Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-01-07

tions to the legislature for action.
This committee will be one of the
most important that may be named
and their work will be of great value
to the state. We all know that the
state officers cannot pay money from
the state treasury except as the peo-
pie of the state pay money into 1t.
If the legislature shall permit the So
called mill tax levies to remain upon
our statutes as they are now, shall
permit all of the present standing ap-
preparations to stand and shall add
other appropriations, the result must
inevitably be that there will not be
enough money to meet the demands.
Budget.
A budget has been prepared which
will show the requirements of the
departments Of the state and also an
estimate from the various institu-
tions as to their needs. The monies
asked for in the aggregate exceed any
possible revenues of the state by hun
dreds of thousands of dollars. This
is not the proper way to present a
matter of this kind to the legislature.
AS a matter of fact we have no an
[nual report as othe whole state OF
North Dakota. 1t is true that we
have reports from the various depart
ments of the state and the state in
|stitutions, but for anyone to try and
arrive at the real cost of maintain
ing and supporting the state govern
ment with all of it's allied interests,
and having from a brief compre-
hensive report some knowledge as to
the condition of the whole state, we
have nothing. For instance, the
state of North Dakota has no such re-
port of it's business as may be had
from the Northern Pacific railway as
to it's business. We should have and
Ia law should be passed authorizing
the governor to. name three men who
shall not be connected with any
branch of the state government or
with any state institution, and whose
duty it shall be to visit all state in
|stitutions, look into their needs and
determine where economies can be
practiced and make such recommen-
dations as they deem wise. They
should investigate the various depart
ments of the state, analyze their
full deliberation these men should
make a general report to the legisla-
ture, showing what in their judgment
every branch of the state government
should receive in the way of money
and why. These men would also re-
port as to the probable revenue and
would not make recommendations for
expenditures beyond the anticipated
revenues. With such a report 1t
would be possible for the members
of the legislature to have something
comprehensive to work to and bills
for appropriations could he acted up
lon intelligently. At least one of the
men on this committee should be an
expert accountant. If the states
business is ever to be conducted upon
the same basis as any other great cor
poration, a method along the lines
suggested will have to be adopted.
AS long as the state government con-
sists of isolated units, there Is not
much chance for anyone to get
comprehensive understanding of the
whole state without a world OF trou-
BILE in trying to tie the reports from
the various state offices and the
present method of asking each lnst1-
tuition and each branch of the state
government to make an estimate as
to what money they need simply
means that much more money will be
asked for than can possibly be given.
If this duty was delegated to three
men who would first determine the
actual revenues of the state and then
would consider the requirements of
every branch of the state govern
ment and all the state institutions, it
would give us report in so compre-
hensive a form that our legislature
could act intelligently in the matter
of appropriations, and earnestly
hope that legislation of this character
will be passed at this session.
Accounting.
Two years ago the legislature
passed bill authorizing the employ
ment of expert accountants to make
an investigation of the states affairs
and to check up the various state Of
ficers and state institutions, munich
palities and counties. The legisla-
ture authorized the expenditure of
$4,000 for this work. The law con-
tinues, but the appropriation was for
the one period.
The Temple-Webb company. of st.
Paul, were employed to do the work
at the state capitol. They spent
many months in the work and went
into each and every department of the
state very thoroughly. Thei~ reports
are on file in my Office and .sk that
a committee from the senate and
house be appointed, who shall go
over the reports as made and report
to you. I suggest that the legislature
appropriate sum sufficient to con-
tinue the operation Of this law, to
provide for bringing the state depart
ments down to date and to make an
investigation of the various state in
stitutions and of q few of the coun-
ties and municipalities. As to. the
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