The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-15
SENATE BEGINS
WORK ON BUDGET
Finance Committee Convencs
Tomorrow Night to Draft
l9l4-'15 Appropriation Bill.
HAS 100000 BALANCE
Committee Confronted for First
Time i'll Years by Big Sur
plus in Treasury.

Legislative activities incident to the
converting of the General Assembly
next month begin at 1880 o'clock to-
morrow night. with tho meeting Of tho
senate Committee on Finance to take
up work on the appropriation bill for
lel4-1915. Tho sessions will be held in
the Senate chamber.
The meeting OF the Finance Commit
tee III advance of the opening of the
Legislature was authorized under n
resolution fathercd by Senator Foltes
and passed shortly before the last Cen
crai Assembly adjourned. directing 1t
TO assemble in Richmond a month be-
fore tho converting OF the Legislature.
10 prepare draft OF the APPROPRIATION
BIZ to be submitted to the Senate when
that body convenes on January IA
The bill will be entered rs special
ana continuing order on the Senate
calendar on the day after the General
Nssemnly is opened. II was the pur-
pose or the patron OF the resolution TO
secure the consideration of the appro-
priation act early. in ordeu to avoid
conflict with the other weighty matters
mat VIII claim the attention of the Inv
makers toward the end of the session
Echois Expected To-Morrou.
Senator Echols. of Stanton who Is
chairman of tho Senate Committee on
Finance will arrive tomorrow after
AVN W pitSiuc over the sessions. The
meeting was called for tomorrow
morning, but ii was postponed until to-
morrow night to permit Senator Echols
to vote In to-morrow's local option
election in Staunton.
The other members OF the Senate
FINANCE Committee are expected here
to-day. AS the holdover body. the SEN
ato's Finance Committee served nj
the last session The House Finance
Committee Will not be appointed until
the session opens and a Speaker Is
elected. BY that time. it is expected.
the first draft of tho Senate approprIa-
ton bill Will bc ready to be submitted
for Its consideration
state Has Surplus.
For tho first time In years the COM
mittee viii take up the framing of an
appropriation bill with an actual bal
ance In the State treasury. state Au-
ditor c. Lee Moore estimates that if
expenditures are continued on the pres
ont scale OF maintenance. without
either special appropriations or acts
that Will seriously cut into the revenue.
the state will have Mt the end Of this
year nearly Sl.000,0o0 In it's treasury
His table OF estimated receipts and dis
pnrsements, based only on actual run
iinS expenses. shows an estimated bal
rnce at the end of the present fiscal
year of 9Sl.033.6i
Under the terms of the Folkes reso-
luton the committee will hear from
me various departments ana institu-
tons and upon the estimates thus Sc
cured base the new appropriation hill
The first thing that the committee will
determine at to-morrows meeting IL
whether II will hold private or public
hearings. 1t has been the custom of
inns committee heretofore to sit be-
hihd closed doors. Recently this prac-
tce has met with some criticism. and
several members are on record for no
fullest publicity in regard TO all an
preparations.