Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-01-18

| auditor OF state. To this Is to be added S3. .00(
| to be received from miscellaneous sources, Tc
meet the interest on the irreducable debt. which
| may more properly be called trust fund, the
sinking fund commission asked for $500
! actual interest charge The interest on the
funded debt will amount to 1857 The office
and bond expenses OF the sinking. fund will
| be 81 200, and, II this general assembly directs
that the interest shall be pNiG upon the debt OF
the board OF agriculture, ae was done by the
last general assembly, there will be another
ties of the sinking fund when added to the $3.50,
| 900 OF the funded debt falling due July l. Is
| S6l2, ,6S7.S3. On the 10Th day OF November, 1895
| the sinking fund had q balance OF se65, ,i76 "a,
making the total available resources 1887 9gS 97.
The aggregate OF the levy for sinking fund
| purposes for the year 1895 and whatever bal
ance there may be will not be sufficient 10
| meet tho obligations, and 1t Is therefore In
cumbent to refund the S250OO0 OF the funded
debt falling due July ist 1896 to July 1st, 1901
one year subsequent to the final maturity date
proposed for those bonds. II this S250QO OF
the funded debt Is thus carried forward and
that amount applied to the payment OF tho
temporary loan and the balance of the tempor-
ary loan refunded to July list, 1897, and at the
same time the $3.50 900 of the funded debt fall
ing due July lst 1897, refunded to July lst,
1902, the entire payment OF the temporary loan
would be provided for, and, in case OF emer-
gency, we would be able to borrow temporarily
to the full constitutional limit OF S7j0OO0 and II
would seem best TO make this disposition Of
he debt.
The total funded debt now amounts to 81, ,7el,-
665, sum comparatively insignificant when
compared to the Importance of the state, our pro-
gressivenesS and our values. This debt is be-
ing discharged at the rate OF S25O, 900 annually
and there is every reason to hope that the
closing year OF the century will show Ohio
practically without any interest bearing obli
cations. There is satisfaction in such pros
pect that should be a matter OF pride for all
The subject OF state and county taxation is
now being discussed by nearly all classes. Our
commercial bodies, boards of trade, financiers
and citizens generally. are devotng attention
to it in the hope that such amendment Of the
v f11nv m pGnr IA yyi1 1ilyht
the burden and protect the interests of the
people. Various plans have been proposed to
remedy the conditions and to oil such as come
before your honorable body l trust that you
will give consideration and close study. One
OF the propositions which will doubtless be ad
vanced is that OF local option or home rule In
taxation, which contemplates that counties
shall provide their own system OF taxation for
the necessary revenues of the county. This
taxation and commend 1t to you for special
consideration.
In treating the subject of taxation. the pur-
pose should be to effect result which will pro-
vide that the burdens shall bear as equitably
as possible upon all the people, Double taxa
tion should be avoided, and all laws that tend
to drive business energy and capital from Ohio
to enrich other states Mt our expense should be
repealed; our system of taxation should. while
producing sufficient revenue, so distribute and
tighten the burden as to retain and attract
capital to be employed by our own people. Ohio
should have as good a tax system as any state.
/ again commend to you the necessity of giving
the tax problem your most earnest conSidera-
ton.
l have spoken of economy in public expendi-
lures. Among the ways this can be secured is
by the creation of purchasing board, the duty
OF which should be to purchase all supplies for
all the state institutions. There might be
board appointed by the governor, by and
with the consent OF the senate, to consist of
three members and q secretary, to meet not
oftener than once month and at their meet
ings pass upon the requisitions for supplies
from the state institutions and enter into con-
tracts with those who may choose to submit
bids based upon and in accordance with adver-
tiSements inviting proposals for such supplies
as may be needed. The duty of the secretary
could be to keep all the books, accounts and
records, audit all bills and sign all vouchers,
which later would be submitted for the appro-
val OF the president OF the board The Secre-
tary would probably need assistants and the
board would have to authorize their employ
ment,
This plan of purchasing supplies on the basis
of advertisements inviting proposals orcertain
material, goods and provisions is used by the
Federal government with conspicuous success
in every way. purchasing board for the state
OF Ohio would concentrate responsibility and,
by making purchases in large quantities. would
secure the lowest prices. Its business opera
tions could be made as plain and easily under
stood as those OF any business concern The
dinerent institutions could be supplied on the
requisitions OF their respective stewards and
every detail OF the public business could be
made to show for itself.
Under the present system the various insti-
tutionS of the state are active competitors in
making their purchases, while under the sys-
tenn proposed, those who desire to supply the
state would become competitors in making
their bids and sales.
BY this change of the business methods OF the
public institutions and by adopting some such
plan as l have suggested, there is no question
but that large sums of money could be saved
the state. The magnitude of these purchases
in the aggregate can be inferred when the pop
ulation of our public institutions is recalled.
On November 10. 1895, there were in the benev-
olent institutions Of the state 6,l97 insane men
and women, 502 epileptics, 81 inmates of the
working home for the blind and LOIS at the
Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Home; grand
total In the benevolent institutions OF 7,s0s. In
the educational institutions, which include
those for feeble-minded youths the deaf and
dumb, the blind, and sor the soldiers and sail
ors' orphans there were 2,4s3 benefciaries OF
state kindness and aid. In the penal and re-
formatory institutions there was total of
3ll0. The grand total of all the state charges
on the date mentioned was l3, ,40l. Add to that
there are IL, ,2i0 persons to provide for In vari-
GUS ways Such a number constitutes q popu-
lation equal to that OF many of the smaller
municipalities OF the state.
When we stop to consider what vast amount
OF food and clothing Of material which pro-
duces bodily comfort and health and of the
numberleSS things which are needed In such
institutions, 1t can be seen what vast amount
OF supplies is required, and 1t can be easily
large sums of money could be saved for all
know that money can be saved by purchasing
goods in large quantities
1t should be the part OF all state officers to
penditures. One way of saving the state a
considerable amount OF money is that OF con-
denSing the department reports, thus relieving
the state Of q good portion OF its annual charge
for public printing The voluminous state re-
ports could we'll be supplanted by concise docu-
mentS which contain only material information
and records. The detail of the large business
of the state departments Is usually of little in
terest to either oticials or people and could
well be eliminated
The report of the board of managers and the
warden OF the Ohio penitentiary, showing that
there has been net loss OF S55 46l..2 to the
state during the fiscal year of 1895 on account
OF this great penal institution, may well suggest
that something has to be done to correct the
conditions, unless the tax payers are willing to
accept yearly reports showing largely increased
eXcesses of expenditures over receipts. Dur
ing the year ending October 81 1895, the per
capita cost was reduced to the very low figure
OF Sl36. 80, which was decrease OF Sl0per capita
from that of 1893, when the earnings were
much greater and the institution showed O
handsome profit to the state. The lamentable
result OF the year 1895 Is attributed to general
business depression, to the effect OF the law
which provided for the branding of all prison
made goods, and to the Llewellyan law, which
restricts the number OF laborers in making
one kind of goods in all penal and reformatory
institutions OF the state to 10 per cent. OF the
free labor in making the same goods within
the State. The first Of these laws 10 mt omar