The Delta independent., 1912-05-03
CORRESPONDING FROM THE
NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION.
Regarding the Middle of Treasurer
Kenehan and the State Funds.

| Considerable wonder is occasion
ed from the fact that the present,
or for that matter, any admfnistra.-
adequate statement as to finances
1T any time. In the case of the
present administration the trouble
IS purely overappropriation. When
the legislature met State Treasurer
henehan estimated that the reve-
nues for the period would be lit
lie over three million dollars. The
/ legislature appropriated nearly fifty
per cent above that amount and the
revenues will hardly reach the es-
innate. Few people understand
Just when these revenues are col
| lected. The facts are, they are col
lected one year after they are eX-
pended, with the exception of the
funds that are derived over the
counters in the various state offices
which collect fees for certain kinds
of work. To illustrate: The asses
sors of the state value the property
of the state this spring. Laterin
the year the state auditing board
will meet and place the 4-mill levy
against that property to be used for
state purposes. The county officials
will collect that 4-mill levy next
year and send it to the state treas
urer. In the meantime the states
salaries are paid out of that money,
but it must be done on a borrowing
system. The state iauditor issues
a warrant against the 1911 reve-
nues. The state treasurer will have
no 1912 revenues before next year.
He has on hand, however, a consider
able amount of what is termed
school funds. These funds are de-
rived from the sale and lease of
state lands and only the payable
interest which can be secured by
the roaming of these funds can be
expended. The warrants issued by
the state auditor draw 4 per cent
interest. The state treasurer cash
Is these warrants with the school
iEul and holds them as security
until next year. when the funds are
paid by these various counties. TAT
the present time the counties are
renting the funds of 1911 and
the state treasurer is redeeming the
salary warrants which he cashed
out of school funds last year.
1t can be seen that at best all
business must be transacted on an
estimate. State Treasurer kene-
han simply has to take a guess as
to what proportion of next years tax
es will be paid. If he cashes a lar
ger number of warrants this year
than will be redeemed by the cash
that comes in next year he will be
III the position of having issued ex-
cess warrants. This tho state
treasurer says he will never do. And
it is because of this coalition that
he declines to pay a greater sum
than he is actually sure will be col
lected 1t is a well known fact that
last year the treasurer was assured
that the Moffat estate would bring
at least $4,000 into the treasury,
and acting on this assumption, he
paid to that estimate. The result
is he has to reserve enough this
year to cover that overestimate of
last year.
Had the legislature confined its
appropriations to the treasurer's es-
innate the state would have pulled
through. As it is, Mr. Kenehan is
determined to keep in the clear.
Some time the people of the state
will adopt a bond issue sufficient
ly large to, with the regular daily
collections, run the affairs of the
state for two years on a cash basis.
Then they will adopt a constitution
al amendment preventing any assem-
bly, from approrpiating more money
than is in the treasury when the
assembly is in session. which would
solve the question. The best way
to solve it under present conditions
is to elect Republican business me'n
to the state offices and to the ueg-
islature who will not overappropri-
ate these estimates and who will
rot double the pay roll of the state
in less than three years.
|