The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-11-13
VERMONT PAYS MORE
FOR ROADS THAN FOR
MER STATE EXPENSE
Declared State Auditor Benjamin
Gates to Barre Audience Last
Night-Stste Finances Ex-
planned.

In the series of talks by state off
cials to- acquaint the people of Yer
mont with the inside of their gov
ernment affairs, State Auditor Ber "a
min Gates told Barre board of trade
and Vincitia club audience IN the
rooms of the latter last evening that
the cost of the state highway depart
ment alone during the past year was
greater than the entire state expenses
10 years ago. This amount ran well
over a million dollars.
During his talk Auditor Gates went
into the details of the state finances
and explained the manner of making
up the state budget. The speaker was
introduced by i. r. Hutchinson.
At the outset of his remarks, the
speaker referred to the fact that state
officials come in for considerable criti-
cism from the people largely because
the people do not understand the ma
chinery Of government; yet he ad-
mitted that state officials may be open
10 criticism because they do not carry
into their public Office the same econo-
my which they use in the administra-
tion of their own affairs. The reason
for this latter state of mind, OF hab-
it. or call it what you will. is that
the state officials are not called upon
TO finance" their public office; that Is,
raise the money which they spend. In
the case of the business man, it is
necessary for him to raise the money
before he can go ahead with his bIsl-
ness. SO he is careful when he gets
the money; in the case of the public
official, the money is raised for him
and he does not always exercise the
same close scrutiny OF expenditures as
he did As a private citizen and bnsl-
ness man. The speaker deplored this
mental attitude on the part OF some
state officials.
The method OF raising state money
was described by Auditor Gates as
coming through taxation, fees, H.
censes. etc. The board OF control
makes up the budget for the entire
state, and the money is allocated 70
the various departments The revenue
of the state is classified as general
and pledged. Revenue under the latter
classification is money paid 70 tue
state for q specific purpose, Ike the
receipts of the automobile registration
money. which goes to the highway de
partment and is used according TO the
speaker, in the patrolling OF the main
highways and some of the smaller
roads. Going into the general fund are
such items as the receipts from state
banks and from railroads. The direct
state tax OF 40 cents on the dollar
- ;rt. +ba General fund
Besides describing the sources Of
revenue. the state auditor IN some De
tail went into an explanation OF INC
amounts Of money allotted 60 the Nari-
Gus departments; and TO Indicate the
vastly Increased expenses of state GOV
ernment, he declared, as stated IN the
first of this article, that the state hlgh-
way department used more money last
wear than the entire cost OF govern
ment was a decade ago. The auditor
did not criticize this department or any
other department specifically, other
than to intimate at the outset thai
some state officials do not, perhaps
get the proper viewpoint because they
are spending public money and not
their own.
At the close Of his remarks, Mr.
Gates invited interrogation from his
audience and. for few minutes, an
swered questions as the cigars were
passed around.
Later Cheney Jones of Boston was
introduced as a representative OF m
Red Cross, and he spoke for about ~
minutes on the aspirations and work
of that organization.
Two more speakers in the series oi
talks bv state officials, as as'arranged by
the Greater Vermont ASSOCIATION ana
cooperated in by the Barre board o.
trade. arc Secretary Of state Harry
4. Black of Newport and Fish and
Game Commissioner Linus Dcavens oi
Cambridge Their dates are Nov -
and Dec. ,. respectively.