Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-11-18

Commission
For Dakota
Packard Favors Board Of Fifteen
Members to Investigate Gov
oY.nn1 ont A'r. .,
BILL WILL BE ENTERED
IN FIFTEENTH ASSEMBLY
Measure to Call for Report and
Recommendations in 1919 SEES
sion

North Dakota is to have an economy
and efficiency commission if Chair
man Packard of the state tax commits.
sion can prevail upon the Fifteenth
legislative assembly to adopt a bill
which he has fromed. Fourteen states
have already named commissions Of
this nature for the study of the organ.
ization and administration of state
governments. These states are Colo.
RADIO, Illinois,, Iowa, Louisiana, Massa-
chusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New
Jersey. New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
South Dakota and Wisconsin. ! A num-
Der Of these commissions sllbitted re-
concentrations to- the legislative as
semblies in 1915, and most OF them
were continued and will bring in re-
ports to the 1917 legislatures, Three
of these commissions. in Louisiana,
Mississippi and South Dakota, have
confined their efforts to an audit OF
the books of the various departments
of the state governments. In siv states
the commissions. have been mainly en-.
gagged in studying the structure OF tho
state government and drafting plans
for reorganization. In Nebraska the
chief attention has been given to prob
lens confronting the legislature, and
several changes in procedure as well
as the introduction of constitutional
amendment providing for a single
house legislature have been recon-
mended.
Dakota's Commission.
North. Dakota's commission, if Mr..
packards bill is adopted, will be com
posed of fifteen members to be named
by the governor, and to serve without
compensation The members are ra-
quired to meet on or before Septem.
her 1; 19f7, and organize. They are
given authority to employ secretary.
experts, attofneys.i accountants. steno.
era pliers and any other assistance
they may deem necessary, and it shall
be 1her aaty to inquire into the law
Governing The financial transactions OF
the state, and to investigate the pos.
sihility OF promoting greater economy
and efficiency and utility in the trans.
\ action of The business of the state, by
any changes in the laws, by re.0rgani.
cation, consolida ton, OF generalization
OF departments and institutios; by dit
ferent methods, Of administration; by
Classification of employees, by fixing
maximum and minirntm salaries, and
by standardizing vocation; and it shall
report thereon from time to time to
the governor. and shall report its ulti-
mate findings to the Sixteenth legisla'
tive assembly"
Powers Of Commission.
! The powers of the commission are
practically unlimited. Any public off,
Ger or employee or private citizen
whose testimony the commission may
desire may be subpoenaed to appear
before it. Any person who fails to re-
spond to the commissions summons,
or to produce before the commission
any books or documents which 1t may
demand, may be brought before the
commission upon writ from the su-
preme court; or, If he still holds out,
be indicted for contempt of court Wit.
nesses who refuse to testify before the
commission become liable to fine OF
$50 or thirty days Imprisonment, or
both fine and Imprisonment. a
Financing Investigation.
To finance the investigation the bill
appropriates $4,000 from the general
fund.
There is thought to be no doubt that
the Fifteenth assembly will adopt the
bill, as measure calculated to insure
success to the Non:Partisan league in
its proposed program of efficiency and
economy in the administration of state
affairs.
Minnesota Recommendations.
In Minnesota an efficiency and econ
omy commission appointed by ligisla.
ture in 1918 reported in 1915 the fol.
lowing recommendations:
A complete reorganization OF the ex-
ecutive service by binding the state
government into six departments to be
known as general administration and
finance; public domain: public wei.
fare, subdivided ito institutions and
health; education; labor and COM
merce and agriculture.
The merit system in civil service.
The budget system OF appropriating
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