The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-08-19
THE ALABAMA
 CONSTITUTION
tcontinued from Page Three)

I A A K | (Continued from Page Three)
 under the control of separate boards of trustees, who receive no compensation ex- cept in some instances an allowance for
 actual expenses. These boards usually meet at long varying intervals, are in ses-
 sion but a few hours and derive prac- tically all the information they obtain from the officials in charge of these in stitutions All expenditures of the public moneys are, therefore, practically con- trolled by the superintendents and man. l agers of these institutions and under the
 system that now exists a constant, thor ough supervision of their business policy and fiscal affairs cannot be expected. and
 is impossible of attainment The state is
 now spending for the state insane asylums at Tuscaloosa and Mount Yer non, for the state school for the deaf, dumb and blind at Talladega, for the Ala | bama Industrial school for white boys l at East Lake, for the Alabama reform school for juvenile negro law-breakers
 at oMunt Megs for the Alabama Home | of Refuge at East Lake, and for the Confederate Soldiers Home at Mountain Creek, over s500000 annually. The new l constitution therefore should provide that l one central board, composed of three members selected by the governor, to be paid an adequate salary, should be ere .
 trustees, vested fully with all their pow CTS and with complete control of these | state institutions This board of con- trol should have power to select all the officers of these several institutions and to purchase all the supplies that are re- quired, to establish proper methods of bookkeeping, provide a complete inyen- tory of all the states property, and to ex- ercse the same power and control over these institutions as if they were the board of directors of a private corpora tion. In addition, this board of control should be required to purchase the sup plies for the state normal schools, the state high schools the agricultural schools the Alabama Girls Technical in stitute, and the supplies required by the | state government for the state capitol, Tor the entire convict department and for leach and every county jail in Alabama
 and for the University of Alabama and the Alabama Polytechnic institute, when 1 so requested by the authorities or those Institutions and should also purchase SUD- l plies for any other institutions when so directed by the governor or requested by the manager of the institution The es- | ltablishment of such a board instead of creating an expense would result in enor- nous saving to the state. The states that have adopted this system have secured l enormous savings of the public money greater efficiency in the management of
 
 curing the application of thorough busi- ness principles in the management or the | affairs of each institution, proper methods of bookkeeping and accounting ana a complete inventory and a watchful su- neryision of the states property. Such hoard of control would supersede half a dozen or more private boards who are unable to give the states business that attention which it deserves. The expense of maintaining the boarc would be mere 1 pittance compared with the enormous sum it would save the state treasury. Not only have such boards introduced greater business efficiency and man agement and secured large savings of I the states money by their wholesale l purchase of supplies, by auditing ex. l penditures and proper systems or
 bookkeeping. but they have relieved | the legislature of the annoyance, con- l fusion and uncertainty of attempting l during a legislatiye session with the l pressure and hurry and multiplicity Of business of determining what appro- 1 priation should be made for each of 1 our charitable institutions. differing | IS they do in size, purpose. scope and surroundings. The legislature would | no longer be subjected to annoying im- | porturities from various local boards | but would secure all the desired infor- | nation from one centralized board | composed of state officials. free from | local influence. who have given all their time and attention to the man. agement and supervision of the states charitable and eleemosynary institu tions. If Alabama could realize the results which have been obtained in other states from the establishment of such board, the present appropria- ations would be found to be more than adequate, and very large proportion of the moneys now expended would be returned to the state treasury. In view of the many conflicting provis- ions of the present constitution, the creation of such board, defining its purpose and powers, should be made by constitutional provision. Such board would also have the control of all the state lands now amounting to several hundred thousand acres, which are not properly supervised or pro- ected.
 The defects in our present constitu- tion are so numerous and radical and | so intermingled in the different sec tions that it would be practically i'm 1 possible to remedy them by any man l ner or series of amendments. All ef- forts to remedy constitutional defects 1 by series of amendments have proven | unsatisfactory. To undertake to re- wise the present constitution by a se- ries of amendments would only result | in making the present fundamental law l a patchwork without harmony or sym l metry
 A state constitutional convention | should be called by the next legisla- ture to take into consideration the l entirc subject and frame new consti- tuition. This constitution should pro vide simple frame work of govern ment, remove the present unwise and unnecessary restrictions on the legisla- tive and executive departments and re. store both to their full governmental vigor It should simplify and remodel our entire educational system strike off the shackles that now hamper the vigor of the state government and make the new constitution not code of statutory law. but an instrument | which, while guaranteeing the funda-