6i 4 PARKS 



be kept under lock and key and issued in just as efficient a manner as supplies 

 and tools are issued from a storehouse. It will be found economical to pur- 

 chase most printed forms, pencils, paper and other merchandise in fairly 

 large quantities in order to get as low a price as possible. This necessitates 

 keeping a considerable stock on hand, and it should not be assumed that 

 this stock can be just piled up somewhere. Suitable shelves, preferably of 

 steel construction, should be provided and labeled as to their contents, and 

 the stock arranged neatly and in a logical order on them. The responsibility 

 of keeping the stock in good shape should rest upon the shoulders of only 

 one person, whose duty it should also be to keep record of all issues from 

 stock. 



In order to reduce the number of trips to the stock room and conse- 

 quently the time taken in making those trips, it might be advisable to have 

 one person delegated to inquire from the office employees each morning 

 exactly what they will need from stock for that day's business. The stock 

 can then be procured and delivered to the employees. 



The stock room clerk can keep a perpetual inventory record of all 

 printed forms and stock on hand with suitable memoranda indicating the 

 time for reordering of the various stock. Besides reducing the quantities 

 used to a minimum, the operation of such a stock room will also ensure 

 having supplies and printed forms on hand when they are needed. 



The balance sheet in park department accounting. The balance sheet, 

 listing on one side the assets of the department and on the other side the 

 liabilities, finds very little practical use in the operation and management 

 of a park department. The office manager will obtain some little information 

 from the experience gained in making one up occasionally, but practically 

 it is seldom if ever used. 



On the assets side will be listed, among other things, the value of land 

 and improvements, and the net value of these items will be found on the 

 other side of the ledger under liabilities, listed as surplus or capital invest- 

 ment. The difficulty in obtaining an intelligent figure on the value of park 

 land and improvements has already been discussed. No matter what figures 

 are used, it is simply an opinion and consequently the net worth of the 

 park system will also be an opinion only. 



Moreover, a park department is in a different position from a mer- 

 cantile or industrial establishment and does not find the use for such a state- 

 ment that business concerns do. As has been said, it is well to know the 

 make-up of the balance sheet as far as the office manager is concerned, but 

 its practical use is very small indeed. 



Receipts and disbursements revenue and expense. Confusion fre- 

 quently exists in making up statements of receipts and disbursements and 



