The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1913-04-24
MONEY IS, SAVED
BY USE Of PEN
MATES USED BLUE PENCIL"
ON PUBLICATION CLAUSE.
NO EXTRA PAY UNTIL July 4lh
First Meeting Of the Retrenchment
and Reform Committee viii be
May 6--Striet Policy Of Bust
e ness Economy is Urged, ~

IIHSt lOWd leSISldluIe has uHhHoWinBiy
been throwing quarter OF a million
dollars to employees and institutions
beyond the anticipations iTof its
measures and the Thirty-tifth general
ASSEMBLY failed to pass a bill that
would have corrected the evil. :. A re-
petition of the ruthless extravaganza
was prevented only by the timely
stroke of Senator Joseph Mates pen
when he drew 1t through few pub
| location clauses on bills. ,E 81 3F
| The secret is in the appropriations
for increased salaries ad additional
appropriations for institutions. Bills
providing such Increases and special
per annum allowances have always
been drawn providing the increase be
per annum" and then publication
clause was attached. Accordingly in
stead of becoming effective July A, as
was the intention of the Legislature
they became enective at once. State
employees awarded increases and
state educational institutions given
per annum increased appropriations
have been shrewd enough to demand
"a pro ratio" payment from the time
the law became effective to July 4,
or about two months. more than the
time contemplated in the bill. Under
the law there was no way. to- escape
payment. ...-. e.. ......
This fact was discovered this win
ter when the committee on retrench-
ment and reform commenced it's in
vestigation and Assistant Auditor
Joseph Byrne was called before them.
He was asked il he knew how there
could be retrenchment and he point.
ed out that retrenchment could best
start in the legislature and he then
revealed how advantage had been
taken of the legislature by demand
ing pro rata" pay before July 4th.
This meant about $4,000 per year
for the three educational institu-
tions alone, or $150,000 annually, say
nothing of other amounts on increases
in officers pay. '.s ap.. .,....-.. b..
Accordingly bill was quietly pre-
pared to correct this and was intro
duCed in the House by Representa-
tive Larrabee. It passed the House
without discussion and was messaged
to the Senate. 1t went to the Sitting
committee where, according to Sena-
tor Mates, it was agreed 1t should
be reported. The bills to be report
ed were placed in one pile and the
dead bills" in another. Senator Mat
ties contends that someone surrepti-
tiously slipped this bill into the dead
pile. Anyway. after the sitting com
mittee had resolved to report no
more bills it was discovered it was
among the dead ones.
Just then the Educational Institu-
Ition bill was about to pass with the
publication clause" attached. That
means two months more appropriation
than the legislators commonly be-
lieved they were voting for. A quick
bold dash of Joe Mates pen and the
state was saved quarter of mil
hon dollars. He scratched out the
publication clause. The Appropria-
ton bills will not become effective
until July 4. There will be no in
creased appropriations for officers or
educational institutions until that
time. -..- a. ...,
One of the chief recommendations
of the Retrenchment and Reform
committee to the next general assem-
bly, will be that 1t enact a bill provid.
ing that any money appropriated for
increased sealaries or special appro-
priations shall not become payable
until July 4. 1t will be indeed sur
prising If the committee does not re-
commend that the publication clause
be eliminated except in cases OF ex-
IRENE emergency.
There is no need of so many laws
going into effect BY publication" said
Senator Mates. 1T Is useless ex-
penditure of the publics money. The
state has existed in safety for two
years without the new laws of the
Legislature and excepting a few ex-
IRENE cases would not suffer If the
new acts of the legislature did not be-
come effective for two months fol-
lowing. Thousands upon thousands
of dollars could be saved to the pub
lie by abolishihg publication clause, ;"
The first meeting of the Retrench-
ment and Reform committee as en-
larged and perpetuated by the gener-
lal assembly will be May 6, when 1t
will organize for work. The legisla-
ture gave this committee absolute
power to make such changes in ad.
ministrative Offices as IL sees fit45to
discharge employees or hire new ones,
to decrease or, increase salaries. Ten
Thousand dollars was set aside for the
Use of the committee should 1t deem
wise to increase salaries.
Indications are that a strict policy
of business economy will be urged
by the committee. The personal opin-
ion of Senator Mates as expressed
lis that employees for the state should
be expected to put in as many hours
for the state as they would IL work.
ing for private corporation. He be-
lieves the employees should work
from eight in the morning to five in
the afternoon. t,t ~
The Retrenchnent and Reform
committee as now organized will be
composed of Senator'S Mates, Eran.
els, Allen, Wilson (of Clinton), and
De Wolf, and Representatives Klay,
Jacobs. Larrabee, Miller and Black.
The committee is thus composed OF
six republicans and four democrats