The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-01-07


tions in the form OF a segregated
budget which will be submitted to you
this year for the first time in the his
tory of Ohio. An example Of this
lump sum appropriation is:
Maintenance ..............S1 500, 900"
OF the inhexible specific appropria-
tion:
Three engineers y, 400"
5udsetary Plan Best.
Under practices of the past, the leg
islature has acted largely upon the
estimates Of the departments. When
the legislature is not in session the
emergency board, consisting of the
governor, attorney general, auditor
and the respective chairmen of the
senate and house finance committees,
has the right to hold sessions and
legalize disbursements from the treas
ury for pure emergencies. The de-
partments, recognizing the restricted
authority of the emergency board,
have proceeded doubtless from the
thought that 1t would be better to ask
for ample sums and turn back the
undisbursed amount at the end of the
fiscal year than to request a lesser
amount that might be insufficient.
This made department officers the GUS
todians of funds which they could dis
burse without restraint or limitations
so long as it was for the legitimate
operations Of the specific branch OF
the government; and II the evil of eX-
travagance did not spring up, then it
was no fault of the fiscal system to
which we have held entirely too long.
My experience as a meInber of the ap'
preparations committee in the house
Of representatives at Washington, and
in the station now occupied, leads me
to the positive conviction that the ten.
dency toward increased and excessive
cost OF government, national, state and
local, grows entirely out Of the failure
to adopt budgetary plan Of appro'
priations and disbursements. Your
honorable body is enabled this year to
intelligently make specific appropria
tions. The law creating the budget de-
partment did not become operative un
til late in 1913, so that it was impos'
sible to carry out our aims in making
the appropriations for the current bi
ennium. In it's statement to me the
budget department says:
1--WE have made surveys Of every de
partment of state receiving state aid
In addition to these financial surveys
a personal service record has been
made of each and every employe in
the state. These, while they may moi
be of material interest to you, are a
guide to us in making our allowances
for personal service to the various de
partments and provide us with
means Of checking individual efficien
cy of the state employees. | would
respectfully recommend to you thai
public hearings be had on all the es
Inmates now in our hands. This, more
than anything else, would bring abou
the ideal condition Of cooperation"
Urges Caution.
I therefore urge upon the genera
assembly the exercise of the utmOs
care in voting appropriations. Thu
budget is based upon comprehensive
inquiry into the needs of the service
and you should desitate in exceeding
it. Bear in mind at all times that tn
estimates of departments, generall
speaking, include the element of de
sire and are not based entirely upol
necessity. 1t may be urged that il
making flexible specific appropriations
departments will be unable to dea
with unforeseen contingencies tina
may arise The answer to that is tn
suggestion that the powers of tn
emergency board be enlarged. The re
cent arrangement of making a fiXet
appropriation for the emergency boar,
has worked so we'll that the old system
ought never be re-established. Will
there were certain limitations place,
upon the authority Of the emergenc
board, there was none on the amour
of money that could be disbursed; an
besides, each recurring administrator
was called upon to pay the bills in
Cured by the emergency board in tn
preceding year. In 1918, for illustra
ton, there fell to the record of eH
pense of this administration the iter
of over 100000 for disbursement
made the previous year-1912. Unde
the scheme of making a fixed apprC
priation for the emergency boar
100000 was allotted and to this $117
S62.75 was expended, leaving baI
ance of $82,137.25 on hand. 1t will
therefore be seen that the emergenc,
board, acting during this administra
ton, will not transfer dollar of cos
to the incoming regime. desire ais
to make the most urgent recommends
tion that the general assembly max
no more deficiency appropriations.
have urged upon all state department
that no deficiencies would be recog
nized. No state official, in the frs
place, has any right under the law
to incur a deficiency, and if any hav,
developed, the responsibility should b.
turned back to tho offending officer
Instructions from me have been s.
positive that have both the hope an,
the belief that you will be enabled t,
establish the wholesome preceden
against any deficiency appropriation
bills.
The practice of departments collect
ing receipts and turning them into tn
treasury has been abolished In max
ing your appropriation bills in the fl
ture, it seems to me that experience
strongly suggests that balance
should no longer be appropriated a
such. They should lapse at the EN-
Of the fiscal year.
BY reason of the change in the fis
cal and appropriation year, it will b.
necessary to make three subdivisions
all of which are provided for by tn
budget: from February 16, tn
beginning of the old appropriation