Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-18
IOWA SOUGHT AID FROM MINNIE.
sorA WHEN MINNESOTA
NEEDED HELP.
NORTHERN NElaHsoR FAILS
TO CONSULT OWN EXPERTS"
Minnesota Appoints Commission 20
Sssk Out Improved Plan Of State
Government in Hops Of Securing
Greater Economy and Efficiency
othsr States Try 70 Solve Problems.


Des Moines. June 1s.-While Iowa
sent to Minnesota to ind out how ia
organize state government Mime
sofa has q commission engaged In
trying to find out how to recognise tina!
state for economy.
An efficiency and economy COM
mission" Of thirty men appointed by
.he governor. having Prof. E, D. Dur
and. former director Of the United
States census. as Consulting staff
cian," has prepared and printed pre-
liminary report on a piAn for reor-
ganizing the executive branch OF the
state government, and especially the
adoption Of the merit syYtem In civil
service and the budget system for
making appropriations.
Economy and efffrisncy in the state
administration Is tho most important
issue before the votsfg At the COM
ing election. Agitation FOR economy
conducted by various bodies in the last
four years has emphasized the need OF
reorganization. Fifty or more bills
were introduced In the last legislature
dealing with this matter, none of
which. however, passed except that
providing for an educational commits
sion. The diagram. showing the enor-
nous growth Of state expenditures.
emphasizes the crying need for radical
changes. The commissions plan would
mark a tremendous Improvement. It
would check the constant rise in the
burdens Of taxation. It would give
the people more Tor their money. II
would enable the people to control
their public service"
The diagram referred to is one show
ing the relative curves in the rise Of
population and expenditure. With a
population OF 100000 the total state
expenditures annually have risen to
near 315.ooo.00o. and without the school
fund to nearly $13.000,oO0.
The plan OF the commission for Inn
provement Is somewhat like that sug-
gested for Iowa, that Of consolidation
OF departments and grouping Of related
work under general heads, the appoint
ment of q larger number of persons as
eubordjnates and fewer chiefs Of de-
partments, then life tenure in Jobs un-
der civil service commission and con-
sideration Of OIL appropriations in one
bill, better known as the budget sys-
tenn.
But that which makes this report
especially interesting just now Is THAT
when the Iowa committee on retrench-
mont and reform employed persons to
tell them what to do for Iowa, they
employed firm having headquarters
in st. Paul. which firm does not appear
10 have been consulted at all in Min,
heSota, and ostensibly Iowa was going
to pattern after Minnesota.
The same question. however, that of
mtnistration, Is live one in Wisconsin,
IL at work on the same
subject In other states the question
of how to reduce expenses is even more
important than in Iowa, where the
state officials and men prominent In
while in seeking better methods of con.
Quoting public business and already
8 9bstantial advance has been made.
Why doesn't the comptroller of the
currency issue his call for statements
from the national banks? Times up.
There have been two federal calls
this year and two state calls. The
March. The state calls were in Febru.
ary and April. A state call is due. It
may be made for the same date as the
federal call.
There are five calls each year. AS
only two have been made and the half
year is nearly gone, it would seem that
the delay rightly occasions inquiry
among the bankers. The three to fol-
low must be crowded into the last half
Of the year rather closely.
Heads Of state institutions in Iowa
who attended the quarterly conference
were rejoicing over better crop condi-
tons in some parts of the state. The
cooler temperature following the re-
cent heavy rains was regarded as a
good thing. Fruit conditions are not
as good as they should be. At Cla-
rinda, which is in the fruit country. the
apples are taking an OF year and SUI
Witte says he will be
surprised II he gets 1000 bushels from
an orchard that might easily raise TO-
700 bushels. The weather in south
western Iowa WAS extremely dry until
the last rains. Since which time thingsi
have taken turn for the better. Even
the strawberry crop is being saved
now. At all the institutions the potato
crop is reported excellent and garden
stuff generally is coming on fine.
The supreme court is holding open
~ Ne