The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1911-01-06
Executive Outlines His Department Ideas in His
Message to the Legislature; He Sees
a Saving to the People
Suggests That Oil and Boiler Inspection Bureaus
Be Abolished; Discusses Many I'm
portant Legislative Subjects

Gentlemen of the Senate and House Of
Representatives:
In accordance with time honored
precedent and the express mandate of
our state constitution ! have the hon
or TO communicate TO you such infor- 4!
nation and recommendations as
seem most expedient With reference to
the condition Of the state and the ad
ministraticn of its affairs.
IN this message | shall in some
measure depart from established Gus
tom and in addition to recommends
tons covering the needs and require !
ments OF the various departments as
shown III their several reports, | shall
present TO you the general condition
of our great commonwealth and recon-
mend such change of administrative
policy as, after the most careful study
and investigation, firmly believe to
be necessary, III order that, on the
one hand, we may stop all sources OF
waste and loss and, on the other, so
improve, conserve and develop our
the greatest blessings of permanent
progress ard prosperity to this as well
as future generations.
IMPORTANCE OF EFFi-
GENT ADMINISTRATION.
No state in the Union emphasizes
the importance of efficient administra-
ton in greater degree than Mime
! sofa. When the constitution was
adopted more than fifty years ago no
enc could have anticipated the phe-
nomenal growth of the state and the
tremendous resources contained with
in its domain. In order to keep pace
with the rapid development various
/ changes have been made from time TO
! time aud the administration Of state
! affairs has been the subject of vast
/ amount OF ineffective and unsys-
/ tematic legislation. There has been
a tendency to create a large number
! of boards or commissions through
which the business of the state is
largely transacted. The purpose Of
! the legislature in creating these
boards or commissions has been to
keep pace with the rapid development
of the state without apparently in
creasing the cost of administration
| in many instances the result has been
! the further complication OF the admin
| i5trative machinery without adding to
/ its efficiency. AS an instance 1t might
! be cited that there are today not less
! than seven educational boards, aggre-
eating foriy-nine members, scattered
| all over the state of Minnesota and
any question involving all the educa-
tional interests Of the state would ne
! cessitate the converting of these sew
! eral boards, which is not only difficult
! and expensive but impracticable
| PRESENT SYSTEM OF
STATE UNWEILDY.
The governor is the chief admins
! trative officer Of the state and is right
| ly held responsible by the people for
! the enforcement of the laws and the
! efficient administration of the business
/ affairs of The state. Under our pres
I
stitUted an active member of not less
/ than sixteen boards, some of which
! administer business affairs during the
year running into the millions. ANY
one can readily see that it is absolute
/ ly a physical impossibility for the gov
ernor to be advised with reference to
the details of such enormous business
ell
gently and for the best interests Of
the people of the state AS prominent
examples | would mention the drain
age and timber boards. The state of
Minnesota spends large sums of mon
ey every year for drainage, and / have
every reason to believe that the eX-
penditure OF this money by the drain
age board of this state has brought
the best results, but as member of
the board ] cannot of my own knowl-
edge assure the people of the state
that the best results have in all cases
been obtained.
In the second place under the pres
ent system of c9gans-ooIon, with a
large number of nominal and per-
functory boards in charge of the af
fairs of state, there is no way of Sc
curing such cooperation as is essen
tial in efficient business administra-
ton The boards are uniformly too
large. The members reside in every
portion of the state, and even if they
could be assembled at any one time
and place it would be extremely diff
ficult to agree ON any single PROPOSE
tion and to secure uniform support in
the execution thereof.
RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD
BE PLACED DIRECT.
! According TO the report OF the state
auditor the state collects and dis
burses over s2,O00,000 annually. If a
private business institution transacted
its business by similar methods 1t
could not long exist in the present
field of active competition. Our state