The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1914-07-02
LEWIS PRESENTS CLEAR-CUT
PLANS FOR REDUCING TAXES
Those Seeking Relief Will Do Well Read Thi. and See
if You Do Not Think it Workable and
Worth Trying

NJ +. Lewis the republican candidate
for governor from the north, has some
pretty well finished ideas of how the
expenses of conducting our state might
be materially reduced, and he presents
them in straight forward convincing
manner, clinching the matter with the
declaration that IF elected governor, /
will recommend that the laws be amend
ed to effect changes as follows" He
then commits himself to positive
course of action by enumerating just
where and how he would proceed to do
the necessary pruning that we may
come to live within our means as
state. Mr.. Lewis says in part:
"A new apportionment bill reducing
the membership of the lower house, in
the interest of economy as we'll as
efficiency. The membership of the
senate is fixed by constitution.
Changes in several laws to do away
with duplicate officers having nearly
the same duties to perform, or whose
duties overlap and interfere with each
other. AS one illustration, l may cite
the land department. which has a regis
ter and land commissioner, each with
a separate staff of help and whose
attend to all These two officers were
needed when created, but the depart
ment is now in such condition that one
can well be dispensed with and the cost
of running this department materially
reduced. There are other departments
and institutions in which the duplica-
ton of officers and employees has null
tiplied to an alarming extent and they
-
ed
Changes in the laws governing seN-
eral of the state departments to effect
consolidation and save the expense
of maintaining so many. AS an illustra :
tion, l would recommend that the Office
of insurance commissioner be abolished
and his duties added to those of the
bank examiner. The appropriation Tor
this office by the last legislature
amounting to s11 500, could largely be
saved Also the board of health could
be abolished and the duties transferred
to the pure food department, and the
Sis, 900 spent for that department could
be mostly saved
The passage of a statewide prohl-
bition law, together with ample pro-
vision for enforcing the same. With
out good laws for enforcing the stat
ute. il becomes a farce and the eN-
ample of so vital a law being broken
with impunity, or the officers of the
law not being able to enforce 1t, teach
es a contempt for law that in many
respects is dangerous to the cause OF
good government.
Change the law governing the eX-
pense of holding elections. 1t is too
high by half.
1.-The 18th session of the Legislature
appropriated theSsum of $2,22S, 299, and
authorized bond issues of $266,00O in ad-
dition. a total of 81, 495, 2e9. This is for
| two wears. or at the rate of $1,24d ,649
per year This is about SO per head for
! every person in the state. A hasty cal
| culation of the expenditures in the de-
| partments and institutions with whcf
| am familiar leads me to the conclu-
| sion that a saving of approximately
| 5000 900 for the biennial period can be
made in the above amount by care
| ful administration of the states affairs
! without destroying the efficiency of anS
| needed department or institution. Whil'
| the annual appropriation and bond Is
sue of the legislature seems large, th'
| total amount of taxes levied in th'
state for all purposes, amounting t
| sS,619.637 dwarfs il into insignificance
This shows that the most of our taXei
are local in their nature. To effec
! economics In the total OF our taxation