The New York herald., 1921-01-06
through organizations like the boy

Scouts"
Our necessities constrain me to recon-
mend the repeal of the law and the
abolition of the commission. effecting a
reduction In the budget Of $607.4s0.
The appropriations last year for the
penal. charitable and curative institu-
tions were s36,eo4,57s.57 being second
only to those for education. The requests
In that group this year total s56.767.-
67s.s2.
The prisons are under the fiscal con-
troll and management of the Superin-
tendent of Prisons, and under the Con-
stitution must remain there. Indeed,
am inclined to the view that the prisons
should be kept. both as to the manage
ment and fiscal control. In class by
themselves.
The hospitals are under the fiscal con-
troll Of the Hospital Commission. certain
OF the so-called charitable institutions
are under the fiscal control Of the Fis-
cal Supervisor of Charities. and some
institutions appear to be practically in
dependent of central fiscal control.
The question arises In my mind
whether all State institutions other than
the prisons should not be brought under
one fiscal control. and whether such
control with central purchasing for all
will not result In economy. This SUBJ
ject has been much discussed and many
efforts have been made to solve it. It
has assumed such proportions that 1t
must be treated as a business problem.
do not recommend any change which
would interfere with local boards or the
present management. which I believe to
be excellent Nothing should be done
To diminish the comfort Of the States
urroIsunates, or to disturb the morale
q those whose lives are devoted to their
care. But the problem Will not down
until 1t Is solved right / wish to give
the subject further study before arriy-
ing at definite conclusions Meanwhile,
commend 1t to your careful considera-
ton. We should take no step without
first being assured Of our grounds
therefor.
Central Fiscal Control.
also invite consideration Of the
question whether the tuberculosis hos
pitfl az Rayhrook and the Hospital for
Crippled Children at West Haverstraw
should not be placed under the Depart
ment or Health, and whether the schools
for the blind and deaf and the Thomas
Indian School should not be placed under
the jurisdiction Of the Educational De-
partment
The increase in vocational and agri-
rapid growth of appropriations therefor
also suggest the inquiry Whether there
should not at least be some central fiscal
control OF these institutions. The ap-
preparations requested this year for such
institutions and the Geneva Experiment.
al Station total $5.665.31S.90. On these
subjects / am not yet prepared to make
definite recommendations. but / invite
your careful consideration of them.
There was appropriated for the De-
partment Of Narcotic Drug Control last
year $4,000. and the requests this year
total s217.37S.75. I doubt the wisdom
of continuing this department. The
problem Is difficult one. In my opinion
Ii can effectively be dealt with in only
one of two ways-either by preventing
unlawful sale of drugs by stopping
smuggling, which can only be done by
the Federal Government. or by custodial
care and treatment of addicts. which is
practically impossible. The State does
not prohibit the sale of drugs but only
attempts to regulate it. 1t occurs to me
that the granting of permits and the ac-
companying supervision might we'll be
committed 70 some local authority. 1t
has been suggested that the powers of
the commission be transferred to the
State Department of Health. In any
view 1t does not appear to me that a
separate State department is necessary
to deal with this subject.
Would Abolish Positions.
We have a Board of Port wardens,
which so far as / have been able to
learn performs no useful function, Their
abolition has many times been recon-
mended. / recommend that they be
abolished. not only to save expense. but
for the even, stronger reason that an ex-
ample be set Of not continuing any po-
sition solely for its political patronage.
The office OF superintendent of cleo
tions had appropriations of s265,350 last
year, and requests s319.990 this year.
see no necessity for continuing that
department and recommend that 1t be
abolished.
The Federal Government is about
ready to take over the Department Of
the Health Officer of the Port of New
York, so il will rot be necessary to
make appropriation therefor.
The appropriation requested this year
for publishing the laws and official
notices total s1.0e5.000. including a de-
ficiency of S775,000 for the current year.
That sharply presents the question
whether that expense should be contin-
ued. In my Judgment is serves no useful
public purpose, and, like all things done
for' an Interior purpose, Is subject 10
grave abuses. / recommend that the
practice be discontinued.
invite attention to the question
whether the time has not arrived for the
State really to conserve some of its
natural resources. Valuable timber Is
annually going to waste In the forest
preserve. II seems to me that plan
ought to be devised to utilize such tim
ber in a way to protect and improve the
forest preserve and at the same time
produce a substantial revenue and pre-
vent waste of valuable timber, which IS
greatly needed. OF course, that will re-
quire constitutional amendment. /
recommend the subject to your careful.
consideration.
I have undertaken in this message to
deal only with the financial affairs OF
the State and related subjects. because
wish at the outset to concentrate the
attention OF the Legislature upon what
appears to me to be the most vital prob
lemu with which you will have to deal.
have undertaken to indicate the gen.
eral lines on which we should proceed.
and have specified some Of the major
things which think may be done to
secure a more efficient and economical
administration of the public business
have not by any means exhausted or at
tempted to exhaust the list. The whole
budget must be critically examined. AS
II has been impossible in the time at