The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1914-10-21
LITTLE KNOWN OF
STATE GOVERNMENT
Efficiency Commission Finds Reports
Concerning Affairs Of Depart
ment Are Necessary.
SIMPLE QUERIES NOT ANSWERED
Number of Branches in State Govern
ment Not Known and New Plans =
Provide Simple Remedy.
(By J. S. Pardee.)

st. Paul, Oct. Especial to the
Pioneer. 1.-The state of Minnesota
knows what good report ought to
be. It tells the railroads what sort
Of report they must. make, it tells
the banks what sort of report they
must make, it tells the insurance
companies what sort of report they
must make. And anyone reading
one of those reports to the state will
know what the average man who is
interested needs to know about the
bank or insurance company or rail-
road.
But the state does not make any
such report of it's own affairs and no
man can find out without a great
deal of labor the things the average
man who is interested ought to know
about his own state.
What for Education?
Take something simple. What
does the state spend for education :?
What is the total cost Of the public
schools and how much of that is paid
by the state and how much by the
local taxes? How much does the
university cost and how much Of that
is for maintenance and how much for
permanent improvement?
How much in all did the state
spend last year for buildings? :.
How much does the state figure
on spending this year on buildings?
Has No Statement.
How many people are on the state
payroll? What is the total payroll
and how does it compare with the
preceding year?
These are some of the things an
intelligently managed corporation
would be apt to inquire. The state
has no general statement showing
it.
Probably some friend Of the board
Of control will rise in his place to
remark that the accounts Of the in
situations show all this. If the work
is meant to show that the board of
control is doing we'll the work as
signed to it, it is quite true, but not
absolutely necessary. 1t ought to be
possible to speak of the states de-
lciencies without each time explain
ing that nobody is aiming a blow at
that hard working branch of the
government.
Not Total Costs.
But if the gentleman who rises is
trying to say that the information
given by the board of control is COM
plete and sufficient, he will please not
interrupt The board of control,
great and good as it is, is not the
whole government It's reports do
not show the total costs of govern
ment.
They do not show how much Of the
total expenses for buildings is for
overhead and how much for con-
structiOn. They do not show how
many people are employed by the
state and they do not show a great
many other things that do not hap
pen to be any of the boards bust
ness, multifarious and diverse as that
is.
A Simple Question.
One very simple question-how
many branches of the state govern
ment are there?
That is something nobody knows.
The efficiency commission which has
studied it for year can give six
guesses, one as good as another.
If the efficiency commissions plans
are adopted there will be one annual
report which will tell all the aver
age man wants to know about his
government-for details see the re-
ports of individual officers-and ev-
cry school boy will know that there
is one government of the state di-
vided. as the number may be fixed by
the legislature, into five or six prin-
cpal departments. . III.