New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-07
Delaney Urges State De
partments and Bureaus
Be Trimmed.
CUT DUPLICATION
AND SAVE, HE SAYS
Abolish Overlapping Inspection.
He Tells State Convention
Committee.

Albany. May Reduction Of the
number Of state departments and bu-
reaus from 1863 to 10 is one Of the rec
concentrations in plan for the re-
organization Of the state government
submitted to-day by John H. Delaney
to the Committee on State Officers oil
the Constitutional Convention.
Mr.. Delaney was head of the Eff
cheney and Economy Department, Gre
ated under Governor Suizer two years
ago and abolished by the Legislature
in February. Despite their radical char
acter. his suggestions are being serl-
ously considered by Frederick {. Tan
ner, chairman of the committee, and
its members, and many Of the recon-
mendations have been approved
Mr.. Delaney believes the excessive
number of state departments interferes
with efficiency and economy. lie told
the committee the state should have
no difficulty in finding good men. de-
claring that while he had found few
CROOKS" in the government, the heads
of the departments are honest.
The nineteen departments he sug-
gested he put under the following
heads: Legislative, Executive, Secretary
Of State, Controller Treasurer, Attor-
ney General, Judiciary. Banking and
Insurance. Taxes and Revenues, Public
Welfare, Public Utilities, Public kduca-
ton. Elections. State Militia, Agricult-
ure and Conserve ion. Public lnsttu-
tons. Public Works, Public Buildings
and Grounds, and Board of Control
Mr.. Delaney would have the state
printing, which is just now receiving
so much attention at the Barnes Roose-
welt trial at Syracuse, handled through
a sub department on printing.
"The state" said Mr.. Delaney, NOW
pays twice as much for it's printing as
il should, and no one Gems to know
ANYTHING about it. There is no stand
ardization. If one department wants
printing it gets it done and the state
pays for it. No department knows
what another is doing, and as result
there is duplication. Evidences Of tins
may be found by a survey OF any de-
partment and glance into the store
rooms and easements of the Capitol
All contracts for the state, Mr. De-
laney would have made by the board
of control. 10 consist of five men,
elected by a Joint ballot of the Senate
and Assembly. lie said politics should
be eliminated as much as possible and
that a large amount of money would
be saved by letting the states con-
tracts on a business basis.
Mr.. Delaney urged the merging Of
all bureaus having tax collecting func-
tions. He would put the agricultural
college with the educational depart
ment and unite the labor and health
departments under the department of
public welfare.
The present constitution provides
for no boards, commissions or depart
ments, exclusive of elective officers, ex-
cept the Superintendent of Public
Works, the State Lunacy Commission,
the State Board of Charities and the
Land and Canal Board. Others are the
creations of various legislatures.
The worst instance of overlapping
duties, Mr.. Delaney said. is in the in
spection work. The police, health,
labor, agricultural and excise depart
ments often inspect different things on
the same piece Of property, he said,
whereas one man could do all this in
specting