The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-02-05

preparation committee of the past
legislative assembly receives for his
service So per day, tokether with his
actual and necessary travelling ex-
penses. The other members receive
| their necessary expenses while they
are state officials, but on retirement
from the Office receive for their serv-
ices as members Of the budget board
the same per diem and expenses al
| lowed the members first mentioned.
The budget board law makes it the
! duty of the board to supply the legis-
lature with statements which indicate
the condition of the state bond sink
ing fund, and the state bond interest
fund; together with an estimate of the
amounts which will be required during
| the biennial period. The board must
provide a statement Of unexpended
| balances in the several funds and offer
recommendations as to the proper dis
posal OF the same, together with an
estimate of the probable revenue of
the state for the next biennium and
recommendations covering what an
preparations are deemed wise and
necessary to promote the best interest
Of the state.
Under the law the budget board is
given authority to summon any state
officer, the members of any board, or
the managing officer of any institu-
tions, for the purpose of securing fur
Their or better information as to the
needs of any Office, department, board
or institution, in addition to the re-
quests for appropriations, and other
information or statements that may
nave been hled with the state audi
tor.
Your attention is respectfully called
to the fact that the report herewith
filed reflects the best Judgment of the
members of the budget board as to
what appropriations should be made,
or what changes should be considered
as affecting the finances of the state
OF the biennium 1917-1919. The report
reflects the decisions of the budget
board after every source of informa-
ton has been exhausted. Every stats
institution, with the exception of the
school for blind, at Bathgate, has been
visited by the budget board and a
thorough inspection made of its physi-
cal condition, the demands now made
upon the institution, and the necessity
for the appropriations requested. The
activities Of the institutions have been
carefully considered personally with
the superintendent or managing OFF,
Ger, and the state board under whose
Jurisdiction it is being operated.
The institutions coming under the
management Of the board of control
were inspected in company with one
or more members of the board and
the state architect. The institutions
coming under the management of the
board Of regents were inspected in
company with the secretary and mem
bers of the board of regents All state
institutions have furnished full in
formation as to their finances, and
such statements have been carefully
examined and considered in arriving
at the final recommendations contain
ed in this report.
AS before mentioned the recon-
mendatlonS are based upon the de-
mands and activities as they exist ac.
cording to law in the present
biennium, therefore, the state officials
holding Office to Jan. /, 1917, have
been consulted as to the needs of the
state offices and departments, so that
any new duties added. or activities
prescribed by this legislature, must be
taken into consideration in making the
final appropriations. n
To prove the sufficiency or insult
ficiency of the appropriations for state
offices and departments for the bien-
mum ending July /, 1917, the board
has made part of this report, state
ments covering the appropriation, the
total expenditures for eighteen months
to January i, 1917, and the balance
available for the quarter period or
six months to July 1. 1917, at which
time the new appropriations will be-
come effective.
Where the balance for the quarter
period indicates the present appropri-
ations to be in excess Of reasonable
needs, reduction has been made in the
amount recommended. Where the
balance proves the former appropria-
ton insufficient, a deficiency appro-
priation has been added to fill out the
six months period, and a proper in
crease has been recommended for the
coming biennial period.
1t has been the earnest endeavor of
the budget board to make the report
as clear and plain as possible, and to
accomplish this end explanations are
given in every instance to show by
what methods or for what reason the
board has arrived at the recommends
ttons set forth hereafter.
Finally, in this connection, it NAV be
said that the budget board has rec
commended such appropriations as 1t
is fair to believe from information
now at hand, will, with proper care
as to expenditures, carry the depart