The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-03-04
PUT STATE ON A
BUSINESS BASIS
THERE SHOULD BE NONE OF THE
PRESENT HARNESS.
MANY REFORMS RECOMMENDED
The Flat MiIIaae Tax Should Be Alb
oIished as Under 1t, It is Never
Known How Much an In
stitution viii Get.

Des Moines, Ia, March 1.-Appli-
cation of business principles to the
handling Of state finances will be
urged and insisted upon by members
of the Senate Appropriations Commit.
tee Immediately upon reconvening Of
the assembly next Thursday, a cam
paign will be commenced to put state
financial affairs in a more definite has
Is. Several things will be proposed,
among them being:
Adjustment of institutional mill
age taxes.
Establishment of educational treas
urers.
Establishment Of a budget system.
Abolish duplication Of work. Members
OF the committee are comforting with
heads of institutions, especially the
educational institutions, as to the
methods proposed.
Legislators seem to have reached
the conclusion that there should be
none of the present haZiness about
where the states money goes to, how
much is going and what it is for. An
efficiency expert may be recommended
to continue the study Of Iowas fl
nances and to make recommends
lions to the next Legislature.
In the first place they want the fat
millage support tax abolished. They
insist each institution should report a
budget of its estimated support needs
for the biennial period. Then they
propose to appropriate that specific
sum and permit the executive cousel
to levy a tax sufficient to bring the re-
quired total needs of the state. Under
the system of levying blanket millage
tax it is never known how much an in
stitution will get. II half mill is
levied and the executive council in
creases the taxable valuation fifty per
cent then that institution gets fifty
per cent more money than the legisla.
ture intended.
The next step suggested is to abol.
ish the institutional treasurer. Now
THE university, state college, and state
teachers college draw their appropria-
lions from the state treasurer and pay
0rt the warrants from their own
treasurer. The appropriations COM
mittee is suggesting that all warrants
be sen from the institutions to the
state treasurer and paid by him, In
that way the records of what is paid
out will be concentrated at one central
point whee 1t may also be audited by
the state auditor. In this same con.
nection is the apparent need for uni
form systems of accounting. 1t was
discovered years ago by the retrench'
ment and reform committee that not
only was it almost impossible to de-
cipher from reports what money was
spent for at the various institutions,
but because of the decided contrast in
methods it was impossible to compare
the expenses of the institutions for de-
finite purposes. 1t is believed the same
system should be employed at every
institution.
, Duplication of work is another phase
. Of economy to be seriously considered.
One concrete example of duplication
has been discovered in the inspection
of high schools. The state board OF
education has a corps of inspectors
travelling over the state, four men, in
vestigating high schools to ascertain
II they meet the requirements for ad
mission to the University. Then the
department OF public instruction has
a corps of high school inspectors tray
cling over the same ground. Both sets
! issue instructions as to courses and
methods of teaching. 1t is believed
here is duplication OF work. II
is suggested that one set could
perfom all the duties required of the
state. 1t is said there are many other
Implications that member of the ap
preparations committee will suggest
abolishing.
Still another change Is contemplated
At present when the treasurer issues q
} state warrant he has no note on it the
sections of the code under which it Is
issued. There are now some fourteen
code sections he must note. 1t will be
proposed to ecodify these code sec
lions so reference need be made tC
but one section.
Want Capitol Repaired.
State authorities are investigating
the plan to ask the legislature to ap-
propriate a contingent fund for the
repair of the state house and for fire
protection. 1t is proposed to lay q
new main floor in the capitol and i'm
prove the heating plant.
To Let Breweries Operate.
A proposition has been made that
the legislature allow the brewery
here and others in river towns to go
ahead with the manufacture Of beer
! from all stock on hand. The Des
Moines brewery has $4,000 in stock
in the process of manufacture which
will be total loss unless used. 1t is
proposed to pass special act to al
low Des .;Moines and other breweries
to manufacture the stock they have
. on hand, have guards to see that no
! beer is sold in the dry territory and
, then ship the product to wet districts
lin the state and other states.