Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1914-01-23
MAKING OVER THE sTA1E GOVERNMENT

Whatever of politics there may have been in the ap-
pontment of Governor Eberharts Economy and Efficiency
Commission convinced that the commission itself
has about its work serious fashion, and that if it
hews to this line, much of good will be accomplished We
do not expect to any material reduction in taxesin
fact the commission may find that it would be better
economy to spend money than the state is at present
spendingbut do expect to better coordination
of the various state departments worked OUT
The commission this week. thru its secretary, John
S. Pardee, sends out such lucid explanation of its
work that print the statement in full for the pur-
pose of showing both what the commission has before
it do and the serious way which it has approached
its work. The statement follows:-
Our state government is one of the most wonderful
things the world. 1t wonderful how it hangs togeth
er. 1t is wonderful how it gets anywhere at ALL Or it
would be the of nearly every other
was not the sort of acongOmeration.
They have all been doing it. Every state has had de-
mands for new kinds of servca-food inspection factory
inspection health inspection taking of day people,
of dotty people, of numbskus and fatwts, taking
of the blind and the deaf looking afer naughty boys and
wayward girls killing tubercuar and healing tuber-
cuar folk analysing soil and testing Seed overhaung
companies and banks planting tress. laying out
roads, digging bitches. weighing hay measuring grain,
catching flies killing bugs.
No two men would agree the tally of the things
the state does because various ways of counting
There list of hundred and forty different things
for which separate appropriations made More than
sixty offices and boards perform these functions Some of
them closely related to the center of the tate
ment semi-detached and some comets in a
planetary system running in their orbits and mixing
with the regular government only to clash with it.
No wonder the state has been camoring to have the
whole apparatus overhauled AS c. P Craig describes it,
is like of horses eight in the team, with traces
on FIVE of and lines the other three The wonder
is the government has gone along we'll as it has.
The last legislature tried to start order. More
than fifty bills were introduced the house for reorganz-
ing the state or distributing duties differ
emily One for the public domain department widely
favored Several pressed for establishing
commission study better scheme of things One
of these passed the house the days died on gen
eral orders in the senate.
1t had been so much agitated that it was no more
than response public opinion when Governor Eberhar
last October picked thirty citizens of various political
liefs affiliations and told them they had money
authority, legal standing and full permission
do whatever seemed good to them
That body includes c. P Craig, as chairman a
Duluth who has actively agitating the idea
its inception of the posted in the
versty Dean Woods of the agricultural department OF
economies agricultural editors Dan Wallace and Hugh
j. Hughes, several members of the legislature who
distinguished themselves this particular study
bankers lawyers. merchants of affairs one labor
leader and millionaire, level headed lot of men,
Their first act was to borrow Dr.. E. Dana Durand
from the university Dr. Durand here to establish
statistical bureau at the university after serving
director of the Their divide the
mutfarous activities of the into FIVE groups fol
study.
One is the group of activities that relates to the
of property the treasury the auditing of accounts the
custody of buildings the purchasing of supplies Now
doesn't follow that all those things will be put
partment 1t is very likely that many of them will be
tied Together closely than they are now.
The second group has been called the department o.
public domain, including land and immigration drainage
roads, forestry and mines and perhaps
Those subjects the face of it lie very another
There is next the human relations of the state, in
Guiding schools and the of denquents and dependents
There very great branches of the states activities
Next there is what looks very much like a depart
ment of labor and The railroad and warehouse
commission the labor bureau, insurance and banking
miscellaneous activities together
And there also many matters of public health
and safety that group ogetherthe work done by the