The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-01-08

that each department, instead or re-
ceiving lump sum, or inflexible spe-
cific appropriations. as they have IN
the past, be given flexible specific
appropriations In the form OF a segre-
gated budget which will be submitted
to you this year for the first time in
the history Of Ohio. An example OF
the lump sum appropriation is:
maintenance ...........f 100000
VI the intexiDle specific appropria.
tion:
~ engineers ............ s5,40O'
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
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
custodians of funds which they could
disburse without restraint or limita.
tions so long as it was for the legiti-
mate operations of the specific branch
OF the government; and If the evil of
extravaganza did not spring up, then
1t was no fault of the fiscal system
long. My experience as a member of
the appropriations committee in the
house of representatives at Washing
ton, and in the station now occupied,
l'ads me to the positive conviction
that the tendency toward Increased
and excessive cost of government, ma.
tlonal, state and local, grows entirely
out of the failure to adopt a bud.
getary plan of appropriations and dis
bursements. Your honorable body Is
enabled this year to intelligently
make specific appropriations. The
lew creating the budget department
did not become operative until late
In 1913, so that it was impossible to
carry out our aims in making the ap-
propriations for the current biennium.
In its statement to me the budget
department says:
Budget Cepa rtment Reports.
I'VE have made surveys of every
department of state receiving state
aid In addition to these financial
surveys, personal service record
has been made of each and every en-
ploye in the state. These, while they
may not be of material interest to
you, are a guide to us in making our
allowances for personal service to
the various departments and provide
us with a means of checking individ-
ual efficiency of the state employees.
| would respectfully recommend to
you that public hearings be had on
all the estimates now in our hands.
This, more than anything else, would
bring about the ideal condition of CO.
operation"
assembly the exercise of the utmost
care in voting appropriations. The
budget is based upon a comprehen-
sive inquiry into the needs of the
service, and you should hesitate in
exceeding it. Bear in mind at all
times that the estimates of depart
ments, generally speaking, include
the element of desire and are not
based entirely upon necessity. 1t may
be urged that in making flexible spe-
cific appropriations, departments will
be unable to deal with unforeseen
contingencies that may arise. The
answer to that is the suggestion that
the powers of the emergency board
be enlarged. The recent arrangement
OF making a fixed appropriation for
the emergency board has worked 50
well that the old system ought never
be re-established. While there were
certain limitations placed upon the
authority of the emergency board,
there was none on the amount of
money that could be dlSbursed and
besides, each recurring administra.
tion was called upon to pay the bills
incurred by the emergency board in
the preceding year. In 1913, for H.. ,
lustration, there fell to the record OF
expense OF this administration the
item of over 100000 for disburse-
ments made the year previous-I9l2.
Under the scheme of making a fixed
appropriation for the emergency
board 100000 was allotted and OF
this $117,S62.75 was expended, leav-
ing balance of SS2,137.25 on hand. /
1t will therefore be seen that the
emergency board, acting during this
administration, will not transfer
dollar of cost to the incoming regime.
desire also to make the most urgent !
recommendation that the genera! as
sembly make no more deficiency ap-
,s@t