Evening times-Republican., 1914-02-28
'IlP[RI CLAIMS MODEST
EFFICIENCY ENoiNEERs UNABLE
70 REcoAAMENo MATERIAL
FINANCIAL REFORMS.
Abortion o. suooEsr,oNs
WOULD NET ONLY $4,000
STATE Dsss Dvsinsss sf $4,000, 900
Yearly and Value ef $4,000 Export
ovsosstisns 10 ouostis snsd-Addi-
tisnsl oetails % Aadieal Recon-.
v,SnlAtione 20 ovsrtusn Proeent State
oMiese and Msthsds. :.,.>

n,enlAtione % ovsrtusn Proosnt Statl
oMiess and Msthsds. 80.
Special to Tlmes-Repubaican
De- 1foines. Feb. 1s.-rhs surprising
feature Of the report Of the expert
boo1lkDsper 10 the legislative commit
tee on xotrenchmenk and reform IL that
the best he otld do Yves to figure out
a possible saving OF $4,000 . year by
adoption Of che revolutionary reforms
suggested. which. considering the fact
that in the state Of Iowa there IL spen,
for public purposes annually at least
fifty millions . year, L. regarded as
a very modest claim Of saving. wheth-
er or not the suggsstion IL worth the
$4,000 the bookkeepsr charged for his
work depends o. how seriously the re-
port - takaa
OF this sposslAle sewing $23,90o IL In
the state heating plant. Of which SIS,
900 10 to be IN purchase Of fuel. Ac-
cording to the statement Of the book
keeper tho operating expenses of the
plant including fuel. labor, repairs
and supplies and water. for two years
was $4o.274.77. Foo one year it would
be half Of this. or $20.137.3s, and II a
saving could be effected az indicated
1t would be quite q bargain for the
state. The report of the heating plan,
was made public last summer. however
and fully analyzed at that time. Only
one change has been made; and that
is In admission that II the heating
plant should be placed on the railroad
tracks q considerable saving in fuel
would follow.
Committee Clerks Come Next.
The next important saving would be
in the reduction in the number of
committee clerks or stenographers for
the members Of the legislature and to
avoid the necessity for bridge parties
to keep them entertained. This Is a
matter which has been obvious for 90
long that every one will agree that
some saving could be effected there,
and that . better system could be de-
yised. The system Of committee
clerks suggested 10 one long ago urged
by competent observers as proper. 1t
has been fully exploited in this cor
respondence in other years. AS to the
reduction in the number Of doorkeep-
ers, janitors. etc.. there may be some
thought the recommendations go too
far. an for instance. instead, Of there
being but six doors to the leglsla tive
balls there are in fact twenty Of them
"A saving Of $10.710 IL proposed here.
A saving Of $4,000 . year in the
automobile reS1stration work - pao-
posed. Here there are suggestions 81
radical departure from the present
laws. Tho scheme proposed IL to do
away with . new number each year,
but to permit an owner to retain his
number from year to year with the old
plate. and in fact the original number
plate IL to be retained by an automo-
bile 30 long az 1t 10 In operation in the
state. Each auto owner would be sent
q notice prior to Jan. Of the amount
of the fee due from him and when the
fee 10 sent in this would be a. new reg
,istration. Number plates to have no
more than four figures, but with a let
ter In front OF the series. A card
index Of all vehicles Is to be kept. List
Of delinQuents are to go to the county
attorney 10 collect double the regular
fee. The only new plates issued will
be for new machines. This would re-
quire complete rewriting Of the auto
mobile registration law and when first
put into operation would require en-
tire new number plates.
:. The report recommends adoption OF
the Photographic machine for making
copies Of all documents on file in the
state house. These machines repro
duce by Photographic process, greatly
reduced. the exact pages of the instru-
7nents filed. and when these are plain
ly written the reproduction is excel
lent. A saving in the cost of one clerk
in the office of secretary Of state could
be effected. $500.
Printing Claims Modest.
The saving to the state by parcelinE
ont the state printing and binding to
contractors Is estimated at $500 a
year. This sum Is modest in compari-
son with claims that have been pre-
scented In the past to the legislature.
There - included the report Of the
state printer and binder of Minnesota.
with the RECOMMENDATION that the sys-
tenn in use in that state be adopted.
The report Of the Minnesota printer
and binder discusses the getting to-
gSther'' Of the printers to avoid COM
petition. Some Of the states own their
own printing plants but this is not
Eecomnended. No exact figures as to
the proposed savings are given except
that It should result in a saving Of
per cent on the average cost.
{. In regard to practically every office
ip the state government the report re-
.1ers to the advantage in the use Of the
dictaphone or debating machines. the
use Of window envelopes. and use Of
addressing machipes for mailing lists.
The window envelopes have never been
used In any OF the state ofrices. The
;Epvernor has Indicated he would not
have to have his letters go out in that
form; and official correspondence Of
various kinds going from the state
house would hardly lend itself to this
manner Of doing business: but where
blanks are sent out the system can be
sNSed. The debating machines have
been tried In the state house. Cover
nor Cummins had one and used it for
= vhils and It was later used by Gov
ernor Carroll. but finally was discarded
md the typewriters say they will quit
b, Il. 10 ever dug up again. There are
addressing machines in use in offices
now wherever they can be used to adj
Vantage, Also monographs and multi
graphs and other labor saving devices.