The true northerner., 1909-01-08
expenses of the state government are

paid
''ln justice To- the last legislature ana
especially upon the finance committee.
upon whom Involved the duty CT pre-
pairing the general budget. | deem It
proper that an exact statement OF the
situation be made.
Investigation that have made
shows that fer thirteen years rre
ceding 1906 it had been the invariaAe
custom Of TIE auditor general to re-
port, as required by law. TO the SUI er
intendent OF public instruction for ap'
portionmcnt TO the several counties Of
the state practically the entire amount
remaining in the primary school inter.
est fund on Nov. OF each year. The
only sum not apportioned was the ag'
gregate of the odd cents in the per
capita computation. For instance if
the apportionment amounted 10 81 67
per capita, there was apportioned 50 90
per capita. the balance being leit sole
ly for convenience in making the com
mutation. to be included in the next
succeeding semi-annual apportionment
It iNohlA vi NAlAo ~ pNNiNN "NH 'A'N'N
only the small balances remained in
the primary school interest fund on
Dec. 81 of each year for the last thir.
teen years after the November ap
portionment was made.
THE average balance in the primary
school fund after the November appor-
tionment for thirteen years was only
SAP 210351 In sharp contrast with the
above is the following showing for the
two succeeding years 1906, Sl,222,-
4S6,57; 1907, 81 ,667 ,494
Departed from Custom.
Having for these thirteen years
practically exhausted the primary
school interest fund in making the
November apportionment, the auditor
general departed from the long estah-
lished custom in his department in
November, 1906, and in that year and
the year following failed to include in
the total reported to the superintend-
ent of public instruction for apportion-
ment large sums, so that after the ap-
portionment was made in November
1906, there remained in the primary
school interest fund 81 ,222 1861 and
after the apportionment of November
1907, $1,6G7 ,l94.
"When the legislative committees
came to make up the general budget
in 1907, they called for information as
to the balance in the state treasury
at the close Of the year 1906, and were
informed that it was approximately
$4,000 coo
"No member of the committee and
no one connected with either the legis
lature or the executive Office had any
reason TO suspect that more than a
nominal amount of primary school
money, as shown by the average OF
less than SAB 900 for the previous thir-
teen years was included in this bal
ance. They rightly supposed that as
in previous years, the primary school
interest money had been appOrtioned
and distributed to the counties as re-
quired by law The members Of the
committees could properly assume that
they were dealing with a general fund
balance, and they proceeded, as was
entirely business like in view of such
understanding, to take this large bal
ance into account in preparing the gen
eral budget Had they been apprised
of the fact that $l,222 1850, or over
one-half Of the balance, belonged to
the primary school interest furd they
would, without doubt, have added that
amount to the total to be raised by tax
for the general purposes of the state
government In November, 1907, the
auditor general withheld S1,667 ,494
from the November apportionment,
an even greater sum than was with
held the previous year, while in No
vember last practically every dollar in
the primary school interest fund was
apportiOned as it should have been,
under the law in each and every year.
The governor then directs the atten-
tion Of the legislature to compara-
tive statement of amounts necessary to
be raised by tax for the general eX-
penses Of the state government, as &c
timated by the auditor general with
the amounts appropriated for such pur-
poses by the several legislatures dur
ing the past twelve years, and con-
tinues:
During the biennial period ending
December 10, 1908, the total receipts
of the primary school interest fund
were 50 ,927, ,S4772. OF this amount ST.
900 6673 was paid by railroad corpo-
rations and 1891 ,943.51 by insurance
companies The balance Of 1896, ,236 81
was received from other interests
which pay specific tax. During the
same period there was paid from this
fund by the state to the several coun
ties for the support Of the public
schools s9,S91 0762 or 1868. .22S 56
more than the revenue of the fund.
'"rhe aggregate Of state taxes levied
and collected during the same two
years was 81 S5,S1342, and the back
taxes collected amounted to 1871 ,244S6.
institutional Expenses.
"The expenditures Of the state on ac-
count Of our educational, charitable.
penal and reformatory institutions dur
ing the same period amounted to s6,-
793, ,224 SO, being as follows:
University of Michigan. 81 ,096, ,709 .S2