The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-01-03

bOFtA nlo COhlIuCto COVtTtu may
have to be rebuilt, as two have been
already These frauds were gross and
shameful and should be made the
subject OF both suits and prosecu.
items, If the rights of the state have
not been foreclosed In some way
which can hardly be possible. That
such work was accepted and rald TO
slows loose methods and the damage
dcne by the appointment of dishonest
or iDccmr men, which is so
tsten the case when public positions
are treated as mele jobs,
But this is no reason why a great
enterprise shorld be abandoned. Bad
management ani unfit appointments
can easily be avoided in the future.
The Hay to do 1t Is to have single
skilled executive head in charge OF
the actual work and the entire out
siGe force CT the department. He
should have the sole right to dis
charge men and, subject to the ap-
prevail of the board, to employ them,
and no work should be undertaken
or accepted and no payments be
made or rights of any kind granted
without his concurrence. The only
natural and proper person for this is
the CHIEF engineer. He Is appointed
and subject to removal by the COVER
nor, SO that trained and independ-
ent judgment Is added to that of the
board, and the purely executive work
of the department should be placed
more fully in his charge.
While the board Is created by the
constitution and must be retained, 1t
has no rowers except such as may
be prescribed by law Cart. viii, Sec.
13) and these may be confined, as I
have suggested, and those of the
chief engineer enlarged.
The meetings of the board are held
monthly and, with occasional special
meetings, these would suffice for its
proper duties. But when the new
work was undertaken an amendment
of the law (97 v. 103) made the mem
bers superintendents of the canals,
required them to give their entire
time and attention" and, as such Off
GERS, provided a salary of $1,500 per
year each in addition to their ordin-
ary salaries and expenses. 1t is ap-
parent that with engineers and su-
perlntendents constantly in the field
there Is no occasion whatever to pay
the members for their entire time
for the same work, even If they were
qualified by training to do it. This
provision, now the first clause of G..
G. 415, Is open to repeal, which rec
ommend. If the members render
real service as superintendents then,
with the six regular superintendents
employed at $1,7O0, and expenses
amounting to $500, each, there are
nine in all, though the chief engi-
neer, after famillarizing himself with
the e. lice to be rendered, reports
that two would be ample.
Single Board For Institutions.
Further consideration and informa-
ton lead ne earnestly to renew the
recommendation made at the last ses-
sion, which was as follows:
"The state now has 10 penal, re-
formatory and benevolent institutions
In operation, and when the hospital
at Lima Ia completed there Will be
20. Each of these has board of
trustees and steward or financial
officer who makes purchases for it.
am convinced that all these institu-
tions should be put in charge of a
single board whose members devote
all their time to their duties. Such a
board would, in my Judgment, cost
no more, but less, than the amount
paid for salaries and expenses of -he
present 100 trustees and the salaries.
maintenance and expenses Of the 20
stewards. The total salaries alone Is
$4,000. can not give the amount
paid for expenses and maintenance,
but 1t Is certainly large. This would
leave as clear gain the saving which
would result from purchasing sup
plies IN larger quantities and under
single system, which gain should
be very great. Then, too, you would
deal, at each session, with appropria-
tions for all the institutions as sin
gle subject, on recommendations
which proceed from constant study
and experience of them all by the
same persons, instead of dealing with
each separately, as is now done.
II mean no reflecton on the mem.
bers of existing boards, most of
whom are capable and faith al The
defect is In the system. Meeting us
ually only once each month and serv-
Ing without compensation, except on
three boards which are paid total
o. $1,000 per year, these men can
not and should not be expected to
give the constant attention which is
needed; and even II they could, the
great benefits of single management
would be lost.
Take a single instance. Building,
remodeling and repairing are con-
stantly going ON at the institutions.
The inspector Of workshops and fac.
tories secures the entire time OF
competent architect for $4,000 per
year. Yet in 1908 various boards. act
ing separately paid to one architect