The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1916-01-13
G0ODNOW COMMISSION
REPORTS ON EXPENSES
First Report Cuts Out Number of
Employees, And Demands That Ev-
cry Man Earn His Pay.

| Annapolis, Jan. 11.-Governor-
elect Harrington received today from
the GoodnoW Commission it's first re-
port, which deals with legislative ex-
penses alone. It's report on the bud
get plan will be submitted later.
In it's first report the commission
outlines the reforms it thinks advis-
able, and these, in the cutting off of
useless employees alone, it states, will
save the State more than $64,OOO a
year. Additional savings can be
made, it indicates, by abolishing the
system of giving away the States
money at the close of each legislative
session by the passage of special Or
ders and by paying the employees on
ly from the time they are placed up
on the rolls. Accompanying the re-
port is schedule of the officers and
employees the commission believes to
be required in each house of the
General Assembly, together with
those employed at the last session,
and two bills, the enactment of
which will be necessary to put the
| recommendation of the commission
| into effect.
The plan submitted by the COM
mission is designed for the carrying
out of the Democratic platform
pledge for ''a material reduction in
the number of legislative employees,
the eliminating of extra pay except
for additional services rendered and
that payment of every employe shall
begin only from the date of his en-
ployment."
In the preparation of it's report
the commission had before it." it
states, 1.-The committee appointed by
the Speaker of the last House of
Delegates and composed of David G..
Mcintosh, Jr., of Baltimore county;
Joseph Addison, of Prince Georges;
Eugene II. Waters, of Montgomery,
and former Speaker James McC.
Trippe, in addition to a number of
the members of the present Senate
and House and former members of
those bodies" The commission also
consulted with former employees of
the General Assembly whose advice
to the commission was based on
practical experience extending over
many sessions. The inquiries of
the commission developed a striking
unanimity of opinion among all
those questioned as to the number
Of employees actually needed for the
prompt and proper transaction of
legislative business. In a saving of
more than 100000 in legislative ex-
penses, it points out the difference of
estimates between the most radical
and the most conservative was not
more than $4,000.
One of the most striking Of the
commissions recommendations is
that for the placing of the care of
the State House during the sessions
OF the Legislature in charge of the
superintendent of Public Buildings
and Grounds, giving him sufficient
number of employees to keep it in or
der and making him responsible for
its condition. This will at once cut
on a large number Of useless em-
ployes.
The admitted waste of the States
money in legislative expenses, the
commission finds, is not attributable
to personal dishonesty and only in
small part to the personal greed on
the part of the legislators. 'It is
the natural effect of loose business
methods" it declares, land the diff
fusion of responsibility and political
log-rolling. The remedy for these
conditions cannot be made merely by
the adoption of good resolutions.
Their amelioration is dependent up
on the establishment of rigid rules of
law forcing permanent, not tempo
rary, reform founded upon the ex-
perience and lessons of the past"
The commission promises to sub
nit later additional bills aimed to
make the proposed reforms more
thorough and lasting, but states that
for the present the plan and the
bills it has submitted should be suf-
ficient, if enacted into law.
''These recommendations" states
the commission, "come directly from
some of the most responsible men in
the former and present Legislatures.
In order to avoid captious criticism
and in view of the comparatively
slight differences of opinion, we
have adopted in large measure the
most liberal views of those with
whom we have consulted, and in so
far as the number of employees is
concerned we have provided in our
plan for nearly all of those recon-
mended to us, although the recon-
mended came from a number of diff
ferent sources. We therefore re-
spectfully submit that there should
be little or no reason for adding to
the list submitted"