Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1913-04-18
EFFICIENCY COMMITTEE.
Its Need Explained by Hon. C.
P. Carlson.
St. Paul, Apr. 10. 1913.
Editor Morris Tribune -

O1 the Legislature TO lnVeSClgaGo the
administration and systems of state
affairs. and to provide for simplication,
co ordination. efficiency and economy
thereof. and, appropriate money there
fore. There were 85 for the Wefald bill
and 18 against the bill. The vote was a
victory for the Rines organization and
defeat for the friends of the admins
tration who wanted commission OUT
side of the Legislature. The Wefald
bill in its present form is the bill
drawn by the House committee on
public accounts and expenditures,
which the Governor refused to consent
to have introduced as a committee bill.
Th Sawyer bill introduced with the
Governor consent. was special
order today also, but its substance
was offered as an amendment to the
Wefald bill by L. A. Lydiard, of Min
neapolis, and voted down. Under the
Wefald bill a joint Legislative COM
mittee shall be forthwith appointed.
which shall be known for convenience
as "The Efficiency Committee of Min
nesota" It shall consist Of four men,
bers of the House, to be appointed by
the speaker of the House, and three
members of the Senate to be appointed
I, by the lieutenant Governor. Such
COMMITTEES shall continue in existence
until the first Monday in January,
1915.
The great trouble with our state
government seems to be that there
are too many departments and boards
Each of these departments has large
quota of clerks and inspectors drawing
salaries and in some cases running up
large expense accounts. In not few
instances these departments and boards
overlap each other and duplicate each
other's work. This tends to increase
expense but does not promote efficiency
Efforts will now be made by this eff
cency committee to combine some Of
these departments so that the work
may be better co-ordinated. RESPONSE
/ bilitiy centralized and money saved.
One of the greatest problems now
before the legislature is that of re-or-
ganization of fethe business affairs of
the state. There seems to be great
inefficiencv and much wanton waste
in the management of the affairs OF
the state of Minnesota, no one who
has studied the figures in the state
auditor's Office, read the recent report
4 of the House committee on pubic ac-
counts and expenditures is at all fam
iliar with the manner in which the re-
sources of the state have been squan.
dered can doubt. A few statements
from the committees report clearly
demonstrates that there has been tre'
mendous waste somewhere. Among
other things the report shows; thai
state expences have increased 187.
per cent during the past ten years
while the population of the state ha
increased but 19 4 per cent and th'
assessed valuation but 1911 per cent
Disbursements from the revenue fun,
in 1902 were So. 734, 80, while il
1912 there were SO. 733, 704. show
!. ing an increase of practically ST. 600
600. The increase in expenses dur
ing the past five years has been NOR
rapid than during any former perio
( of the same length. The per capt.
cost Of state government in 1902 wa
i So. O5; in 1912 it was $500. A
!, indicating one of the causes for thi
. remarkable increase in expenditure
the committees report further say
, that fifteen new departments ad
= $744. 815. SO to the yearly appropri
ations from state revenues. The az
preparations granted at this sessio
! will be something like $40, 600. .O0(
! The increase has got to come to
: standstill; if not taxes will becon
Is unbearable. This efficiency committe
@ can't do much good in taking care {
r, Minnesota's natural resources. It
evident that something should be dor
1T at once to put the administration I
e the state affairs on more busines
e like basis. Minnesota has lost III
~ counted wealth which could have bee
= hers but of which she was robbed
- the rapacity of the lumber baron
IA steel kings and real estate speculator
d. Of the great public domain
u 9. 900, 600 acres which Minneso
once possessed she has left but 2. 40O
900 acres. The remainder is, ho'
ever. worth saving, for much of
aa is in the northern part of the sta
a and besides including valuable timb
to is likely to contain iron ore. The
lp- are also water powers of much wor
lie on this land and some of it is excelle
ne for agricultural purposes.
q. It was with the object of conservi
the states natural resources and c.
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