The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1921-04-22

the state Accident Commission, the
Beard of Prison Control, the Con-
srrVatiOn Commission, and has en-
larg1d the powers of the State Health
Commission the Lunacy Commission
beside creating numerous boards in
no little confusion in the administra-
ton Of the function of the State
Governments and. what at the pres
ent time OF abnOrmally high taxes is
Of special Importance. take large
sums from the State Treasury. All
of these bodies, which together form
a cumbersome and unwieldy whole
are 10 be reduced according to the
Governors plan, to certain compact
and efficient boards. composed of a
few able and skillful men. whose
duties and powers are to be careful
ly defined and limited, and whose ex-
penses are to be rigidly regulated by
law. One Commission after another
has been created by the General As
sembly, often more for the purpose
of making official positions for hun
CRY spokesman, than for any real
necessity to the State Government,
and usually the men who were select
ed to hold the jobs were on hand to
help pass the bills through the law
making body.
As a result the tax payers have
loaded upon the treasury, an army of
office hOlderS-in not a few instances
two or three inefficient men are paid
by the public to do what one really
competent man ought to do. Twenty
years ago two or three rooms in Bal
timore were sufficient to accommodate
all the State Officials whose duties
were performed away from the
State Capitol. Now whole floors in
several of the largest Office buildings
in Baltimore, are crowded by Com
missions of all sorts and kinds, and
their hundreds of subOrdinates, lit
orally making up a small army. and
costing hundreds of thousands of,
dollars every year. And all of these
commissions are asking for more
room, more money and more people
to aid them in their work. That
there is much waste of labor and eff
ficiency, and no little waste OF
money, is apparent to all who are ia
miliar with the way public work is
done. For nearly a year the Cover
nor, has been making an exhaustive
all JuOIOuSu VI al l1CoC
matters and has reached certain def
mite conclusions in regard to them.
In short time therefore he proposed
to make certain recommendations as
10 what he thinks should be one, in
order to give the people time to con-
slider them at their leisures and on
their merits. Heretofore Governors
have reserved their recommendations
until the opening of the General As |
scmbly when they have presented
their views and plans in messages to
the two Houses. The plan of the
present Governor seems to be great |
over the old system. |
Making it public months before the
law making body meets, will give the
people an opportunity to look into
all these matters for themselves, and
will open them for discussion during
the campaign in which the men who |
are to vote on them at Annapolis, |
will have a chance to discuss them
before the people, and find out what
they think of them. In this way, the
voters can pass on the plans of the !
Executive at the polls and he will
find out whether public sentiment IS
with or against him.
There is no doubt of the fact that |
the Governors program is the most
revolutionary every placed before the
people of Maryland, and will bring
about great changes in the effective !
ness of he State Government. !
There is also no doubt that it's en-
actment will greatly reduce the ex-
penses of the public srevice, which |
has been going on in slip shod, IN )
efficient way, as slow growth, ever
since the Civil War, now nearly SIX
ty wears ago. Most of the officials
during all of that period of time have
been honest and faithful men, and
whatever of evils have existed, nave
been those of a system of Admins
tration, and Legislation, which the
people of the State have long out !
drawn. Now that States as we'll as
all sorts of Government Agencies
are obliged to retrench and econo-
mize. 1t is we'll for the people OF
Maryland to give serious considera-
ton to these problems, a solution OF
which the Governor is preparing 10
propose to them. ,
PAUL WINCHESTER.