The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-11-16
STATE FINANCES
DISGUISE D BY
AUDITOR Gates
Instructive Talk at Bennington
Club Rooms Monday Night
GIVES BUDGET DETAILS
Believes It Should include Funds De.
rived from Sources other
than Taxation.

At the Bennington club rooms Mon
day evening State Auditor Benjamin
Gates delivered the second of the SER
les CT addresses by state officials re-
Gently arranged through the eo-opera-
tion Of the Greater Vermont associa-
ton. The meeting was public and
considerable number of business and
professional men, in addition to club
members, were present.
The auditor spoke for nearly two
hours His remarks were made In an
unusually deliberate manner and his
audience was therefore able to obtain
more comprehensive grasp Of the
large amount of information he had to
disclose. Naturally he dealt much
with fignres-always a dry subject
but he handled his theme is such a
comprehensive manner as to hold the
close attention Of his audience
Almost in the beginning OF his re-
marks the auditor touched upon the
subject of increased state expenses
and then proceeded to give some of
the reasons for this increase. The
state highway department, he said, is
now annually expending more money
than was used in every department OF
state government ten years ago. Ex-
panses of the educational department
had also largely Increased Educa.
ton and roads, he said came directly
home to every citizen and unless Yer.
none was prepared to take a back
ward step these increased expenses
must continue.
The method Of raising state money
was described by Auditor Gates as
fhrnMnh ~
censes, ETC. The board OF control
makes up the budget for the entire
state, and the money Is arocated to
the various departments. The revenue
OF the state Is classified as general
ana pledged Revenue under the lat.
ter classification is money paid to the
state for specific purpose, like the
receipts Of the automobile registration
money, which goes 10 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 railrca The
direct state tax OF 40 cents on the dol
lar goes into the general fund.
The sneaker went into considerable
detail in describing the operations of
the budget law which he believed had
been a great factor In improving the
banding Of state funds. He believed.
however, that the law should be i'm
proved to give more minute consider
aticn OF the pledged monies which
went directly to different depart
ments.
Mr.. Gates brought out the surpris-
ne fa"t that tha state had over a mil
Hon and a ha'f dollars in the treas
ury and said he did not believe the
NEXT Legislature would vote a direct
state tax Tho funded debt was
about s2.000000 three fourths Of
which represented the bonus Of which
renreenrt'd the bonus OF S1.5O0. 600
given the soldiers IN the world war
Mr. Ga'as' address was full of
hsnres and exceedingly informing
and pt the clfse he answered several
1ueoections from gentlemen in the
s-s The sneafer was introduced by
nean ! Martin Monday evening, De-
.cemher 6, the third of the series OF
~eetnrs which are haine carried
through hv Secretary Taylor of the
Greater Vermont association and VIII
un'N y Nichols Of the Pennington
Roard Of Trade will he held at the
RHnnirFton club, The speaker on this
occasion will he v. s. Brigham, COM
missioner of agriculture