Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-15
SIX MILLIONS SHORT
The State Legislature Is Going
to Have Trouble Making
Both Ends Meet.
A PROBLEM FOR PATTIS0N.
Something Like Eighteen Millions In
Bills for Him TO Pare.
WHERE THE MONEY ALL GOES TO.
4 Curious Story Back of the Effort to Re-
peal the BeQuest Law.
PROBLEM FOR PATTIS0N.
WHERE THE MONEY ALL GOES TO.
ATTENDING THE FUNERAL OF SHERMAN
SPECIAL TELEGRAM TO TIE DrsPArcH.i

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcHi
HARRISBURG, Feb. 1A-Including the
81 GOO, 900 demanded for the improvement Of
highways in this State for the next two
wears bills have been introduced in the
Senate and House for appropriations ag-
gregating nearly SO. 600, 600. This amount
does not include any items that are re-
quired to be incorporated In the general ap-
preparation bill.
The estimated receipts for the next two
wears are placed at S12, GOO, 600. This sum
may be increased ST. 900, 900 if cases
settled against corporations for taxes should
result favorably to the Commonwealth. There
will be required for common. normal and
soldiers orphan schools about 81, 500, 600;
for the National Gaurd (~including amount
required to supply deficiency, S640, o00; for
the maintenance of the INDECENT insane at
the various State hospitals, $500. 900; for the
payment Of iudicial salaries, 81, 100, 600; for
public printing and binding, $500, 600; for
the payment of members and other legisls-
tive expenses, S575, 600, making a total Of
IS. liz, 600. Department and other items
will run the current expenses up to SIC, $780,
600.
The Total of Expendit ares.
Of the amounts embraced il this summing
mp bills have been introduced, includin; the
amounts of $500, GOO, payable to William H.
kemble tor his loan to Governor Beaver;
S174.000 to the Erie Soldiers Home; about
$500. 900 to normal schools; S246, 900 to SOL
diers' orphans schools, AMI $500, 900 for pay
ment of salaries of State institutions. Out
side of these items the requested appropria-
Iions run up to about 81, 400, 900. Adding
these amounts to those absolutely required
and a grand total of SIS, 900. 900 is reached.
1t will be seen that if all appropriations
were passed the expenditures the next two
years would exceed the revenues between
So GOO, 900 and Sc, 000, 900.
The Committee on Appropriations will
doubtless make a material reduction of this
aggregate, and if it should not bring the ap-
preparations within the anticipated receipts,
the Governor, who has some experience in
this business, will see that the revenues and
proposed expenditures are as nearly equal
lied as possible.
Bills for Flood Destruction.
Among the bills which propose relieving
the State of some of its surplus money is the
one providing for the reimbursement of
counties Tor the destruction of bridges by
the great food of 1889. Under the Consti-
tuition counties must build their own bridges,
aud the payment of the cost of them by the
State would, according to the opinion of the
Auditor General, be a clear infraction of the
Constitution. 1t is estimated the proposed
scheme would reduce the amount in the pub
lie exchequer about $500, 600.
A recent decision Of Judge Mcpherson,
of Lebanon County Court, if affirmed by the
SUPREME Court, will blk the State treas
ury considerably, The provision In the
general revenue law, exempting manu-
featuring corporations from the payment of
q capital stock tax saves these companies
about $500, 900 a year, but the decision of
Judge Mcpherson will reduce this amount
materially, as he holds that only corporations
organized exclusively for manufacturing
purposes are entitled to the exemption
allowed in the law. Heretofore they have
been relieved of the capital stock tax with
out regard to other business they might
have prosecuted.
Cost of the States Insane.
Some of the men who are fighting to
abolish the Committee on Lunacy blame it
Tor oyercrowding the insane hospitals of the
State and thus adding largely to the ex-
penses of the Commonwealth. The State
expends annually $500, 600 Tor the main
tenance of INDECENT insane at these hospitals
while the counties paw about $500. 900 a year.
Every patient of this kind costs the State 81
and the county 81 70 a week. The number
reaches nearly 1000, and the tendency is
toward a gradual increase.
1t is maintained that many of these un-
fortunate people could be accommodated at
the county aims houses at an average cost of
81 % a week, il the amount OF work they
could do were taken into consideration.