The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-11
DIR, LOWELL OFFERS
new BUDGET PLAN
Would Have Governor Draft 1t
70 Prevent Log Rolling
Appropriations.

Np,xy. June Io.-Thc budget In MS
STAT. should originate with the Governor
i,.,ood NJ with the Legislature as a
means OF preventing log roIllng appto.
,.i,,iops and e~xtravagance III pupIlc
rnnd;tures especially for local pur-
uasas ,n the opinion of Or. A.. Lawrence
a,,ail president of Harvard tnlNersltS'
ry,an no would provide for the eiectioh
-, tho people or the Legislature ol a."
C,,a auditor with no executive tuhc-
go 10 take the place OF the stare
ror,n, roller. who should he an utterly
Independent official.
Hefore the constitutional cohNe"''o'
committees on Governor an" S'a,e VI,
arers and finances DR.. i.o"tiI out."e.
,o,d,v governmental methods In Urea.
Britain and other countries a"' o""e''
making In England.
II have no idea that any plan Oh 'o'-
o,rmant budget making in foreign coun-
rios can he transplanted to TINS sue
and found to yield the same as III us
' ,,n .nii" said Or. Lowell. but there
ara some points of the English system
vbi,h would he found OF value mere TOT
instance, in England the Lord 'hahcei'or
hrinrs the budget into Parliament aiong
with the schedule OF expenditures !"
while Parliament may reduce or eiiW'-
'a,a an ,ppropriation II cannot in
nate an 'lii
crease 1t.
..The Government. through the can
met. initiates appropriations lnstean o..
the Individual members in the House OF
commons, and the log rolling Tor local
concentrations so prevalent IN Leglsla-
lures on this side is thus prevented Inc
chancellor Is thus enabled 10 plan eH-
ucnditures and receipts so that they
usually meet each year. seldom peihg
49, ~, 4 / cant
Few appropriations are made Tor
local purposes In England where local
needs are paid for by local taxes. Par
4 lament really is the eyes of the Eng
fish community and really Ia a perpetual
committee of Investigation. for through
| its daily questions the Government can
! he called to book at any moment II
, might he well IL such "A condition ex'
| istcd here. and II would not be neces-
| sary for the Governor to be a member
of the Legislature so long as he could
he present when question: are aimed to
secure information regarding executive
acts.
"In this country we do not utilize the
services Of the expert enough. While
IL il true hat expert government alone
! Loads to lay government
alone likewise leads to inefficiency. and
there should be a combination OF the
two TO secure the best results, Where
now We have mostly a lay government.
I'VE should cease to leave our gov
crnment 80 much TO amateurs who re-
main i'm office but "A short time. There
is too little investigation. and what In
y%cstigation there Is now In this coun-
try is mostly OF q hostile kind. The
best investigation is that OF a friendly
nature. not with an idea of displacing
AN incumbent In office, but to learn why
such "A thing has been done.
THE state should learn 10 use trained
administrators in every branch OF the
service, such as II commenced to do
when It put DR.. John H.. Finley at
the head Of the State Education De-
partment. Or. Finley has devoted his
whole life to education. You Away
find the corporations away ahead OF
the state because they employ the ex-
perts.
"The English budget system has beer
adopted In all the English colonies, but
not in any State in this country. though
many OF it's features can be ada pied
to New York State.
Parliament might really he termet
an investigation body. az II initiates
little local legislation, which Is the curse
of Legislatures In this country"