Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-11-30
USE SHORT BALLOT
IN STATE, URGES
REVENUE BODY
Continued from Page One.l

1874, or an average of about 81
cents per license. In 1920 there
have been approximately $4,000 Ii
-censes handled at an expense of
$17,3G9.73, or an average of about
70 cents, In other words, the cost
of administration has dropped two
cents per license in spite of higher
express and freight rates and the
necessity for a higher scale of sal
aries. Further, this year the sec
rotary of state has spent about
fifty cents per license for license
tags and copy Of the automobile
law The tags are to be made per-
manent and the, new date badge
costs only four and a half cents
The writer is inclined to believe
that the present secretary of state
has not been wasteful in handling
the license work.
Change Auto Licensing.
However, there is another point
on which the commission advises
that the licensing of automobiles
be taken from the secretary of
state and given to the highway de-
partment That is, in effect, that
since the money goes for roads and
the highway department seeks to
make as good u record as possible,
the opportunity for administering
the law would include an incentive
to do it as cheaply as possible in
order that more funds should be
available for road work. Further.
the highway department has agents
all over the state who could detect
and correct violations of the Ii
censing law.
Coming to the department of in
surance, the report says: "The
commission cannot too strongly
condemn the practice that has ex-
listed of permitting state officer
to be absent from his office and
perform no duties nor render the
state any service and at the same
time draw full pay. This has been
The situation in the insurance de-
partment Had it not been for the
Willingness Of capable deputy to |
hold the position at a low salary,
the state would undoubtedly have
suffered from the negligence of
the head of a department."
To this doctrine, the writer can
not subscribe. The present incum-
bent, Remijo Mirabal, has undoubt-
edly been away from the office
constantly. The present
deputy, p. A, NJ, Leinau, has Ger
tainly been on hand. Yet, under
existing laws and the decision of |
the supreme court in the case of |
the state VS.. Sargent, there is little |
work of real value to be done and |
1t might have been better to have |
seen a deputy also derelict in his |
office hours in order that the folly |
of the office might have been |
shown.
No Insurance Duties.
The commission itself recognizes |
the lack of duties, since it says
under another heading in the re-
port: I'm spite of the fact that
there was nothing left for such an
superintendent of insur-
ance) to do, the legislatures have
continued to appropriate $1,000 II
wear for salary and $4,000 more |
for expenses of the office, and the
governor to appoint an incumbent
10 the office. This is manifestly a
waste of money which is quite in
excusable" The commission must
realize that 1t was hardly neces-
sary for the superintendent to be
in the office with nothing to do and
two people to do it,
The commission recommends the
abolition of the three-man corpora
ton commission as such, and, after
a. general shifting of duties, the
creation of a one-man public utili- |
ties commission with vital powers
not now owned by the corporation
commission. For instance, the sec.
rotary of state, freed of the licens-
ing OF automobiles would regulate |
foreign and domestic corporations,
grant franchises, etc, as now done |
by the corporation commission, The
state bank examiner would look
after the examining of insurance
companies. The other possible tasks |
Of the insurance department would
,e performed by the state tax conf
mission. The present yearly cost or
handling all this work is now $3S,-
700: the estimated cost of the new
,ystem would be $4,000. or saw
ng of $20.600.
Change i'm Names.
Under the heading of state audi
or. treasurer, and state travelling
,uditor. the commission recon-
nends that the present auditor be |
DESIGNATED the comptroller and the
auditor be known as the
tate auditor. They will be so des-
snated in considering the proposed
'ystem.
AS the present auditing system