The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-01-19
pie definite annual program OF busi'
ness to be financed. 1t should be in
the nature OF a prospectus both OF

the nature OF prospectus DOlu VI
revenues and expenditures. 1t should
comprehend every relation Of the gov
eminent to the people. whether with
reference u the Raising Of revenues OF
the rendering of service.
In many foreign countries tie an.
nual budget program is discussed With
special reference 10 the revenue 70 be
raised, the thought being that the rails,
ing of revenue bears more direct reI:i;
ton to welfare than Goes government
expenditure. Around questions OF
source of revenue political parties
have been organized. and on such
questions voters in the Omitted States
have taken sides since the first rev,
enue law was proposed.
Citizens interest In Expenditures.
In political controversy it has beer
assumed generally that the individual.
citizen has little interest in what the
government spends. In my opinion
this has been serious mistake, one
which is becoming more serious each
year. Now that population has be
come more dense. that large cities
have developed, that people are re-
CURED TO live in cOngested centers. that
the national resources frequently are
the subject of private ownership and
private control and that transportation
and other public service facilities are
10 cd hu Ia
tons. what the government does with
nearly $1,OO0000,O0O each year is of as
much concern to the average citizen as
is the manner of obtaining this amount
of money for public use. In the pres.
ent inquiry special attention has been
given to the expenditure side.
We want economy and efficiency. We
want saving and saving for a purpose
We want to save money to enable the
government to go into some of the
beneficial projects which we are de.
barred from taking up now because
we, cannot increase our expenditures.
Projects affecting the public health,
new public works and other beneficial
activities of government can be fur.
thered if we are able to get dollar OF
value for every dollar of the govern.
ment's money which we expend
Continuance of the Commission.
ask the continuance of this com.
mission on economy and efficiency be-.
cause of the excellent beginning which
has been made toward the reorganiza.
ton Of the machinery of this govern.
ment on business principles. l ask it
because its work is entirely nonpar-
tisan in character and ought to apply
to every citizen who wishes to give
effectiveness to popular government,
in which we feel just pride. This
work further commends itself for the
reason that the cost of organization
and work has been carefully consider
ed at every point. Three months
We're taken in consideration of plans
before the inquiry was begun: six
months were then spent In preliminary
investigations before the commission
was organized. Before March 8. 1911.
when asked for continuation of
the original appropriation for the cur.
rent year, only $4,000 had been spent.
1t is a matter of public record that
the three largest insurance companies
in New York when under legislative
spent more than $780,
600 for expert services to assist the
administration to put the business on
q modern basis, but the economies the
first year were more than tenfold the
cost. l am Informed that New York,
Chicago. Boston. st. Louis. Cincinnati,
Milwaukee and other cities are prose-
cutting inquiries the cost Of which is
largely disproportionate to the cost in
Cured by the federal government.
Furthermore. these inquiries have the
vigorous support and direct co-opera-
ton Of citizen agencies which alone
are spending not less than 100000
per annum.
| sincerely hope that congress will
not in its anxiety to reduce expendi-
lures ecOnomize by cutting off an ap-
which is likely to offer
greater opportunity for real economy in
the future than any other estimated
for.
AS has been said, the changes which
have already been made are resulting
in economies greater than the cost Of
the inquiry; Reports in my hands,
with communications, estimate ap-
proximately 100000 of possible an
nual economies. Other subjects under
indicate much larger re-
suits. These represent only a few of
the many services which should be SUBJ
jected to a like painstaking inquiry. If
this is done it is beyond question that
many millions of savings may be real
lied. Over and above the economy and
increased efficiency which may be said
to result from the work Of the commits
sion as such is an indirect result that
cannot we'll be measured. | refer to
the influence which vigorous, thor
executive inquiry has on
each of the administrative units.
In this relation it may be said that
the expenditure for the inquiry during
the present fiscal year is at the rate of
$4,000. The mass of information
which must be collected. digested and
pertaining to each sub
ject of inquiry is enormous. From the
results obtained it is evident that ev-
cry dollar which is spent in the prose-
cution of the inquiry in the future will
result in manifold savings. Every
economy which has been or will be eff.