Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-04-10
SCI LITTLE NEED 0F
LEGISLATIVE RECESS
ASSEMBLY ABOUT READY TO
coNcEDE EFFICIENCY ENGlN.
EERS ARE USELESS.
IN EFFORT TO
"PRosE" STATE FAIR BOARD
Accountants Told Nothing New and
Reports as to Other State Officers
May Not Be Of More value-Present
Talk Of Adjournment Centers Around
April II.
Special 10 Timas-Renublican

II.
Des Moines, April I0.-Date for ad-
journment has not yet been fixed by
the general assembly. Making a pro-
posal for date for Adjournment is
far from settling it. Neither is it set
tied when one branch of the legislature
fixes date, for usually an adjourn
ment resolution is held up on one side
or the other for a time. then amended
and sent back, and thus the matter is
kept in the hands of proper committees
until within few days Of the time Of
adjournment.
And It is far from being settled vet
that the legislature will take a recess
until in December or some time in the
tail. That is debatabe question az
yet. The committee on retrenchment
and reform which consists Of the
chairmen OF the three leading commit
tees in each house, has suggested
recess, but that nay not be what is
Gone. In fact at first chance it was de-
veloped that there viii be some pretty
stiff opposition 10 the taking of a re-
cess. II is underst God that Governor
Clarke is not urging ii, that Speaker
Cunningham Is opposed. that a great
many of the leading members Of the
legislature doubt the wisdom or neces-
sity for such procedure.
The rather dismal outcome Of the
probe into the affairs of the state
board of agriculture is largely re-
sponsible for the lack of confidence in
anything the so-eaHed efficiency en-
gineers" are likely TO DO. II is now
conceded by practically every one that
the engineers made bad botch Of the
effort to offer advice about how 70
make a successful state fair. All that
they did. which could quite as easily
have been done by any one member, or
by the states regular expert account
ant. was TO recommend that double
entry bookkeeping be adopted in place
Of single entry with the duplicated
voucher system in vogue. But that
suggestion might be made as 10 almost
every state office, for the double entry
system has been generally discarded
in favor of simpler systems.
Upon analysis Of the report Of the
efficiency engineers in regard 10 the
accounts of the state board OF agri-
culture it is said that the experts eth
er totally failed to comprehend some
of the problems which confront state
officials or wilfully refused 10 take
cognizance OF important facts which
they might easily have had.
When the recess resolution came up
in the senate 1t was Senator Doran
who butted in with the pertinent query
as to whether or not the committee
on retrenchrnent and reform expects
70 get any better results from the ef-
ficiency engineers on the other state
offics than they did on the state fair.
He suggested that their report on the
latter was Of no use whatever. Unless
the senate has assurance they can DO
better elsewhere it will hardly be
worth paying car fare to have the
members came back and hear what
they have 70 say az TO the state Of
fees generally This line Of reasoning
is going 10 have great weight with
members. The finances is largely re-
sponsible for the situation.
The present discussion as to ad-
journment centers around April Il, one
week from today. There will have to
be some of the tallest hustling ever
known Il the legislature finishes at
that time. The sitting committee is
doing out measures for the house. but
the house is not acting with great
rapidly. The senate sitting commit
tee has been named butt ne senate has
agreed to clear its calendar first. and
that Will take some time.
A spell Of real hot weather is the