’ been 1948 and signed liy M r. K nox in
my presence. Quote "C oncerning
C ity Recorder at the same tim e made.
The second note concerning the m a tte r of capital accounts, 1
the assessments in w hich it states know' o f no cities ut the present
"The Recorder's office appears to tim e that m a in ta in such account
p a rt of
th e ir
keep no com plete records of ac­ us an in te g ra l
system. The C ity
counts receivable. Against this bookkeeping
d e fic it there is due the C ity on of Ashland m u in tu im sl cupitul
assessments receivable the sum uccounts up to 1942 at w hich
the accounting plun was
o f $13,559.51, w hich w ould a c t­ tim e
changed
on order of the C ity
u a lly m ake a book balance In
fa vo r o f the c ity of $3,879.63.” C ouncil, to reduce the volum e of
Lets look at the facts’ The C ity w ork.
T his un tru e re p o rt as p u b lis h ­
Recorder has on his books every
assessment accounts
receivable ed fu rth e r states, "F ro m the Re­
w hich is o f record. The last o r ­ corder's books an o v e rd ra ft in
dinance No. 1080 on assessments the 1947-48 budget is indicated,
was pussed on A p r il 6, 1948 and but these records do not take
every in d iv id u a l assessment was in to account cupitul Increase, e x ­
fo r property,
soon a fte r entered on the assess­ change of money
m ent ledger. The cost of con­ real or personal assessments re ­
stru ctio n of a ll sewers, pave­ ceivable MM gCCOUntl 1 ccclcable,
ments, curbs and gutters since und does not tuke Into considera­
that date has not been assessed tio n the fact that considerable a-
against the p roperty owners as inounts w ere expended from u t il­
yet and cannot be, unless and ity accounts (electric und w ater)
u n til these figures are brought 'w h ic h are exem pt from the p ro ­
★ An Adequate Park and Recreation Program
in and an ordinance made und v >8‘ons of the budget and tin •%
passed so assessing them. From lim ita tio n s , etc.— The o ffic ia l au-
★ A Mayor Representing the City and «0/ any particular
before A p r il to Novem ber Is a d lt re p o rt does not contain the
Club or Group
long tim e and the derelection n t above reference, b u t on the con
d u ty rests solely, com pletely a n d l t,a r y> M r- K n o x in his letter
★ A Mayor Respecting the Opinions of Others
e n tire ly w ith those charged w ith above referred to, says: Quote
★ A Mayor Who Has Always Had the Co-Operation of
p ro v id in g the figures and prepai - 1“ As ,a r as capital expenditure
ing the ordinances. The attem pt are concerned, they m ust be bud
and Support of his Councilmen
to charge the C ity Recorder w ith 8‘’t<’d for the same as o tlie i ex-
★ A Mayor Who Has Pioneered the Securing of a Truck
thls is s im ila r to the 1935 charges Pcndltures. and the purchase of
Route Through Ashland
w hich were made and none o f any 8Uch deins w ith o u t budget
w hich were proven. The state- ’ a u th o rity
is a departure
from
★ A Man for Mayor who Practices Exactly W hat He
m ent th a t the $13,559.51 w ould the budget plan the same as any
Preaches
o ff set this d e fic it bank balance .other
unbudgeted
expenditure
of $9,679.88 is equally absurd. 1w ouId be.” The local budget law
Cash and accounts receivable are Pro v ‘des th a t the receipts and
separate items. D id you ever tr y ’ expenditures fo r each pu b lic u til
inst yo u r a c - ilty °P erated by the c ity shall be
counts receivable?
|Included in the budget.
As to note No. 3 th a t " T h e ' So m uch fo r th b p u b li,h e d re
E le ctrica l E quipm ent Fund a n d (p o r, T h t‘ slns of ‘ ’n" « ’ ,on a ri’
the u tilitie s funds are v ir tu a lly g , c a t e r ‘ han th<‘ slns o i ^ » ’ imis-,
one and the same. This is not S‘ ° n ’ T h “ e u n lru e
statem ents
are
attem
pts
to
smear
the C'lty
true. The
E lectrical E quipm ent
fund was established by the Recorder on one side and w h ite ­
council and any transfers fro m wash the a d m in is tra tio n on the
this account w ould have to be other. N ow le t us look at the
authorized by them. The only sins o f onnnlssion, M r. K nox in
object of the transfer w ould be his le tte r p re vio u sly m entioned
state: Quote " In the budget com ­
to cover up an overdraft.
parison on page 45 of m y report
N ow fo r some o f the comments
o f June 30, 1948, I showed a ll
purported to have been made by the funds as published in the o f­
the auditor. The second pa ra ­
fic ia l budget fo r the year, in c lu d ­
graph states, " I believe that the ing U tilitie s D epartm ent and the
recorder should set up an assess­ State Tax Street Fund. ' did this
m ent account fo r each assess­ so there w o u ld be no discussion
m ent project. I believe that e f­ to the effect that p a rt of the
fo rt should be made at once to
budget o n ly was presented. I t
get these records up to date and w ill be observed fro m an e x u n i-
in to some i form
of perm anent a s - 'jnat j on of this com parison th a t
«Mamant
n
sessment
ledger
so th a t the c lo»«
ity (approxim
the General
by tourists, many of whom complain of the present
is overdraw n
w ill not su ffe r unnecessary
ate 1 Fund
y
ported that M r. K n o x had said
that, "the C ity budget can be
balanced by reallocation o f funds
D ear S ir:
lio n fund of $399.04.
