The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-04

| to the governor.
''Sec. 10. Said commission shall have
full access to all the books, records,
papers and documents of any depart
ment or institution and it shall be the
duty of the head of any department or
| institution or any employee therein, TO
answer all inquiries pertaining TO the
affairs of such department or institu-
| ton when submitted by the commits
| sion or any member thereof.
Sec. IL. For the purpose of carry
ing the provisions of this act into eff
| feet, there is hereby appointed out OF
the following sums: For the fiscal year
1911, for per diem of members of the
commission, $500; for expenses. $500.
For the fiscal year 1912, for per diem
| of the members of the commission
$4,000; for expenses, $1,000. For the
| fiscal year 1913, for per diem of the
| members of the commission, $1,000;
for expenses, $500"
Mr.. Nation Explains.
Il have prepared this bill with the
hope that some member of the legis-
lature may be induced to introduce it
and secure its passage" said Mr.. Ma
ton today in discussing his measure.
I'm my judgment, Improvements and
economies in our system of admins
tering state affairs can be effected that
will save the state at least five hum
dred thousand dollars annually. Many
istration is not on bushes basis but
there has been no well-directed effort
on the part of any one to overhaul it.
Members of the legislature come to
Topeka knowing that changes and i'm
provementS are needed but have had
neither the time nor the opportunity
to devise how or where such changes
and improvements should be made.
Men experienced in state affairs
think that there are departments that
should never have been created and
are a useless burden to the state. 1t
ployment bureau should be a part of
the bureau CT labor; that the horti
cultural society should be incorporated
with the agricultural society; that the
duties of the grain grading commits
sion should be vested with the state
grain inspector; that the academy of
science and the state museum should
be at the university; that the duties of
the state veterinarian should be vested
with the state livestock commissioner;
that the board of managers for the
penitentiary and the board of man
ayers for the reformatory should be
combined with the state board of con-
troll; that the work done by the uni
versity high school inspector and the
state normal high school inspector
should be done by the state superin-
| tendent of schools, and that certain
| other departments should be abolish
| ed entirely. But there is no one
clothed with authority to make a prop
er determination and adjustment of
| these matters.
1T is generally known that thou
| sands of dollars are wasted every year
| in the printing of reports and docu-
| ments that have no value whatever as
printed matter. Many of these reports
are Implications. Practically everything
| that is printed in the report of the
state treasurer is duplicated iii the re-
| port of the state auditor and both are
| printed for circulation at the same time.
| A large part of the tabulated matter in
| the reports of the various departments
/ is a matter of record and of no inter
| est whatever to more than one man in
| a thousand. That one man could get
the particular information he desired
| at any time with an outlay of four cents
| thing of value as printed matter in all
| the reports of the various departments
! of state could be printed in a single vol
| ume.
Much Money Now Wasted.
Our system of raising revenue to de-
| fray the expenses of the state certainly
needs some attention. Many of the de-
| partmentS that are now costing the
| state thousands of dollars could main
| tain themselves if placed on sound
! business basis. The bank commissioner
| collects a fee for examination of banks
for the examination of building and loan
companies. The state board of health
could be made to pay for itself if a
| small fee could be collected for MAX
ing its inspections. I see no more rea-
son why a bank should pay for having
itself Inspected than that hotel should
pay for the same service.
| Many of the patients in our hospi-
tails for the insane who are cared for at
the expense of the state come from
[ baf CIR a hi IN
| their keeping. a state hospital is oper-
! ated under system Of enforced chart
| ty but when the recipients of this char
ity come from the we1-tO-do, it works
a fraud upon the public. When 4 patti
ent IS committed to one of our insane
hospitals, some judicial determination
ought to be had fixing the responsibility
for the expense of keeping such patient
When the expense is to be paid by pri-
vate means and such means ale not
Forthcoming. either the patient should
be returned to those responsible for his
| care or if this is impossible, the county
attorney should be required to collect
the amount due the state. The present
| method of handling this is unbusineSS-
4 like to say the least.
I'm some of the other states the
| expenses of the state are met without
the levy of single dollar in tax OF
the taxpayers of the state But in this
state the taxpayers are today paying
double the amount of state taxes pait
by them ten years ago.
Sessions Has Idea to Raise Revenue.
Secretary of State elect Charles
Sessions will preesnt a plan to thi!
legislature for franchise tax on cor
porations that will produce at leas
100000 annually in revenue for tn,
state. 1 have no doubt that an abb,
, energetic commission can devise othe
plans that will lessen the burden o
direct taxation. The big business con
Germs of the country are on the look
out for greater efficiency and econom,
I | in handling business. The state is pri
: marily a business institution and cal
be run as efficiently and as economic
ally as a great corporation if the righ
methods are employed"
HAINES WINS AGAIN