The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-04-05
GOVERNORS
MESSAGE TO THE
LEGISLATURE
A Long Document but Ably Written
Concerning Affairs of Most
Interest to Our State

Gentlemen of the Senate and House
of Representatives of the Florida
legislature:
Section 9 of Article 4 of the consti-
tuition of Florida is as follows:
"The governor shall communicate
by message to the legislature at each
regular session, information concern
ing the condition of the state, and rec
ommend such measures as he may
deem expedient."
In keeping with the foregoing pro
vision of our constitution. l have the
honor of submitting to your consid-
Grafton the following information, to-
gether with such Recommendations as
would seem appropriate at this time:
In general sense. the financial con,
dition of the state is sound. The state
has no bonded Indebtedness except the
sum of s601 500, which bonds are now
owned by division of the state gov
ernment, to-wit: the state board of
education.
| believe the time has arrived when
we should adopt some plan for their
retirement. The fact that the bonds
are now owned by a branch of the
I state government does not mean that
the state need not concern itself
about their retirement. They are, as
stated, owned by the state board of
education, and the constitution re-
quires that the funds held by said
board of education shall remain in
violate, except that the interest on the
fund is distributed to counties The
bonds must eventually be retired, and
we should now adopt a plan of retire
ment which will make their payment
easy.
recommend that an act be passed
creating what might be called sink
| ing fund commission, composed of the
governor, state treasurer, attorney
general, secretary of state and state
superintendent of public instruction,
who shall direct the state treasurer
to open a sinking fund account for
the retirement of the bonds, all the
/ interest paid by the banks on state
deposits to be credited to this fund.
! The commissioners should have the
power to invest the funds in high class
! bonds as they may accumulate from
year to year. And when this accu-
mutation of securities and cash equal
the bonded Indebtedness of the state,
then the commission should be clothed
with the power of substituting the ac-
cumulated securities and cash for said
state bonds at which tipe the state
bonds may be retired Through this
method their payment may be easily
accomplished and can be brought
about in nine years, or perhaps lit
tie earlier.
There is another item touching the
| states financial condition to which ]
feel it my duty to call your attention
inasmuch as appropriate action must
be taken by your body at this session
in order that the deficit hereinafter
referred to may be taken care of.
During the year 1920 an appropria-
ton by the legislature of 1919 for the
support of the Hospital for the Insane
at Chattahoochee, and an appropria-
ton made for the support of the In
dustrial School for BOYS at Mariana
were insufficient to take care of the
large expenditures of these institu.
tions. The deficit at the Hospital fol-
the Insane amounted to S177, 7,623. 20
The deficit at the Industrial Schoo
for Boys at Mariana amounted tc
SAL ,7S4.52. The board of commission
iers of state institutions, under the ad
ministration of my predecessor. ar
ranged with certain financial institu
tions to carry the deficit above re
ferred to at an agreed rate of interes
of six per cent per annum. That tht
credit and good faith of the state ma!
be maintained, it will be necessary fo1
the present legislature to care for tn,
! obligations of the state in this regard
and it will also be necessary to pass
as speedily as possible, an emergenc!
= appropriation to provide funds for tn,
above institutions until the funds un
= der the general appropriation bill ma!
be available.
l Apart from the items above referet
: to, the financial condition of the stat
= is sound. | cannot say as much, how
t ever, for the individual counties of tn
5 state A great many of the countie
D are largely involved financially. ant
r especially is this true regarding tn
, county boards of public instruction.
will perhaps be necessary during tn
r present session to adopt measure
= authorizing the county school board
0 of the various counties to issue seria
: obligations to care for much existing
: indebtedness. The present law au
d thorizes county boards of public in
: struction to borrow so per cent Q
their adopted budget for the -purpos
of maintaining their terms Of schoo
This provision, while in a measur