at hand.” This is not true, was
In the O ctober 1st issue of the | This statem ent is not true and not so stated by Mr. K n o x, and is
A shland
D a ily T idings,
under does not agree w ith tiu* o ffic ia l p o s itiv e ly absurd.
the head, “ K N O X
F IN IS H E S j a udit report, since there is a de-
On October 23rd, a statem ent
C IT Y A U D IT ,” reference w a s ‘ lic it in the Electt'ical E quipm ent e n title d , “ C IT Y OF A S H L A N D ,
made to the effect that the C ity fund of $1,506.25; in the Assess C IT Y RECORDER - S U M M A R Y
was in ve ry excellent fin a n cia l men, fund of $9,679.88 and in ,'he O F FU N U AC C O U N TS follow ed
by A U D IT O R S C O M M E N T S was
condition and that
the C ity General Fund o f $7,697.82.
‘ published on page 2. And on
w ould close its books fo r the
In the O ctober 6th issue of this
page 1 in the “ E D ITO R S L A S T
fiscal year ending J u ly 1, 1948, same
paper, under the head. W O R D ", in his endorsement of
w ith a d e fic it only in the band C ity Council T O
E X A M IN E m H ardy fo r C ity Recorder. It
fund of $86.66. and in the recrea- BU D G ET A U D IT ,” it was re- read, “ In this connection, The
Letters to the Editor
,.
R E -E L E C T
Thornton S. Wiley
FOR M A Y O R
and continue to have . . .
★ A Clean Town.
★ Fair and Impartial Law Enforcement
★ Low Taxes, W ithout Lack of City Service
★ Low Cost Street Improvements
★ Support of Industry and Payrolls
★ Co-Operation with O ur College
★ Proven Willingness to Give the Time to the Job
★ Fair Hearing on Every Proposition and to Every Person
With Wiley you are not guessing....you know
V o te 5 6 X fo r W IL E Y
All over Oregon open-minded people are asking:
Why Require Purchase of a Bottle?
LEGALIZE LIQUOR BY THE GLASS!
In a scientific, state-wide survey recently completed,
a reliable public-opinion research organization,
which has accurately forecast the results of many
Oregon elections, finds that ‘‘a majority of those who
have heard of the measure (liquor-by-the-glass) would
presently vote for"its passage!”
This confirms a similar state-wide survey, made last
spring, which found 46% of Oregon’s citizens in
favor of liquor-by-the-glass and 44% insisting on
purchase of liquor by-the-bottle only.
It is a fact that whenever open-minded citizens or
organizations have studied the measure without prior
prejudice, they have found reasons for supporting this
measure and no legitimate reasons for opposing it.
The Retail Trade Bureau of the Portland Chamber
of Commerce says, in an authorized statement: "This
Bureau is on record, through its membership, favor­
ing amendment to the Knox Law which would permit
the sale of drinks in hotels and clubs, over the bar.
The reason for our taking this action is the belief that
it would encourage temperance and would not neces­
sitate individuals buying a whole bottle and consum'-
ing it immediately, if an individual drink could be
purchased.”
The Oregon State Federation of Labor is on record
with the following resolution: "Whereas, the present
system of liquor control in Oregon is not good and
results in imposition of unreasonable regulations
upon citizens who desire to consume alcoholic bev­
erages, and, whereas, the sale of alcoholic beverages
in hotels and restaurants and other public places
should be lawful without the possession of club
licenses; therefore it is resolved that the Oregon State
Federation of Labor will join with any other respon­
sible groups who initiate the change of the present
law to permit the free and open sale of beverages of
alcoholic content by responsible licensed businesses
without the present cumbersome restrictions.”
On February 21, 1948, Oregon’s largest news­
paper, The Oregonian, said editorially: "The privilege
of buying liquor by-the-drink would be appreciated
system. It would encourage hotels, restaurants and
entertainment clubs to improve their facilities. But
without considering these benefits to business, one
also may hope for a decline in drunkeness in public
places and rapid diminishment of bootlegging if
there is licensing and strict control of legitimate out­
lets for sale of liquor by-the-drink.”
Seth F. Harper, superintendent of the State Liquor
Dispensary in our neighboring state of Idaho, in a
letter dated August 26, 1948, said: "I am certain that
with the high license and bond, careful state regula­
tions regarding the sale of liquor, and a good enforce
ment operation, sale of liquor by-the-drink can be a
decided factor in a temperate regulation of the use of
alcholic beverages."
EVEN ITS FRIENDS WILL A D M IT THE
K N O X LAW IS FAR FROM PERFECT!
