The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1920-12-25
STATE EXPENSES
MUST Be DECREASED
Budget System Is Favored As
Means of Keeping Ex-
penses Down

The affairs of the Nevada State
government we're discussed on alarge
, scale at the recent meeting Of the
legislative committee appointed by
the Reno Chamber of Commerce, the
speakers being A. e. Cheney. George
3. Thatcher, Warren G. Noteware Of
Lovelock and t. j. Bell. former State
Senator from Nye County, says the
Gazette.
Noteware's address was somewhat
lengthy and was illustrated by a mass
of figures which he read to substan-
tiate the arguments he advanced. Re-
plying to the assertion made by Gov
ernor Boyle a week ago that Note
ware had cost the taxpayers of the
State $4,000, the amount of depre-
citation on State highways bonds, be-
cause of his statement that Nevada
was on the verge of bankruptcy"
Noteware denied that he ever made
such a statement to the Governor.
He said, however, that it was his be-
lief that If steps were not taken to
keep down the extravagances of var
ious departments of the State gov
eminent the State would be OIL the
verge of bankruptcy.
Noteware expressed his displeasure
particularly toward the State De-
partment of Highways and the State
Tax Commission. He had figures
which he said showed the monthly
expense of every branch of the State
Farmers in this section of the State,
he said, were opposed to being taxed
in order to support the department
of highways. He said that figures
showed the salary list of the depart
ment amounted to twenty per cent
Of the total amount expended. Sal
aries, he said, ranged from $4,000
per month to $4,000 per month, the
peak being reached in July, 1920.
The present State Tax Commission,
start. Noteware declared that the
present prices the farmers are COM
PEELED to get for the products COM
pared with the prices a year ago in
dictated that they are going to have
hard times from now on unless some
thing is done to relieve them.
Answering the arguments of Note
ware, A. E. Cheney pointed out that
If the farmers of the country are
feed to sell their crops next year at
lower prices than in the last few
previous years it is only an evening
up" process.
Farmers, he said, were able to sell
their crops during the first year of
the war at the peak of the high price
wave and had produced them at pre-
war prices. Now they must sell the
last years crop at pre-war prices al
though produced at the high costthat
prevailed during the var period.
Judge Cheney said he could see moth
ing in that over which the farmers
could find any particular fault.
I'm the reconstruction period"
said Judge Cheney, I'VE all must bear
u share of the burden. / don't
know that there is any way in which
we can avoid it."
Judge Cheney advanced the opin-
ion that closer attention should be
given to the budget system in the es-
timation Of the costs Of conducting
the various departments of the State,
and that budgets should be more
closely adhered to. He said he be-
lieved budgets should not be pre-
pared by people who control the
purse strings" but by some indie
pendent body the members of which
are not directly interested in the
question of salaries.
He pointed out that the State Uni
yersity, during the last two years,
has been conducted strictly within
the budget.
George b. Thatcher told the com
mittee that statistics show the cost
of conducting the States affairs has
not increased to any ~perceptible de-
gree during the last five years. He
quoted figures prepared at the State
Controllers Office to show that from
1915 to 1920 the increase in State
expenditures due to commissions and
deputies has been negligible. The
chief increase, he said, has been in
the cost of conducting the depart
ment of education. This he argued.
could not be avoided without keep
ing down the efficiency of the educa-
tional system. The chief increases,
he said. were due to the construction
of school buildings and higher sal
aries for teachers. Thatcher gave 1t
as his opinionsthat it will be difficult
to ''prune" any of the State depart |
ments without seriously affecting
their efficiency.