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THE ALLIANCE AGAIN
WATER-TAP WOWSERS -
And Their Mysterious finance
A balance-sheet of the W.A. Alliance
floated into "The Sunday Times" office
during the week. The document is one
of the most remarkable that has ever
come into our hands, and displays a
masteriy inactivity in presenting infor-
mation in a lucid and unequivocal way.
For instance, in the statement of re-~
?ceipts and .expenditure the bank over-
draft of £393 5s. led. is placed under
the head of receipts, but it is a liability
and should be dealt with in the state-
ment of assets and liabilities. The
overdraft existed, at the beginning of
the society's financial year, although
the amount was then.£320 3a 2d., so
that it has been increased by £73 2s.
8d. Now that amount was a receipt,
and ought to have been set out under,
that heading, but to do so would blazon
the fact that the assets are dwindling.
Again, the'business of that appalling
gutter rag, the "Deformer," is mud-
dled up with the affairs of the Alli-
ance, purposely we presume, but it
helps to confuse the facts. Let us
straighten things out for Mather and
Co. The Alliance receipts were
Rents. £174 9s.; subscriptions, £14 8s.;
donations (the 10,000 shilling fund?),
£45 3s. 10d.; total, £234 Os. lOd. On
the expenditure side we have-Secre-
tary's salary, £176; Gas Co., £14.12s.
lOd.; telephone, £5 12s. 2d.; caretaker,
£7 ISs. 9d.; illuminated address, £5
5s.; railway fares, £7 15s. 2d.; inter-
est on overdraft, £20 6s.; and small
miscellaneous items bring the .total up
to £287 17s. 6d., leaving a deficit of
£53 16s. 8d.
The receipts from the "Deformer"
were £87 2s. Gd., and it cost £107 5s.
to get it printed, thus showing a de-
ficiency of £20 28. 6d., or a combined
shortage of £ 73 9s. 2d., which just ac-
counts for the inflation of the over-
draft. It will surprise the. public to
know that this flatulent gang, who have
a . fine property as a- basis for their
operations, have an overdraft of £393
5s. lOd. At the previous annual figur-
ing it was £ 320 3s. 2d., so that it has
jumped another £73 2s. 8d. But .that
is not all. Twelve months ago they
arranged to float a loan for £400, but
there is no mention of that on the
alleged balance-sheet. It cannot be
represented in the overdraft, for that
existed in March, 1911, and it is grow-
ing, as we have shown. Therefore,
'.- was the loan obtained, and, if so,
what has become of it?
It ls certain that the whole statement
is inadequate' and unsatisfactory, and
?how the auditors passed the abortion
is beyond comprehension. Why did
they not insist upon the "Deformer"
accounts being presented separately ?
Why did they not ask how it is that the
revenue from rents is only £174 9s.
per annum now" when the amount, re-
ceived eight years ago was over £300?
We have not received a copy of Ma-
ther's annual report, but it. may ex-
plain these things, and it may. ex-
plain what is being done with the
money. We should like, to know if
the auditors checked all the vouchers,
given and received,. whether rent
books were examined, and, in fact, if
the auditors .are qualified men. or not,
and, if. so, why they did not insist
upon the statutory form of statements.
And that leads.to another query: Why
did the Alliance withdraw its regis-
tration with the Registrar of Friendly
Societies? Formerly the affairs of the
concern were subject to Government
auditorial supervision, but this was
removed some years ago, Sodawater
Simpson being a strong supporter of
this de-registration.
Now, apart from the general unsa-
tisfactory nature of the financial dis-
closures, some of the items in the
statement are funny. One is "legal
expenses, £2 6s. 6d." Whaffor? as the
Chow would say. Perhaps it was spent
on obtaining opinion as to whether it
would be good enough to go for libel
against 'The Sunday' Times." If so,
it shows that the legal gent depreca-
ted any such foolishness. Then 5s.
id. was spent on a water tap, which
seems to be the only practical expen-
diture during the year.. Water taps
are just the thing for Mather and Tre-
gear, and instead of buying one they
should go in for a wholesale supply.
Water taps for watery spouters are
exceedingly appropriate, and might be
adopted as symbolic insignia of the
gang's insipid drivel. "Cheques re-
turned, £7 9s. 6d." We can't make
that out. Whose cheques were they,
and who returned them? Again, "Rail-
way fares, £7 16s-. 2d." What is this?
Also that - illuminated address-who
got that, Tregear or Mather? Come,
nc^,. you^water-tap crowd, explain it;
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