Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-01-06


extraordinary expenses at least one mil
lion dollars a year. With this situation
in view, a program should be adopted
extending over the fOur-year period, AMI
to include the following; Increasing the
CAPACITY OF our State hospitals for the
insane by at least 1900, as elsewhere
stated. the erection of new buildings at
the Central Hospital for the Insane; the
completion of the group of buildings at
the Epiieptic Village at Newcastle ana
the construction Of the feeble minded
colony at Butlerville; the removal or
the reformatory; the erection of a chill
dren's hospital and psychopath1c clinic
established in connection with the Long
Hospital and the State Medical School.
The entire program ought TO and can
be completed within the four-year Pc
riod and with no increase in the state
tax levy These matters are all or
great importance to the people OF the
State and I trust that the General AS
sembly can see its way clear to make
the appropriation necessary to carry out
the above program.
If this recommendation should be APP
proved, the law should provide that the
work should move forward upon the ap-
proval of the Governor as rapidly as
the funds are available.
The State has never had uniform
policy with respect to charging fees to
cover the cost of maintaining its va
rious inspection departments.
The bank department is entirely sup
ported by the fees collected from banks,
savings associations and building and
loan associations. The oil department is
supported by the fees charged there. The
pure food and drug division of the State
Board of Health by the last General
Assembly was authorized to charge GER
tain fees that assist in paying the eX-
penses of that department.
The policy that obtains in many States,
in my judgment, should obtain here,
namely, that in all cases where the ma
ture of the business requires inspection
or SUPERVISION by the State, fees will
be charged by the State for the service
rendered to cover at least the cost of
the department
FAYORs FIXING
INSPECTION FEES.
I recommend that the laws be amended
SO as to fix fees for the inspection OF
mines factories dairies bake shops,
boilers and the various other activities
inspected and supervised by the State so
as TO cover into the treasury sum at
least sufficient 70 pay the entire costs OF
maintaining su.h services.
When the board Of State Tax Com
missioners met in September, 1920, TO d1
the levies for all State purposes, it was
ascertained that the fees collected by the
various departments and the earnings or
the State Institutions would be more
than sufficient to pay all the ordinary
p
that IL would not be necessary to make q
levy for that purpose.
The presidents Of the States schools
appeared before the tax board and re-
quested that the levy Of IS cents Tor
these institutions be increased l cent.
II was the opinion Of the board. In
which the executive cOncurred, that the
General Assembly never intended 10 con-
fer Cd the tax board the power to appro-
pirate money, which result would nave
To.HF+ Hr7f1- s.fN hn
levy.
After giving careful consideration to
the situation the board of tax commits
siOners decided to add one mill TO the
tax levy. The proceeds of this extra
mill, amounting to about S5oOOOO. viii De
paid into the general fund during this
year, and subject to appropriation by
tire General Assembly, If IN its judgment
the State schools need additional funds to
carry on their work.
b In 1917 Governor RalstOn recommended
TO the General Assembly the adjustment
Of the separate boards Of control of the
various institutions and Capitalization OF
control together with the purchase OF sup
plies In a central board OF control. Be
lieving, as I did, that all Of the advantage
Of centralized purchasing could be ac-
! cOmplished without losing the great adj
vantage arising from the nOn-partisan
ma engagement Of the institution by sepa-
rate boards, I recommended to the Gen
Z Il
purchasing committee to be made up Of
a member designated from the board Of
trustees Of each State institution. After
two years trial this was found TO be
cumbersome and unavoidable. The Gen
{ eral Assembly Of 1919 upon executive
- Dmmendation, authorized this commit
. tee to employ a secretary or purchasing
agent. The results accomplished have
justified the statement by Governor Rails
ton that $3.50 coo could be saved in the
ha Of hn
standardized a large number of articles
used by the institutions and centralized
the purchase Of these articles In n
purchasing agent who acts with the ad
vice Of a small committee of the trustees.
This arrangement has obtained the eff
cheney Of centralized purchasing agent.
1t has cut out the middleman's profit,
bringing the State as consumer and the
manufactures and producer together. Yet
IL has left the general conduct of the in
stituti0n in the hands Of it's board of
trustees thus preserving all the advan-
Z tage of separate control.
s247,O1O.44 SAVED
IN SINGLE YEAR.
The joint purchasing committee has
hled It's report which shows a saving in
a single year of S24701044. The purchas-
ing committee is gradually taking over
the purchase Of additional supplies.
In addition to the above. by cO-ordi-
mating the work of the various institu-
tons and arranging for one institution
to supply all the others with certain
needed articles. the purchasing commit
tee has been able to effect other savings
not indicated in their report
l earnestly urge that the present ar
rangement be continued.
The inheritance tax in Indiana has
proven a source of considerable revenue
This money goes into the highway fund
to be used in building and maintaining
the highways. The amount Of taxes col
lected is not in line with levies by many
other States. l recommend that the
present rate Of taxation upon the deVolu-
tion Of estates be increased.
The tax levied upon automobiles in
his State is entirely Inadequate is be-
Ow the average collected throughout the
country and very much less than the
amount collected in the States adjoin-
ing US.
The tax on trucks is particularly low.
The truck lines of the States are han
ding each year an increased amount Of
exclusively for Profit. The tax on trucks
should be greatly increased so that they
would to some extent contribute to the
support of highways in proportion to the
$4,000 to $4,000 a mile to build hard
surface roads and furnish the rights of
way for these commercial truck lines to
pursue their business. While the con-
structiOn OF these roads is of great bene-
fit to the State, in addition to that 1t is
OF peculiar and special benefit 10 the
owners of automobiles and trucks.
recommend that the tax upon trucks be
increased heavily, and that the automo-
bile tax generally be increased, and that
he funds so derived be used for the con
truction and maintenance OF the high
way system of the State. 1t has been
suggested that data on the gasoline and
ills be prepared for submission to the
GENERAL Assembly. This I have rad
done. Several States have enacted laws
leVying taxes upon gasoline, the pro-
ceeds of which is used for the construe-