Report of League Treasurer Given at the Parents’ and Teachers’ Dinner
SHOULD any girl of Northrop wish to prepare herself for a position that has to do with the handling of money, I should advise her to begin campaigning by lobbying for the office of Treasurer of the Northrop League. However, the reputation of the detailed work of this office is such that there are few who are ever over-anxious to receive it. This was my feeling at first, but now when I realize how much I already know about making out checks, keeping accounts, and the intricacies of banking, I feel it is all worth while. By Commencement I shouldn’t be surprised if I could fill the important position of messenger in a bank.
The first thing that comes up at the beginning of each year is the collection of the annual League dues, which are two dollars and fifty cents. A total amount of about three hundred dollars was handed in this year. This is put under the “operating fund,” and takes care of all the League expenditures, except those of the Welfare Committee.
There are four departments of student activities drawing from these League dues, athletic, entertainment, and printing and stationery. Also, this year the League voted to back the Tatler board up with one hundred dollars. At the first council meeting of the year a budget is made out for the different committees of the League. This budget is based on the expenditures of that committee for the preceding year. Until nineteen twenty-five, the Welfare work was taken care of by collections running through the year as the various needs arose. This year a new system was adopted, which took care of everything at one time. We foresaw a need of money for the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Community Funds, for the Near East Relief, and the French Orphans; therefore slips were given to each girl with these different needs listed. She was expected to put an amount after each, which amount she pledged to pay in cash or in deferred payments. So far eight hundred and twelve dollars of the nine hundred and two dollars and thirteen cents pledged has been handed in. This plan is much more systematic, and saves the trouble of conducting so many drives.
All money transactions of classes and committees whether receipts or expenditures go through the hands of the League treasurer. A system of books is maintained. Each class and committee keeps its own accounts. Then the League treasurer has a large cash book in which she also keeps all the receipts and disbursements of the classes and committees. At the end of each month the balances are put in a simplified ledger. It is from this that the monthly and annual reports are made. When a bill is received, it is paid only by the League treasurer after it has been OK’d by the chairman of the committee responsible for it. When money is handed in, a receipt is given to the bearer. At the end of each month the books are balanced and checked with the bank statement. Also the check book is verified with the bank balance.
Although the League treasurer is custodian of the class funds, each class has a treasurer who keeps her own accounts. The classes have their own dues to pay for all their expenditures. At the end of each month, after the class treasurer has balanced her book, it is checked over with the accounts of the League treasurer for that class to see if they agree.
A checking account is kept at the Northwestern National Bank and the savings’ account at the Farmers and Mechanics Bank. We have had almost three hundred dollars in the savings account, but two hundred dollars, which is last year’s League gift to the school, has just been withdrawn and added to the Chapel Fund.
The duties of a treasurer are not over until she has passed to her successor what she has learned during her treasurership and has changed the accounts to the new girl’s name. After this has been done, the retiring treasurer is released and must seek new fields in which to carry on. In case a former Northrop League treasurer ever applies to any of you for a position, just remember the “big” business in which she began her training.