Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-02-05

SSSSS~SS< ~~S
with the constitution.
The special joint committee work
ing under the provisions Of the Lath-
rop resolution in the investigation of
the financial condition of the state
and its departments and institutions
yesterday afternoon submitted its re-
port to the joint appropriations COM
mttee.
The joint appropriations committee
approved the recommendation relative
to a board of regents for the educa-
tional institutions of the state and re-
ceived the balance of the report,
which will be gone over by Nlis COM
mittee as soon as possible.
The recommendation OF the special
Joint committee will be printed in the
journal and the continuation of the
work of this special joint committee
along the lines suggested in its re-
port will be recommended.
: -. The Report in Full.
. The report of the special joint com
mittee appears in full below:
TO the Members of the House and
Senate of the Fourteenth Legisla-
tive Assembly, and the members of
the Joint Committee on ApprOpria-
ton:
. Your Subcommittee of the Joint
Appropriation Committee beg leave to
make this partial report.
Il. Said subcommittee was duly organ
iized on the day of January A. D.
1915, and has been at work continn-
ously along the line Of inquiry as set
Isou in the resolution under which we
wore created, The budget prepared
by the state Auditor showing the re.
quests of5the different departments of
state, state institutions, standing and
continuing specific appropriations,
standing or continuing unlimited ap-
preparations in the aggregate amount
Of $4.CS5,9S5.M. The estimate of our
revenue from every source, as fur
nished us by the State Auditor indi-
Gates total revenue Of $3,339, ,931!0O.
Based on said estimate so furnished
it becomes evident that the amount
asked for exceeds our possible taxa
ton limit by $S46,O54.5l. This dis
crepancy between amounts asked for
and the amount We can furnish can
only be adjusted by a reduction in our
expenses or an increase in our taxes.
Your committee believes that it is
lunWise to look for a solution of this
proposition by increasing the taxation
burden. Your committee believes that
a great saving can be made by the fol-
lowing of ordinary business practice
in the expenditure of moneys in all
Of Our institutions and in every de-
partment Of our government.
Not Get Moneys Worth.
Your committee has carefully in
vestigated the methods of doing bus
mess in our different institutions and
in part of the departments. From
this investigation we are forced to
the conclusion that we are not get
ting, for our money, what a private
corporation or business enterprise
would receive and demand for like
outlay. We are forced to the con-
clusion that orr departments and in
stitutions in general are engaging
help and assistants for beyond the ac-
tual need; that we are paying more
than is paid for like service in any
private business in the state. We
find that the legislature has. from
time to time, created new depart
ments and offices. have created new
duties and provided the machinery to
make these departments or offices
operative without giving any serious
thought as to where such newly Gre
ated business should be attached. or
whether the department to which It
was attached could not carry at it's
present expenditure the added duty
imposed. The legislature has stead
lily added to the salaries of deputies,
provided for additional assistants,
and increased salaries of employees,
has prescribed duties and provided
salaries for specific purposes when
the duties imposed only required a
fraction of the time of those engaged
therein.
Educators Overpaid.
Upon examination Of the state edu-
cational institutions we find an in.
crease in the pay of the faculty, in
structors, teachers and employees en-
tirely out of proportion to the natural
increase in salaries Of that the con-
dition Of this state in any way war
rants. We find that, in addition to
paying larger salaries, the increase
in salaries has brought about reduc-
tion in the service rendered by those
whose salaries have been increased.
We find too great disposition of
those in control of our educational in
stitutions to disl egard or forget the
financial condition of the state, or
that we as a pioneer commonwealth
with limited resources and great
needs have other and material needs
outside Of the higher education insti-