The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-18
WE'RE GROWN UP.
States Living Expenses Show an
Enormous Increase.
The Total Is Nearly Nine Mil.
lion Dollars.
WHAT FIGURES SHOW.
Increase Amounts to Million and
Three Hundred Thousand.
Detailed Statement of ApprO-
priatiOns by Legislature.

state, Judged by the living expenses.
These expenses, or at least the ap-
propriations for these expenses are
increasing at a most alarming rate.
For the next two years the increase
is more than six hundred thousand
dollars a year or over one and one
third million dollars for the two years
over the total appropriations for the
past two years.
J. H. Mercer, chairman of the house
ways and means committee and Sen
ator C.. s. Huffman, chairman OF the
senate ways and means commlltee
have checked up the final approprla-
tions of the 1911 session of the leg1s-
lature. They found that there was a
total of S8,125,621.33 appropriated at
this session, but they did not include
in this total some six hundred thou-
sand dollars of good and lawful mon
ely which was reapprOpr1ated or Whlcn
makes up a revolving fund. In making
com par;son with the appropriations
of the legislature of 1903, 1t would
be necessary to include this six hum
bred thousand dollars in the total OF
the 1911 session.
The actual appropriations for the
1911 session of the legislature We're
$S.74S,760.75, an increase of $1,362,-
i1S2T1 over the appropriations OF the
1909 session. This is real increase
| of S681, 091.35 year IN state ex-
penses. A part of the total appropria-
l
cheney appropriations, including $780,
| los to keep the state printing plant
running and about ten thousand dol
| lars additional for increases. IN sal
aries and some emergency funds
Some two weeks before the session
Of the legislature adjourned, Cover
nor Stubs sent special message to
both the senate and house calling at
| tention to the great increase IN ap-
preparations as recommended py the
WAYS and means committees or botn
branches. The governor showed thar
| the total appropriations of two years
ago amounted to $7,386.57 and he
noted an increase of six hundred thou
sand dollars over these appropr1a-
| tons of two years before. - But When
the appropriations got into tine Two
! branches no one seemed to pay any
| attention to the recommendations OF
the governor or the ways and means
| committees as they added sums every
| time the members got chance. AS
an instance of this the ways and
Imeans committee thought ten thou
i sand dollars for two years would be
sufficient for the entomological COM
mission, but the e appropriation was
changed to ten thousand dollars each
year for two years. There are other
| instances lust like this which may
anrear in the tabu1ated statement of
the chairman of, the ways and means
committees.
In making up these statements the
chairmen, while not juggling the hg-
ures in anyway were able to arrive at
totals entirely different from the ac-
tual figures. The statement shows
i what the chairmen are pleased to call
Idirect appropriations, that is money
| given to the different departments
and institutions for maintenance and
;nnrovements. But there is some six
hundred thousand dollars of reap
preparations. This is money which
was appropriated two years ago, but
i not used in the time before the ap-
Precipitation would lapse with the end
of the fiscal year. These the chair
men of the committees call Indirect
Appropriations and are not included
in the totals given out but they are
just as much part OF the total APP
rronriations as any figures in the
entire list
The different departments and insti-
tutions asked for a total of $10,9 o9,-
e5S dollars for the next two years.
They received a total of $S,74s, 76O-75.
The appropriations made for the next