Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1921-01-04
DEDUCTS THREE MILLION FRONt
ESTIMATES OF DEPARTMENT.
AL HEADS
CUTS EDUCATION HEAVILY
Recommends Current School Fun1
Bears Expense State Department
of Education.

In totaling from the general fund
which is raised by direct taxation,
and which pays the operating expense
Of state government, the state board
of finance in its budget, issued Friday
for submission to the state legislature
deducted $2,905,670 from estimates
turned in by the state department
heads OF their cash needs for the
coming two years, as revised by the
boord the general fund budget calls
for a total appropriation of $1O,775,-
29O as compared with $1O,660,00O
appropriation in 1919.
The heaviest cut is made upon the
appropriation estimates of Josephine
Corliss Preston, state superintendent
of public instruction, for the finaD-
cial needs Of the state public school
system for two years. Mrs. Preston
osked for $337,145 to which the
board applied reduction OF $24s.-
4s5 leaving the public school recon-
mendation at $96.660. The total
public school appropriation in 1919
was $l0S, ,ls0.@ Several special lines
carried on by this department are
eliminated entirely by the board. The
item of rural school. Improvement
alone is cut from the superintenden,'s
estimate of $5,4O0. and supplies.
materiol and service cost for this
department is brought down to $1,000
where the estimate was $4,000.
In addition the state board of f.
nance recommends that expense OF
the public administration be borne
from the current expense fund in
stead OF the general fund and also
advises that the cost Of carrying on
the industrial. insurance department
be charged hereafter to the state
accident fund. which is paid by the
employers.
In the report the board says:
1--WE also recommend that appro-
priations heretofore made from the
general fund for the department Of
education should be appropriated
from the current school fund This
will tighten the burden of the gen.
eral fund and place the appropriations
where they properly belong.
"At the present date there is an
overdraft in the state general fund Of
more than $1.000.O00."
The current school fund to which
the educational department expense
is sought to be transferred is raised
by separate state tax levy from
that which provides the general fund.
Salary increases of the state officers
and employees feature the revised
buget despite the apparent showing
of total reductions, these in many
instances exceeding the amounts
asked for by departmental estimates
Two increases of salary each from
$4,000 to $1,000 q year for state
land commissioner and state insurance
commissioner were proveded by the
act passed in 1919. The state tax
commissioner is also scheduled for
$4,000 year by the finance board,
instead of $4,000. The board also
allows a request for increase OF state
bureau Of inspection salaries from
S2,5O0 to $4,000 year. The only
other increase granted the bureau is
$1,000 instead of $500 a year for
the secretary.
An increase of $1,000 for COVER
hor's office and the same increase for
the attorney general are allowed for
clerk hire in the two departments.
In dealing with the highway de-
partment the finance board recon-
mends reenactment of the state road
levy OF s2,7s0,O0O together with the
permanent highway levy of $4,O15.-
wv and thsg federal aid revolving
lund OF $1,600.0O0, but leaves the
salaries with other expenses blank
Inc total public highway fund Is
inquired at $10,O4O, 900 in the official
budget.
from the general fund the Univer.