Accounting Instructors meeting; [News items];

              16 HASKINS & SELLS February
Accounting Instructors Meeting
THE eighth annual meeting of the Amer­ican
Association of University In­structors
in Accounting held in Columbus,
Ohio, December 28 and 29, 1923, was by
far the best meeting the association has
ever held. The papers submitted covered
a wide range of accounting subjects, among
which the following may be mentioned as
of particular interest:
The Principals of Valuation as Related
to the Functions of the Balance Sheet; The
Content of the Balance Sheet Audit; Books
of Account in Evidence; The Need for
Better Accounting Procedure in County
Offices; Some Aspects of Reserve Account­ing;
Valuation for Profits Determination;
and, Accounting for No-Par-Value Capital
Stock.
The titles of these papers should suggest
the possibilities for research work.
The influence and responsibility of this
body of men may not be over-estimated.
The association was organized at Colum­bus,
Ohio, in December, 1916, with six
charter members. The membership now
numbers four hundred and twenty-five.
Every university in the country is repre­sented.
Schools and colleges giving in­struction
in accounting which do not boast
of members are rare. The accounting in­struction
of the youth of the country is
largely in the hands of the members of this
association. Here is a medium through
which the profession may co-operate in
bringing the practical side to bear on the
education of the men who in the future
will carry on.
Recalling no doubt the reputation which
the organizers of this firm made for them­selves
in connection with accounting mat­ters
of the federal government in Washing­ton
several years ago, a recent editorial in
E. W. Howe's Monthly recommends us for
an engagement of rather large proportions.
Here is the plan: "In every community
let a committee be appointed to raise a
Fund: all are well trained in that. Then
let a proper person take the money to New
York, call on one of the great promoters,
and say to him: "I have here twenty mil­lion
dollars (or possibly a greater sum). I
wish to employ you to expend it in the in­terest
of the people who gave it: largely
taxpayers who have no representation in
public affairs. We wish you to employ
Elihu Root as attorney, and Haskins &
Sells, the public accountants, to check up
your expenditures. Make your head­quarters
in Washington, and employ such
assistance as you require, being sure that
you employ only capable men. Go fully
into governmental affairs, and make no
unreasonable demands or charge. We only
ask that unnecessary waste be cut off: we
do not object to any proper public expen­diture,
and realize that under present cir­cumstances,
taxation must be heavy. Every
week issue a bulletin detailing your activi­ties,
with the O. K. of Elihu Root and
Haskins & Sells. Buy space in the news­papers,
and make no claims or charges not
fully warranted: those employing you want
nothing that is not fair and reasonable, and
honestly coming to them. In short, we
employ you to bring about reform, for which
the people have been fighting, without suc­cess,
for many years.' "
Needless to say we appreciate the high
compliment which Mr. Howe has paid us.
PRESS OF WILLIAM GREEN, NEW YORK