The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1917-02-15
State IS BROKE
HARDING TO ACT
DEFICIT OF st,5oo,ooo WILL BE
. ACCUMULATED BY JULY 1.
NO DoDGlNG or THE ISSUE
Lieut.. Governor Moore Makes Sug-
gestions as How to Meet Finan-
ciaI Deficit, Among Them An
Increase in State Levy.

Increase in State Levy.
j Suggestions by Lieut.. Cover
nor Moore to meet the financial
! deficit OF state:
Increase state tax levy.
Cut down appropriations.
| Abolish inebriate hospital at
i Knoxville.
! Consolidate state departments
| which duplicate work
i Make all appropriations annual,
instead of continuing.
Des Moines, Feb. 10.--Governor
Harding is preparing a message to be
read at a joint session of the house
and senate OF the Thirty-seyenth gen
eral assembly, dealing with the re-
port of the treasurer of state show.
ing that the treasury is broke" with
more than 100000 outstanding war
rants marked not paid for lack of
! funds. He will also call attention to
the fact that this report shows the
state viii be $1,500,OOG behind on July
/ 1, 1917.
! The governor is expected to outline
suggestions to meet the situation so
as to put the state into good shape fl
financially.
The fact that the state was going
behind became known when the
| chairman of the appropriations COM
mittee of the senate and house called
! on the treasurer for report. This
report showed the state in so deep
that Lieutenant Governor Moore had
copies of it prepared for members of
the appropriations and retrenchment
and reform committees for careful
study.
No Dodgng of Issue.
The lieutenant governor says
there is no use in lodging the issue.
Warrants have been stamped not
paid for lack of funds and these war
rants are drawing per cent inter
est. The automobile fund has been
used to help the state over the per
iods when the treasury is low.
The deficit is due to the failure of
the state executive council in the
past to make adequate provision in
the tax levy to tax ecare OF the APP
preparations, the lieutenant governor
asserts.
There may be nothing else that
the state can do except raise the tax
levy and reduce the appropriations to
get out of the present difficulties"
said the lieutenant governor.
May Require Higher Levy.
I'VE may have to raise the levy
now in order to put the treasury into
proper shape for the years to come.
If we were to go ahead on so small
financial margin, matters would grow
worse instead of better.
There are some economies which
can be made For instance, the in
ebriate hospital at Knoxville should
bo abolished. This is dry state
and, it is getting drier. There is no
need of the Knoxville institution any
longer. Whatever persons there are
there who need to be locked up, can
be taken care of at county homes, or
If there are criminals, be placed in
the proper state institution.
i'Thcre is now $4,000 in the treas
ury to the credit OF the Knoxville in
stitution. That amount should be
turned into the treasury and the safe
board of control be directed to sell
the hospital property for the benefit
OF the state.
Rcformatory Not Necessary.
THE women's reformatory which
is being erected at Rockwell City is
planned on scale that will cost the
state $2,O00,000 before it is complet-
ed. The state could better afford to
hire maid for every woman in the
reformatory and keep them at the
best hotel in the state than TO sup
port them at the cost the reformatory
will show.
The fire marshal's department can
be consolidated with the state insur-
ance department.
"The state board of health might
take over the work of the state vet
Urinary department and the aninI.s'
health commission. The one board
could look after all of this work with
good saving 20 the state.
"We do not know how much money !
some of these departments are, getp
ting. For instance, one state soei-
-ety at Iowa City is asking for $4,000
appropriation annually, in addition to
$4,000 a year it had previously been
drawing. That department is doing
some very good work, but each state
department every two years inches
along getting more power and more
money until now we do. not know
what each branch of the government
actually does draw, and whether the
revenue is wisely spent 1t appears
to me there are scores Of ways the
state can cut down expenses"
More Soldiers.
Rumor has 1t that new military
L. - l. n.t-