The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-01-05

is necessarily delayed. There are some
boards and offices that ought to be
abolished, but there are others, such
as the investment board, handling mil
lions of dollars in securities without
proper facilities and help for so doing,
that are in need of greater appropria-
tions to transact their business as it
ought to be transacted. In litigation
involving enormous amounts the state
meets the opposition of men receiving
high salaries with expert knowledge of
the particular subjects of which they
have made speciality. If it pays pri-
vate corporations to be in a position to
acquire the service of such men the
Attorney Generals Office should be
provided with sufficient funds so as to
be able to acquire such additional as
SiStance that may be needed from time
to time. If the public examiners office
is to conduct efficiently all the exami-
nations demanded of that department,
larger appropriations for it's work are
necessary. The timber board has not
Sufficient authority or funds to proper
ly safeguard the particular state re-
sources, of which it has the manage
ment. 1t would be a very easy matter
for the state, because of insufficient
help in certain departments, to lose
hundreds of thousands of dollars in
the management of it's trust funds and
fore appears that, if the properties of
Minnesota are to be properly handled
and protected, although expenditures
can be reduced in some departments, it
is impossible to reduce the total ex-
penditures of all the departments,
which amount, as aforesaid, to nearly
$1,500,OO0. AS this sum is less than
one-fifth of the total annual legislative
appropriations it is clear that even if
reduction in the cost of running the
executive departments were made, such
a reduction would scarcely have any
effect on the tax rate, but if on the
other hand, the Legislature should not
appropriate sufficient funds to secure
efficient management, through the
proper equipment of it's boards with
qualified men and enough money with
which to do the work demanded of
them, it would be possible in the long
run for the state to sustain under such
conditions enormous losses. Through
the proposed reorganization of state
departments it cannot be expected that
you can lower to any considerable e-;-
tent the direct cost of government,
but the possibility of saving immense
sums for the state indirectly through
the adequate safeguarding of it's re-
sources and through the business-like
conduct of it's affairs by the right kind
of cooperation and coordination of
it's various boards and offices is so evil
dent as to show, most clearly, the i'm
perative need of legislation which will
provide for such a Encouragement of
our civil administration.
Budget system.
On or prior to the first day of next
month, am required, under our pres
ent law, to submit to you the estimates
for the next biennial period. You will
then be in a position to know how
much higher or lower than this years
expenditures, the estimated eXpendi-
lures for next year will be. This pro-
cedure has been made possible by rea-
son of the enactment by the last Legis-
lature of what is known as the budget
system in appropriations. Under said
law the Governor is required to pre-
pare forms to be sent to all the differ
ent departments and to the different
state officials with the request that the
blanks therein be filled in for the pur-
pose of getting information as to the
exact amount of the appropriation that
each department believes it will be
necessary for it to have during the next
biennial period and for what the
amounts asked for shall be used. The
Legislature will, therefore, on Febru-
airy first of this year, be in possession
Of facts pertaining to these appropria-
tions that it is now impossible for me
to communicate to you and thereafter,
when the different departments and Of
ficials of the different state institu-
lions have been heard upon the pro-
posed budget to the extent that you
may permit, it is for you to determine
how much of a reduction if any should
be made therein. No one would deny
that it is the duty of us all to keep
down the legislative appropriations
during this session to the lowest pos
IL not, h,,t TO hn cd
budget to such an extent as to cripple
our institutions or to destroy their eff
fectiveness for good would be neither
efficiency nor economy.