Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-03-25

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SG2gA4 years for all departments of
state government?
What will the tax levy be for the next two
years. and what are the other receipts of the
state government?
These are the questions which no doubt have
agitated the people of the state of Idaho, and
are worth investigating. The actual cost of
the state government is very little known to
the ordinary taxpayer. All that he knows is
the amount of taxes which he pays, but that
is only part of the cost of the state govern.
ment; there are other sources of income that
he knows or hears nothing about which are
used up and he is not put i'll possession of facts
TO figure them out, and at best they very
hard to figure out, as they vary from time
to time, and every few years during the session
of the legislature there is something added or
something subtracted, and all he knows about
it is what his taxes are. What is actually paid
in taxes is only about one-haf of what it costs
to run the state government The question
may naturally arise then, what did the egis-
lature appropriate for the next two years for
the maintenance of all departments Of state
government?
BUDGET SYSTEM.
The Fourteenth session of the legislature,
through its finance committee of the house
for the first time since statehood, with the
cooperation of the executive department,
started to create budget system of appropria-
ton setting forth every item and making APP
preparation therefor and deducting all the in
direct income from said appropriation, and the
taxpayer for the first time can see what it
costs to run every department of state govern
n1ent, and in place of merely being told what
has been appropriated as in years gone by,
he can tell what the total cost is. In some in
no will no LODI
at the enormous amount of money it requires
to run certain departments of state govern
ment. The total amount appropriated by the
last legislature outside of the fish and game
department is $4O52, 394 81 to which must be
added continuing appropriation, militia, $780,
600: predatory animal fund, $4,000; pure
seed, $4,000; making grand total of 81, 162,-
3045l. This does not include bond issue for
good roads of $l,O00,000 which is not taken
into consideration in these figures. To pay
this $4,l62 394.51, there has been authorized
tax levy for two years of 100000. Now
the question might be asked, how can we pay
HOP ,39451 with $2,OO0.0OO There is
where the uncertainty comes in, and if the last
legislature had done nothing else than to sim
pity this question, and prepare budget it
would be worth the price and the cost of the
legislature, as sooner or later this would have
to be done.
THE APPROPRIATIONS.
The appropriations for this bienniun over
the last one are one-half million dollars more,
even after the appropriations have been pruned
to the last limit Why are we appropriating
one-half million dollars more this bennium
than before, might be asked, and the answer
would be- extraordinary occurrences that had
TO be taken care of, to-wit:
The Gem Irrigation District re-
ceived the last appropriation that
needs to be made for this pur-
pose which divorces the state
from this project forever, the
increase for the biennium being S $4,000
The Home for the Feeble Minded
at Nampa is going to be COM
leted, and the additional outlay
is NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 05OOO
The Farm Markets Bureau receives
more than two years, ago.. 1900
The Hansen bridge receives. ..... 10000
The High Altitude Farmers Ex-
detrimental station receives. 80. $500
Cost of investigation of Land de-
partment -.......,....... 10000
Extra cost of the supreme court. 10000
Three additional judges and their
attaches 49,. ...... $4,000
Agricultural board ....... $4,000
Timber fire protection ........ 10000
University building ........... $4,000
Lewiston Normal building ...... 10000
Albion Normal building ... $4,000
Technical Institute, new buildings 10000
Industrial Training school, new
buildings ............... $4,000
Law library at Pocatello. .... 5000
Militia on account of mobilization 10000
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