The Portland daily press., 1879-06-24
Amount saved

Deficiency in binding and stitching, $500 57,o3e
Expenses OF State in 1879. 81, ,172,24G
Expenses IN 1879. ISL ,451 ,153
Expenses for 1879, .......... 1,172,246
Amount saved, S27S9O7
In order to get at the expenses of the State
Tor 1873, the Tribune, instead of going directly
to the Treasurer's Report for the figures, adds
to the amount of appropriations for that year
temporary loan and an alleged deficiency.
1t would seem that any one presuming to in
struct the public should know that an appro-
priation bill is an act of the Legislature au-
thorizing the Treasurer to pay out certain
sums of money, either already fixed by law or
estimated, and is not and cannot be an exact
statement of that Treasurers expenditures,
and that the temporary loan in this case as in
most others was sum borrowed in anticipa-
ton OF income for payments authorized by the
appropriation bill
Therefore to add the temporary loan to
amount of the appropriation bill in order to get
the expenditures is like as if a man buying
horse for hundred dollars and borrowing the
money and paying for him, should insist that
the animal cost two hundred dollars. l pre-
sumo no one will deny that the State Treasurer's
report for 1873 gives true account of the ex-
penditures of the State for that year. His ac-
counts were thoroughly examined item by
item, by committee of the Legislature, and
found to be absolutely correct, with vouchers
for the payment of every mill charged.
On page of that report there is given the
amount of cash on hand of those expenditures,
including the amount.
That amount is. ................ ISL ,430 632.9
Deducting the amt of cash on hand,.. 157, ,256.2O
and we have. -. ,273, ,37671
as the exact amount of expenditures by the
State Treasurer for the year.
The amount of appropriation for the year
1879 is 81 ,329 5S53S, which includes the amount
necessary to pay the temporary loan. De-
Quoting this amount $15O,0O0 and we have, as
the amount of appropriations for expenses of
1872 the sum of ST. 49, 5S5. .3S which is S93, 1913
less than the actual expenditures of 1878, in
stead of the enormous sum of $27S,907 as
stated by the Tribune and Argus. A COM
parison of the appropriation bills of 1879 with
the Treasurer's Report for 1878 shows this re-
duction to be made up as follows:
Reductions in appropriations for 1879 below
expenditures of 1878:
Public debt and interest t..,...............21,5o ,5o9.
and Payrolls ............................. 1909
Furniture and repairs Fuel and Lights, and
Night-wateh, State House,. ............ 1880
School funds and all School purposes. 20,997
Agricultural College, 6,50O
Insane Hospital, State Prison and Reform
ochool .......'.................. 9,3O3
Children's Homes and Orphan Asylums $3.50
Printing, Binding and Stitching, Advertising,
Stationary, Postage, and Transportation
Documents. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 665
railroad tax due towns. 6,797
flsh Commissioner and propagation Fish,. 3,764
Indlans'...'' 1,41S
statue OF Gov. King ........................ 1000
Io"iis ana ROADS. Observation-Disclosures. 16G
Bridge at Caribou. Observation-Disclosures. 1000
miscellaneous. 1,72S
s1O2, 2,555
Appropriations for 1879 greater than expen-
ditures of 1878:
Paupers in unincorporated places. ......... S2142
Military purposes and Pensions ............ 1887
Bounty ON Beet Sugar ar...................... 1926
ss,764
Amount reductions .S1O2555
Amt appros 1879 greater than exp's 1878 s,764
Net reduction ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. s93,791
1t will be seen on examination that of these
reductions the sum of S21 800 is on account Of
Public Debt and interest. No appropriation
was necessary for this, because it does not be-
came due. Over $4,000 is on account Of
School funds. No appropriations could be made
for this, because the funds to that amount were
not and could not be in the treasury, partly
because they had already been paid out and
DeCauSn IF ;es
reduced in consequence of the lesser amount
received from the Savings Banks.
A reduction of $1,000 was made by cutting
Off the Agricultural College without dollar
The State institutions and charities were
crowded down to the narrowest limits of bare
subsistence and a reduction of $4,000 made
there. AS the taxes collected from the railroads
were reduced, it was not necessary to appro-
pirate 797 for refunding that amount to the
towns wherein the railroad stock is owned.
This, L think, can hardly be called a reduction
OF expenses, since the State failed to receive
the amount from the railroads, and the towns,
consequently, will not get it from the State.
The enterprise of restocking the lakes and
streams with fish was given up, and S3,764
saved. The Indians were docked S141S. 1t is
not necessary to erect statue to Governor
King or build bridge at Caribou, so no ap-
preparation of $4,000 was needed for those two
purposes. Nearly $4,000 was saved on sala-
ries, $500 on printing binding and stitching,
advertising &C., and $3.50 by cutting down
the pay of night watchmen, fuel &c. at the
State House.
think have said enough to show that of
the S93,791 Saved" over three-ffths were no
savings at all, but were reductions from causes
entirely independent of any control by the
last legislature, viz:
Public debt and interest t..................s21 ZOO
ochooi Iuh'is, &c, ................ 21 600
W. W. '"AeS' '''.'''..''-'''..,... ...... $500
Statue of Gov. King. E. .... 1000
Driuse at caribou ......,..,............... 1000
s57, 800
OF the remaining S36,5O0 some reductions
are doubtless judicious, and all parties rejoice
at them, while others are in my opinion Of
very questionable economy.