The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1917-01-19
Result of the GO0dnOw Commission
LabOrs.
The Baltimore News says:
H. RALSToN,
Hyattsville, Md.

Economy and Efficiency Commission
named by the Democratic State Con-
vention of 1915, the State government
is now on better working basis than
it has ever been since the adoption Of
the present Constitution, when coudi-
tions were far different from those Of
to-day.
THE chief aud most important result
of the Commissions lab1rs VIII be that
the next General Assembly when it
meets year hence will have laid be-
fore 1t program of financial legisla-
ton prepared by the Governor with the
assistance OF the best advisers he can
get and much Of the work Of the Fin
ance Committees Of the two houses will
have been eliminated This program
is the result of the budget plan which
was embodied in an amendment to the
Constitution changing radically the
method of making appropriations and
requiring that 10 appropriations be
made unless the revenue is AT the SAINT
time provided. Ulder its terms the
Governor must pOceed to look into the
the financial needs and resources of
the State prior to the meeting of the
Legislature and have soon after it CON
venes schedule of its commentators.
The Legislature may reduce the
amounts OF any of the various items,
but cannot increase them without pro-
viding the necessary revenue TO meet
the increase
For years the various Legislatures
made appro priations without reckoning
the revenue intelligentiy till the State
was al the close of the year 1915 facing
deficit of about 50 600, 900. This had
to be met by a bond issue By the
proper administration of the budget
plan 1t is expected that there will b. no
more deficits, and there cannot be IN
less both the Governor and the Legls-
lature make miscalculations as to reve-
que or expenditure
But the budget plan, which has not
yet been tried OUT, is. not all that has
resulted from the work of the GoodnOw
Commission. There have been various
consultations and Establishments in
the operation of The departments of the
State government that make for
economy and greater efficiency.
"Foliow'ng the recommendations of
Z M ( X
bills abolish:ng the Office of Stale
wharfnger and State vaccine agent as
useless, and was passing a measure to
wipe out the State fire marsha ship
when objections from Insurance men
caus ed the bill to be amended so as TO
create deputy fire marshall under the
super vision of the State Insurance
Commissioner
THE Commission recommended that
the State Roads Commission be reduced
in mborship from six to three and
that the Motor Vehicle COMMISSIONER
work be placed on this department.
Governor Harrington disagreed with
the latter part of the recommendation
so that while the Commissions mem
bership was reduced there was nc
change in the status of the Motor
Vehicle Commissioner.
"The mail of the Commission
recommended that the departments of
| the State government having to do
with labor and Including the Bureau OF
Labor and Statistics, the State Mine
Inspector, two Boiler Inspectors anG
the immigration Bureau be placed
under the Industrial Accident Com
mission. Two of the members of thc
Commission, however, dissented from
this proposition and the result was that
three of the departments mentioned
were consolidated
GAS to the Immigration Bureau, the
Governor took the ground that it
could wisely be abolished and this was
done by the Legislature. The saving
by this abolation was about $4,000
year.
"Another recommendation of the
Commission adopted by the Legislator,
was that providing for a per capila
system of making payments to char
table institutions 70 wn'ch the Sta.
annually aDpcopGiales large sums
Occupied with the bu gel pan Wa
the repeal of Ill the continuing apple
pratiors THAI could be repealed with |