The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-01-18
Achievements of
Administration

mas now ,UetH OH tIlal 1OI Vhe yCai
and this is an opportune time to re-
view some of its accomplishments
Governor Gardner sought the Office
of Chief Executive of Missouri after
having achieved a remarkable sue
cess in business. He promised to ap.
ply the same talents to his otficia
duties that had characterized hi:
business career. Efficiency and econ
omy were the foundationo t the in
structions delivered to each of his
appointees, and the heads of depart
ments were given to understand that
they would be held to strict ac'
count.
We here briefly summarize some OF
the "high points" of accomplishment;
Finances and Revenue.
1t was evident :pd the casual OBJ.
server at the beginning Of 1917 tina,
the financial system of the State was
in a condition of total collapse. The
demands for good roads; improved
schools; enlarged activities in oui
Normal Schools and University; bet
ter equipped eleemosynary instltu'
tions; and a multitude of new activ'
tiles on the part of the State gov.
ernment, all of which involved an in
creased expenditure of money.
For a number Of years the Legis-
lature has been increasing the ap-
preparations to meet these demands
but for sixteen years there had not
been single law passed providing for
an increase in the revenue. The re-
suit was that on January l, 1917, the
State was in debt $2,000,000 for cur
rent expenses and we were face to
face with a financial crisis. The in.
stitutions were borrowing funds tc
meet their necessary expenses anc
paying a high rate of interest, or else
were buying on credit and paying out
rageous prices for their necessities.
Governor Gardner negotiated loar
for this $2,000,000 at per cent inter-
est and Immediately placed each in,
stitution upon q cash basis. At the
beginning of the present year, by the
practice of rigid economy and setting
up the standard of efficiency demand
ed by the Executive, every depart
ment and institution was able to pay
every current bill and there was a
surplus of approximately $15O,O00
The disbursements for all State activ-
tiles during 1916, except the public
schools were $5,258 1884; for 1917 only
$4,107,086 showing a saving of ST.
151,898; this, too, in face of an in
crease Of almost so per cent in cost
of fuel, food and supplies of every
character purchased by the State. A
deficiency of a million dollars was
thereby converted into. a surplus et
$150,000. With the new revenue
measures in operation this year there
will be an increase of 100000 in
the revenue fund. The debt of ST.
100000 will be wiped out and a mil
lion added to the school fund.
Schools and Roads Receive Larger
Apportionments..
Out of the estimated revenues for
this year the schools of Missouri will
receive approximately So per cent.
More than $5,250,000 will be set aside
durign this biennial period for the
common schools alone. No other
State in the Union expends so large
q percentage of its total revenue up
on its schools.
Much progress has been made in the
constructions f permanent highways
The automobile licenses have been
doubled and will produce by the first
of March, this year, million and a
quarter dollars. The counties have
voted $7,500,000 in bonds for the i'm
provement of their roads. The eX-
pertinent of using convicts in road
building has been successfully dem
onstrated and as soon as the weather
will permit arrangements will be
made to release 500 convicts to the
counties for use in road building.
Profit at the Penitentiary.
For a generation, each succeeding
administration has wrestled with the
problem of abolishing contract labor
at the penitentiary. The State was
realizing rs cents Gay for the labor
of convicts from private contractors.
1t was asserted that to abolish private
contracts would entail an additional
cost of a million dollars a year fol
the support of the penitentiary. So
that up to the middle of last year the
contract system stni held sway. But
Governor Gardner believed that the
only way to abolish thing was to
put it out of business, so he put his
foot down on private contracts and the
State went into the manufacturing
business for itself. 1t has now been
doing business six months and has
realized profit from its manufac-
tured products of $4,000, all of which
has been put back into the business,
and notwithstanding the increased
cost Of food and all necessities, the
State penitentiary is today, for the
first time in the history of Missouri,
entirely self-sustaining.
What has been said of the splendid
management of the penitentiary may
be applied, with equal truth, to each
of the eleemosynary institutions of
the State. The State Board of Char
tiles and Corrections-a non-parti-
san body-after a careful inspection
of all the institutions, now say: "Con-
ditions in the State institutions are
uniformly better, as to care of pa
tients and inmates, personnel of Of
ficers and employees, harmonious rela-
tions between boards of managers of
institutions and the public than at
.nv time during olIr connection with