The diamond drill., 1917-04-28
SOME MISTAKEN NOTIONS

SOME MlSIAhEN NOllO.No
The Houghton Mining Gazette made
review recently OF the work laid
out for Governor Sleeper by the leg
islature in the provisions made for
the appointment OF a budget COM
mission, a commission to investigate
railroad rates and a commission TO
investigate the workingman's COM
pensation law. IL Is true, as the
Gazette says, that Governor Sleeper
has a big Job cut out for him. This
Is especially true of the so-called
budget commission. We fear that
the people OF the state are not going
TO realize from the work OF this com
mission all the results that they ex-
pect for the reason that the laws
and conditions are such now that
there will have 10 be a general re-
writing OF them in almost all in
stances where public institutions are
concerned before real good can come
There is considerable miscon-
ception in the public mind as to
conditions in the management OF
public institutions. Much OF the
waste that is complained OF is due
to the persistence of people them
selves who, through their legislators
refuse to change the laws so
that economies may be brought
about by the present boards.
Take the matter OF additions to
public buildings of which the Gazette
says, they 0he boards OF trustees)
have no plans or specifications.
They merely ask perhaps a quarter
OF million dollars for a building
and guarantee TO spend the same.
This charge is partly true. The in
stitutional boards have a number OF
times to the knowledge of the writer
asked for the passage OF a law pro-
viding for a state architect and a
state engineer, but in each instance
they have been set aside with the
reply that they were trying TO Gre
ate new jobs for somebody AS re-
suit there is no authorized way by
which a board of trustees can get its
need before the legislature in such
manner that the ways and means
committee will accept the figure Of
the board AS a result boards swell
their requests, knowing that they
will be trimmed down to certain
proportion no matter what their
needs are. Some boards have tried
getting the advice OF the state uni
versity, especially In engineering
problems. but they have Jared no
better with the stamp of that in
stitution behind them SO most of them
resorted to pot luck and
take what they get and look
pleasant In this matter OF needs,
there will be no Improvement until
some higher authority is provided
to supervise the subject of institut-
ional needs and the word OF that au-
thority will be taken as final The
mere appointing of commission TO
write up the financial end Of the
states business will not get at the
root OF the trouble
The Gazette further says that
each institution buys It's own sup
plies without regard to other in
stitutions etc" This is a mistaken
notion in which the Gazette Is not
alone in error The institutions, at
least the major portion OF them, do
not buy without regard to other in
stitutions The buying for each in
stitution is left by law to the steward
The stewards of all the state instit-
uuons long ago formed what Is
/ known as tho institutional Buyers
Association" Every institution in
| the state is represented In it and
each year an estimate Of the needs OF
each institution for the year IS sent
TO the secretary Of this association
These needs arc assembled, put IN
type and wholesalers throughout tho
nation arc asked TO bid upon the
supplying of the institutions on tn,
quantities represented Big pur
chasos are invariably let In tha
manner Small purchases or parti
cular purchases are made by the in
dlvidual steward but there is Away
q check nnon him ihrongh the ne