The sun., 1906-02-19
PRUNING KNIFE IN ALBANY.
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
CUTS DOWN APPROPRIATIONS.

No Lump Sums to State Omcers-They
Must Submit Itemized vouchers
for All Expenses Incurr ed Some
Useless Omces Practically Abolished.
ALBANY, Feb. ls.-There have been crit
icisms that this is do-nothing Legislature
but those who make such criticisms are
not familiar with legislative procedure.
The Legislature may be said to have about
passed through the formulative stages OF
legislation and Gov. Higgins and his party
advisers In and out Of the Legislature have
the situation we'll in hand. The first evi-
dence Of this will be the reporting OF the
annual appropriation bill in the Assembly
next week by Sherman Moreland, the chair
man Of the Assembly Ways and Means
Committee. This bill will be submitted to
the Assembly tomorrow night or Tues
day.
Chairman Moreland and the other mem.
bers of the Ways and Means Committee
have taken radical departure in the prep.
aration this year OF the annual appropria-
ton bill. Heretofore no attention has been
paid to the constitutional provision that
the bill shall merely provide money to
sions of the laws 1t has been the custom
in this bill to increase salaries by thousands
of collars each year, to give lump sums to
State officials annually in place of compell-
ing them to submit itemized vouchers OF
expenses and generally to make appropria.
tions absolutely prohibited by the Consti.
tuition. Suoh questionable appropriations
have been elimi mated from the bill this
year. In every case where there is not a
special provision of law permitting lump
sum for the expenses of State officials su IN
item has been stricken out, and these Off
cials hereafter will have to submit vouch-
ers for all expenses incurred when they
are away from Albany on State business.
The State Treasurer and the Secretary
of State, for instance, have been presented
each year with 81, 600 apiece in lieu of ex-
penses, and their first deputies have been
presented with $500 each year for the same
purposes. These have been cut out. Each
Of the State Tax Commissioners gets
sa lary Of 5000 year and the annual aP-
preparation bill has always contained an item
giving each Commissioner s., 500 year N
lieu of expenses. They never spent third
of it but they drew the money just the same.
This year each Tax Commissioner will be
allowed $3.50 only for expenses. to be paid
only upon itemized vouchers. This depart
ure will effect the expenditure of $l7S, 600
year for the expenses Of State officials
The appropriation bill this year carries
appropriations aggrega ting $40 200 900. Com
pared with last year $500 900 in items we're
cut out, but the net saving will be about
$500 600 owing to additional appropriations
needed for new State commissions, such as
the Lighting Commission, the Water Com
,lNAr N<ytr ~
Appeals Judges, Supreme Court Justices
and other new methods Of expenditure.
The Sta te inspector of gas meters, JAS trow
r. Alexander Of New York city, has been
spending sls,5 800 of the States money each
year: The appropriation on practically
appropriation, with view to providing
that this gas meter inspection work shall be
undertaken by the State Lighting Com
mission. The bill also fails to make an ap-
preparation Of 10000 for the annual ex,
penses Of the State board of barge canal
land appraisers. there being three members
who get salary Of S. 900 year and secre-
tary who gets a salary of $1,000 year.
This board is to be abolished,
The Superintendent Of Banks has been
first deputy s., 900 year. while the Superin-
tendent OF Insurance has been allowed
81, $50 year and his first deputy. Robert
H. Hunter, located in New York city, has
been drawing the lump sum OF $500 year
for expenses. These and other State off icials
hereafter will be paid such sums only as
they present itemized vouchers for.
The Court Of Appeals Judges have been
allowed S25 900 a year for expenses, which.
in the case Of the late Chief Judge Robert
Earl was declared by the Court of Appeals
to be extra compensation. While the mem
bers OF the Ways and Means Committee
believe that such an appropriation is abso-
lutely unconstitutional, nevertheless It
leaves the appropriation in the BILL with
the proviso that the Judges cannot draw
the money without submitting itemized
expense vouchers. Then each Supreme
Court Judge up State draws 81 200 year
propriation ia made for this expense, the
Legislatures attention will be called to II
with the idea that hereafter there will be
no beating about the bush on this question
and that If the Supreme Court Justices are
to get this money hereafter a law should be
passed increasing their salary to that
extent.
The appropriation for running the State
Capitol buildin is cut from sos, 900 to SIS .00n.
The State printing appropriation has been
cut $50 600, and it is the intention TO pass
and the number of annual reports Of State
departments printed each year to that
extent.
Another important question considered
bv the Ways and Means Committee is that
of fixing salaries according to grade. Now
State EMPLOYEES are graded according to
salaries rather than according 10 the class
of work they do. Chairman Moreland be-
lieves that this is all wrong and that the
quality of work alone should determine
the grade of State emnlovees. the salaries
~ tha Aa rofh hov tha 40