The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-09-19
EACH LEGISLATURE
ADDS DEPARTMENTS
One Reason Why Expense Of Govern
ment Grows, Declares Ap-
propriations Chairman

Burlington, SEPT l9.---Frank T. Bar.
Der, Chairman of the appropriations
committee in the House Of Representa-
tiyes in the Legislature of 1921, was
the principal speaker today at the
closing SESSION of the citizenship con.
Terence at the University of Vermont.
ne under the auspices Of the League
iof Women Voters Mr.. Barber said:
The tine has come when we have
got 10 have an executive who will de.
vote his entire time to the states bus-
mess We now .laye an income monnt
ing up into the millions The COVER.
nor should hand in to the l.egisietnre
a report showing just where the state
stands financially and estimating how
much money IL VIII take to run the
states Affairs during the coming two
years A limit should be set Tor ex.
penditures and then the Legislature
should keep within that Iimt.
Should Merge Departments
We need these many departments
ioined into one large department With
the governor at the head He should
get eight or ten men who viii take
charge OF the various departments un.
der him and be responsible to rim for
expenditures.
y believe that the women are going
to see that they get full value received
from their taxes, Just the same as
they demand that they shall get value
received for the money they put into
household affairs | believe that wo.
men are on the whole more economi-
cal than men in the handling Of affairs
Mr. Barber called attention to the
fact that each egis ature is made up
of men Of whom 70 pc rcent have had
no legislative experience and no
knowledge Of the work to be done
They so to Montpelier with good in.
tentions and they cannot be corrupt
ed, but they find themselves at once
the center of appeals from numerous
boards and commissions, v Hich have
been created by former Legislatures
for money 70 carry on different Kinds
OF work.
expense is the RcSut
There are in Vermont today G7 or
more departments or commissions
which are dependant upon the state
for support Expenses for administra-
ton of the foregoing have increased
until in 1920 S232,0OO was expended
Each Legislature has added one OF
more of these departments. Many OF
these boards and comissons are good
in themselves, but the trouble Is that
appropriations tor them are made AM
they are left to spend the money with
out any check on them for the next
two years,
The budget comittee. he said. which
was brought into being IN 1915, did
not prove very successful, and tho
board of control, OF FIVE members with
the governor at the head, organized
in 1917 for the purpose of checking ~
tie various departments, Is not serv
ing the purpose which many supposed
that II would. iu
No Check on Expenditures
Mr. BARBER went on to say that the
state has enough unpledged revenue
including the money from the fish and
game licenses and other receipts from
the public. which amounts to $t,250.
600, whicA ia expended by the boards
u commissions, which take II in
without any check He also stated
that there are many departments
which show profit adding that It is
not necessary that this profit should
remain in these departments It
might be distributed among other de.
partments which have not sufficient
revenue to keep them going He de.
clared that all extra revenue should
be turned over to the state treasury
aud expended by the board OF contro
where Il Is most needed; also, that
some of the boards and comissions
and departments might well be con.
sDlidated to save expense