The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1919-01-30
MICHIGAN'S BUDGET
SYSTEM A REALITY
FIRST ONE EVER PRESENTED IN
STATE PREPARED BY CHARLES
D. THOMPSON OF BAD AXE.
si4,324,ooo FOR INSTITUTIONS
Special Investigator Recommends In
creased Salaries for Deputy State
Officers and other.

Lansing-Michigan' first budget
system is at last reality. Whether
the present budget will, because Of
opposition in the legislature, be the
last for several years, matters not;
the legislature now has before it a
budget for state institutions, and with
that budget it received several appro-
priation bills prepared by the special
Investigator of the budget commits
sion, Charles ID. Thompson, of Bad
Axe.
The institutional figures are $14,-
606,626 less than the sum asked for
by. the institutions heads.
Mr.. Thompson recommends in
creased salaries for deputy state Of
ficers, the secretary Of the board of
state auditors and for the justices of
the supreme court.
'In making these records it was
my desire to obtain for you, fair
statement as to the social activity
represented by the institution or de-
partment, or give fair opportunity
to the head of the department to tell
his plans and requirements, to get a
record which would be fair to the
taxpayers who must pay the bill, and
20 obtain the information which
thought would be of value to you as
the appropriating body of the state.
FuIler's Figures Used.
Warden Fuller's views were that
during the first year of the biennial
period, food and clothing could be
purchased for 20 per cent less and
that coal could be purchased for from
20 to 35 per cent less during the next
two years than it had been costing
during the preceding year. Generally
speaking, these figures were adopted
in making recommendations.
Lack of Standardization of sala-
ries and wages was apparent every
where, therefore, recommend salaries
and wages at the rates now being
paid, with the exception that the sub
ject must be thoroughly covered by
your committees having charge of
appropriations. would urge effort
for Standardization of salaries and
this, of course, can only be made by
the legislature.
THE record discloses great need
for repairs at Jackson prison and at
the Industrial School for Boys"
Thompson explained that the esti-
mates used in preparing this budget
were divided into Is subdivisions.
THE first" said Chairman Thomp-
son, "is food, and the figures show
an expenditure for that commodity of
$1,334,674 during the last fiscal year
and estimates of S1,525,376.7 and ST.
603.401, respectively, for each Of the
next two fiscal years. The recon-
mendations for these years are 81,
14S,50O and $1,O29,2 200, respectively.
"The largest consumer OF food
among state institutions is the Kali
amazoo State hospital, which spent
$228,2S057 for food last year. The
state PRISONS expenditure for food
was $133,539 last year and the esti-
mate of the requirements for the first
year for the proposed Michigan State
Training School for Women is $22, 1000.
Expenditures of the state for
building last year were $22O,97421
and neither Of these amounts include
the new state office building.
"The smallest item Is that of print
ing and binding, the requests having
only been made for s37,751.SS for
next year.
Adrian Home Budget sIashed.
"The Industrial Home for Girls at
Adrian spent $27,211 for food last
year and estimated its requirements
at $39.440 for each of the next two
fiscal years. It's clothing account was
sS,465 for last year and its estimates
are $4,000 for the next two years.
The total expenditure OF that institu-
ton last year was $10S,634, and the
estimate for its requirements for the
next year was $163.O2S and s145,0
for tho nyear following The recon-
mendations are s1O7,954 and los, 1894
FOR these years.
"The miscellaneous account which
has been tho bugbear OF legislators,
and budget makers, appears very
strongly in the estimates. The first
year II "a s5,047.843.97 and second
year $3.50 .cG6.O1, estimated as be-
Ing necessary for miscellaneous pur-
poses. That these did not impress
the maker of the budget Is shown by
the, recommendation of $1.715,415 for
the FIRST yesr and s1.176.6S2 for mis-.
cellancous second year."