C. C. Chapman, of The Oregon Voter, has been criti­
cal of this measure for reasons of his own, hut in the
issue of August 7, 1948, he has this to say: "Oregon’s
Knox Law seemed the best way to compromise be­
tween prohibition and the saloon, it has worked out
fairly well. Under it there have been no centers for
drinking of hard liquor except the home, the licensed
club or the licensed establishment to which the pur­
chaser could take bis own hottie a/id have service of
his own liquor. Conditions have not been satisfactory
to anyone, but they have approached a moderate
acceptability.”
In a recent published statement, Mrs. Ruth E.
Tooze, state president of the W.C.T.U., typical of the
organizations working against the liquor-by-the-
glass measure, said: "Let me emphasize again that the
Oregon Women’s Christian Temperance Union is
now, as in the past, opposed to all liquor sales,
whether they are sales by-the-glass, or sales by-the
bottle through the state liquor control system operat
ing under the Knox law or any other law.”
or delay in collections of amounts
due. I fu rth e r believe that the ac­
counting office should set up an
accounts receivable ledger." N ow
lets take a look at w hat the a u d i­
tors o ffic ia l report re a lly said.
Quote, "Some o f the projects
have been completed fo r several
months.
I believe th a t effo rts
should be made at once to get
these records up to date and in to
some fo rm of perm anent assess­
m ent ledger so th a t the c ity w ill
not s u ffe r unnecessary loss or de­
la y in collections o f amounts
due.
There is no reference to
the Recorder in the o ffic ia l re ­
port, as the a u d ito r knows th a t
the fa u lt lies e n tire ly w ith those
$42,500 00
CITY OF ASHLAND, OREGON
Budget Comparisons
J u ly 1, 1947 to June 30, 1948
A ppropriated
E xpended
fo r
General;
A d m i n is tr a t iv e
P olice
Eire
fo r
O p et a t Iona
Operation
I 10,68 9.00
22,003.00
2O.S27.0o
«,300.00
310.40
450.0(1
1,500.00
1,000.01)
a n d L ig h t i n g
H e a lth a n d S a n i ta t io n
H o a p lta l I le p a i I m e n t
M ia c e lla n e o tia
E m e rg en c y
L ib ra ry :
O p e r a tio n , M a in te n a n c e
0,»10.00
C e m e te ry :
* tperatlon M a in te n a n c e
7,702.00
U t i li t ie s :
< > p e n id (,n Mu In b nan<
224.550.00
» iriK lng: 1»
I n t e r e s t 2,200.00
H and:
O p e r a tio n , M aintenance
1 ,6 8 6 .0 0
S t a te iln „ T a x I..,,,,)
O p e r a tio n , M a in te n a n c e 21,315.no
$ 14,174.01
16,006.13
23.350 70
37,463.21
282.40
3,3OO.00( 11
4,30».74
250.00* t
1,914.81
8,283.12
3,
0,744.81
2 5 0 .0 0 (3 )
,,
Liquor Dispensing Licensing Act
Vote for WALTER J.
PEARSON
STATE TREASURER
Pd. Adv. Knox Law Improvement Committee, 609 Dekum Building. Dean L,
Ireland, Chairman. Oregon State Federation 0 / Labor, J. T. Marr, Executive
Secretirv-Treaturer, 506 l^abor Temple, Portland, Oregon.
A Practical Business Man
A P r o g rm lv i Ltgltlator
SUMAS*-, Seen«« terTreetvrerCent-.W.H. H«0l*n0, »•< T rto i.
3 .Me
“ 79
8,162.74
U nexpended
P a la n e e
»
3,485.91*
2,102.13*
2.532.70*
31,163 21*
07.80
6 4 » .74*
844.84*
2,263.12*
104.16
210.74*
351 .315 0 1 (2 )1 2 « .765.HI*
400.Oo
1,860.00
1,666.35
26,413.50
.65
4,008.50*
,
, »354.31 i . 00 » 3,300.00 »510,041.10 »173,333.10*
i "
h B u t le r I.a la l e fm- X - ita y m n c h ln e .
I n c u d e s 148,000.00 d o n a tio n to o t h e r film in ,
. ' L 'J U T i '' tr o m M la c e lla n e o u a G e n e r a l to C e m e te r y O p e r a tio n .
* in d ic a t e s o v e b d b a w m
DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE PROHIBITION PROPAGANDA
VOTE 314 X YES
B y
com parison you w ill note th a t
this is a p p ro xim a te ly the over­
d ra ft o f the G eneral Fund plus
the $34,000.00 borrow ed
from
u tilitie s .” N ow ju s t w h y did tin-
published re p o rt o m it page 45?
D u rin g m y 16 years as C ity
Recorder, the c ity ’s books have
been audited each year by
a
c e rtifie d p u b lic
accountant and
no c ritic is m has been made of m y
w o rk in any of these audits of
any n a ture w o rth y o f comment.
B elow is page 45 o f the o ffic ia l
re p o rt refered to. S tu d y i t care­
fu lly and then vote.
JA M E S Q. A D A M S , ....
C ity Recorder o f A shltind
O ctober 27, 1948