Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-02-01

the population Of Vermont today consolidate
M be e Of a oe
ter i've stock commissioners and SO on having to do with the
agricultural interests of the State There various ways
OF approaching this problem in order to get at the merits OF
the situation.
It is to be noted in the first place that we have go back
Of these departments understand the terms used
What really to know is whether the service get
is worth what paying for in various directions.
great farm can be hkened to great business. For
division and competition The Standard Oil company
Of the pioneers in The substitution of Of multiple
plants to and greater efficiency The first
idea in saving in overhead charges of
headquarters with extra and their full of officers
and complete office equipment of clerks and bookkeepers and
reduced marked degree One headquarters in place
OF set of executive officers in place of numerous
The money saved in these and various ways did not re-
duce the expert work On the contrary there was more
than before to put into expert work and the develop
ment of the business is history.
But say the opponents of consolidation in the of
head of each branch Of service to get best results Each
farmer miniature of agriculture ter OF the
all in
The successful farmer has wisely persisted in remaining
though he knows he will times need the services of an
orchardis and Instead of having separate depart
ment with complete office and office help by itself for the
horsebreedng department. the cattle barn. the henney Tor
lerzng for the maple sugar orchard and the timber lot
the hires whenever he needs them If
he insisted experts at the head of every part of his farm
work he would out of business and his family with
him.
So whether go into the world of big and successful
business or take the example of every farmer in
Vermont find that the head OF affairs,
with experts working under him.
If is wise for great business corporations and for
successful farmers and every other successful venture
large scale to apply this principle of saving of overhead and
other charges and maintaining centralized authority and
efficiency, be possible that States affairs eXcep
ton to a universal rule?
Let examine the commonwealth from purely business
standpoint. The constitution put executive at the
head Of our States affairs and made him responsible for the
execution of laws We have State house. and yet we have
conducting the department headquarters
the State We coming back to first principles in the
latter connection by centrazng all the State Offices at Mont
peler in building where get at them matter
whether must consult several often happens
The study the matter the certain must we
become that State exception to the rule of business
MANAGEMENT, when looking for efficiency combined
with the wises economy public convenience and public wei
fare added How does happen then that have srayed
so far from business principles in multiplying departments
and boards and commissions?
Well started as gre; great oaks always start from little
stock commissioner whose department was costing US less
than $500 year In 1913 the cost of this had
increased to $3557 49, with $4,000 for cattle killed The
$296.95
The charged State forester the comparative
statements of State expenses different years ensuing
as follows 1908 ss9392; 1902 sas5642 1919 So 55oss;
Sl524o63 1915 1549373; 1916 s15,737.2 The receipts
from trees and wood sold etc. in 1916 and the
year previous $4,576.O7
The total amount spent by the forestry department
reaches the handsome of $ss56s6s which certainly
In Of the stated the forestry department cost
than spent by the whole board of agriculture In
ing only 49, in 1911 s5,579.70; in 1912, $16ss5 in
1913, $l131214; in 1914, $148O460.
When a separate department is created the entire
machinery for the office must be provided involving largely
increased expense wholly apart from the service performed
Then too the head of department is naturally anxious
to make showing of doing things Ambitious projects are
undertaken and before knows it large and constantly
increasing annual expenditure has been fastened taxpay
In addition to the timberlands given the State we have
embarked the project to create State forestry parking
system considerable expense We submit that with large
part of the hill land formerly titled going back to timber
growth is necessary for the State to buy forests
here and there.
What the State really needs forester who give
his attention wholly expert work rather than many
details of administration separate department requires
The agricultural department already equipped for admins
raon could hire expert service than would be available
for the amount of money spent through fully manned
department maintained separately This understand
be the idea of Governor Graham namely that instead
less forestry expert service for the State
actually be increased and with saving of
If there is any farmer in the Legislature who thinks
should divide his responsibility for the of his
farm experts he may warranted in assuming
the State should do the thing Until he
of the wisdom of dividing the and
of his farm he should ost upon the State continuation
of present system of spending thousands Of dollars alb