The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-06-05
OHIOANS THROW
OFF The YOKE
For Economy and Efficiency.

For Economy and Efficiency.
Bills were passed to give the state
modern budget system under whic,
the governor will call biennially upol
departmental heads for the submig
sion to him of estimates of none,
needed. The state executive will hav,
power to send into each institution
and state department a technically
equipped official for the purpose 81
verifying such estimates and inyes.l
eating the necessity thereof. This Of
ficer also may make recommendation
for changes in methods OF administra
tion for the promotion of econon,
and the production Of efficiency. TIL,
| governor will thus be able to scan al
estimates carefully, weigh the needs
of all departments and make the ne
cessary recommendations to the gen
eral Assem- bly, Heretofore each head
of a state department has submitted
his estimate directly to the general
assembly, and the latter body, accent.
ing these recommendations, appropri,
ated from $9,0O0,O ,OG0 to $4,000 900 an.
nually. With all state officials asking
for the mGXims they believed the leg.
1slature would grant the aggregate ap.
preparations usually were more than
strict economy equired There were
three bills passed for this purpose.
One changed the fiscal year endin :
from Nov. Is to June 30; a second
permits allowances by the state amer-
gency board to be taken from the
state treasury. Heretofore such money
was borrowed from private banks at
high rates Of interest. The other
measure creates the state budget com.
mission, whose powers and duties are
indicated above
A Modern School Code.
A mandatory constitutional amend.
ment adopted last fall makes neces.
sary the complete reorganization and
rehabilitation Of the common school
system of the state. Believing such
should not be undertaken without an
investigation, a commission was ap
pointed to make a complete survey of
conditions. This body will report to
the special session of the general as.
sembly next January, and when the
new code of school laws Is enacted 1t
will contain the best features of the
scientific codes of other states, and It
is aimed to make It representative of
the best thought of educators on the
subject of administering the common
schools.
A coordination of the energies of
the state government and state uni
versity was provided for in acts that
give the services of students in the
engineering class at the state univer-
sity to state engineer entrusted with
the task Of valuing the property of
utilities, while the activities of the
lllege of agriculture have been
placed under the supervision of the
state agricultural commission. Ex-
perts in the faculty of the state uni.
versity also are to assist in the draft
ing of proposed legislation, and need
ed assistance was given to the general
assembly by the establishment OF Il
legislative research bureau.
Protection For Investors.
Unscrupulous dealers in fraudulent
securities, stocks and bonds will finn
that the field for their activities in
Ohio has been considerably lessened.
and OhioaHs who are robbed of mil.
lions of dollars annually by the
"fakers" will discover the general as
sembly has given them needed pro-
lection with respect to investments
through the Clark blue sky" act. The
state superintendent of banks and
banking was given the power to IL
cense or refuse licenses to all brokers.
The same official must certify to tae
character of stock in all new corpora,
tions before it may be sold, and any
body who wishes to sell land situated
outside the state to a resident of Ohio
must certify to the banking superin'
tendent full information about such
land. Violations Of the law are classed
as felonies, with imprisonment and
heavy fines as punishment.
Taxing Machinery Reorganized.
The taxing machinery Of the state
was reorganized and modernized so as
to catch the dodgers who have es
capped contributing their just share o.
tax money by either hiding property
or getting inadequate Valuations, IN
stead of electing local assessors, anc
thereby placing them under obligation
to the property owners for their posi-
| tions, a law was enacted under which
these officials will be appointed. There
will be a deputy tax commissioner ap
pointed in each small county, and tWt
in the larger ones. These will appoin
assistants, and all may be removed
for dereliction of duty. The work 0
the old quadrennial appraisers will b.
done by the appointive assessors ant
county boards of complaint will re
place city boards of review.
The new local taxing assessors
will be immune from all local in
| fiuences, will be free to make fair
and adequate values OF property
without fear OF interference from
local people, and this will greatly
strengthen and render more Sc
cure the Smith l per cent tax rate
law, which was established on the
theory that adequate valuations
would be made,
The people will vote next fall on
!, proposed constitutional amendment t
exempt public bonds from taxation
SO as to provide better markets fo
the securities, and that they may b
issued at lower rates of interest. A
the present time what bonds are sol
are taken by foreign investors. ther'
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