Little Falls herald., 1914-02-27


that the zion giYen ont
correct and not comp ntsln-s11 81
formation Or of half truths, y vhich are
always misl leading. It is. not neces-
sary IN order to have new methods:
considered, TO assume that every thing
in use is archaic, outworn and inef.-
fieient. These reflections are prompt:s
ed. by statement given out last week
in regard to state departments keep
ing within appropriations. To give
some color to the statement it is said
that the appropriations committee
Topped off a large sum from the APP
preparations asked which would not
have happened had there been scien-
tific budget. All the scientific budgets,
possible could not prevent members
introducing bills for new appropria-
tions, in addition to the requests
made by departments. Some Of the
largest appropriations ever made had
their genesis not with officers of the
state or state departments, but with
members of the legislature. It is these
new requests, many Of them legitimate
enough, which make it difficult for the
appropriations committee to grant all
the requests Of departments, and Of
course REQUESTS for statutes, parks,
claims of various kinds, and other
similar matters, received the knife OF
the appropriations committee at the
start. "A scientific budget, whore In
come and expenditure bear proper re-
lation to each other will be useful. 1t
is not a panacea. England and Ger
many have the budget systems, and
their debts have increased faster than
any other two countries in the world.
However, the Board of Control has
prepared and pres nted complete state
ments Of its needs to the Legislature
ever since the organization OF the
Board. A perusal Of the Boards re-
port might have prevented another
statement given out, to the effect that
there is no inventory of state property:
So far as this relates to the Board OF
Control, it is not true. An inventory
is made every year of the real and
personal property Of the institutions
in charge of the Board Of Control, and
these inventories are on file and a
summary may be found in the reports
of the Board. This is nothing new. The
inventories have been made for many
years. The law says they shall be,
and the law has been obeyed. More"
over, when the university was under
the financial control of the Board,
complete inventory was made, and the
statement that now for the first time
the university has such an inventory
is not true. While it was under the
Board it had an inventory and when
it got out of the financial control OF
the Board, it lost the habit, only to
acquire it recently.
Another statement is made, which is
misleading and incorrect. That is,
that is was a cheerful habit Of depart
ments to spend more than appropria-
ted, and expect the legislature to
make I'D the difference. This habit, it
is stated, the university is just aban-
doning, and the inference is that
other departments are goinp to reform
also or have just reformed. Whether
the habit be cheerful or sad, it has
never been a habit of the Board Of
Control, which has never failed, in its
thirteen years of existence, to live
within its appropriations. At the same
time, a standard of living has been
maintained for the wards Of Minnesota
not surpassed Dy any sIaIe. ooo
Dunn and those others who establish
ed the Board of Control against bitter
opposition, have been vindicated by
the logic Of events. 8,
We have used the Board as an IL
lustration because it is a very import
ant part of the state government, ex-
pending $l,s0o, 900 yearly just to oper-
ate the institutions which care for
nearly 10000 wards Of the state. It
would seem only fair that such a de-
partment should not be advertised,
even indirectly, :.s failing in the
things which it was instituted to- do,
and which the increasing confidence OF
every legislative committee which has
familiarized itself with its work;
proves that it has well done. Il