The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-06-03
LIGHT SCORES
LEGISLATURE FOR
APPROPRIATIONS
DECLARES THAT THE INCREASES
ARE UNREASONABLE AND NOT
TO Els LIKING.
How It Looks to the One on the
Outside Who Is Look.
ing In.
(By ]. Hugh Reese.)


Tallahassee, Fla, June S.-Great
and unreasonable increases in the ap-
preparations are claimed by Repre-
sentative Light Of Marion, who has
come to be the watch dog Of the
treasury SO far as the House is con-
cerned.
Going over the various items that
aave passed the House, Mr.. Light
makes an interesting review of what
these increases will amount to. He
has studied the subject carefully, and
arrives at the following deductions:
Try the hire of the State convicts
the State in 1912 received the sum
cf 100000. By the beginning OF
the next year. if the different coun.
lies in the State wish to hire them.
they can do SO at $l2O per head per
year.
predict that at this price the
counties will take them but instead
y receiving more than 100000 as in
the past the State will get in but
S15O,00O year or the State will
lose thereby sum of $150,000 every
year.
This Legislature has appropriated
to be spent in two years the sum Of
S225,0O0 for maintenance and i'm
provements on the prison farm in
Bradford county. BY this deal the
State will be short in two years
rtore than 100000 and, adding
1925, 900 improvements this convict
deal will cost the State more than
half million dollars in the next
two years.
"As to pensions, here is what we
have done We have put on the pen
sion list about 1900 home guards at
pension of a $120 year each,
,r an addition of about $150,000. We
have added $50 per head per year
and about 1900 widows, making an
additional increase of $4,000. We
have also increased the pensions of
about two thousand men at $50 each
Ter annum, or 100000, making the
total increase for pensions in one
year about $3.50 900, or half mil
licn for the bi-ennium. We are the
Legislature.
"As to the appropriations for the
colleges, we have appropriated to be
spent by the Board Of Control for
the coming two years $436,O00. The
United States government adds to
this about $4,000 per year, or the
500 whites and the 300 blacks will
cost total of $5S6,OO0 for the COM
ing two years. and II the House had
passed bill that was introduced and
called up out of the regular order
there would have been given an ad-
Iitional 100000 for every two
years. Including the United States
appropriations there was an effort
made to spend $7S6,O00 on these
schools. The House killed the last
mentioned bill. !,
I'VE are the Legislature,
The comptroller added up for me
the appropriations ma lie by the 1911
Legislature and the wants of the
1913 Legislature, and the amounts
wanted are Just $389,O00 more than
in 1911. The large increases in the
miscellaneous appropriations are tc
be found in various items, among
them being the $4,000 for the Ma.
rianna Reform school for two years;
the Supreme Court building has re.
ceived $4,000 for furnishings
among the items being $4,000 fol
bookcases.
"The State military, including d
|S appropriations costs between $780,.
300 and $50 900 each year. The pres.
ent bill calls for new improvements
as follows: Bathing pool, etc., sS,.
9t0; armory building for 1914, s14,.
900; armory builiing for 1915, $14,.
600. The joint committee agreed tf
cut $4,000 out of this bill.
1--WE are the Legislature.
"The tax payer pays the freight.
"The railroad commissioners asked
to be raised from s2,500 a year tt
$4,000 year; the Legislature gavt
them $4,000 year. The goyernr,
was raised from $1,000 to s6,e9O
the other State House officers tha
were getting $4,000 a year wer,
raised to $500 a year. We cut ou