Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-09-24
GOVERNOR BExTER'S STATE
MENT

lished elsewhere, on the financial
status OF the State. August 81, 1871.
is a gratifying exhibit. Il simply
serves to confirm the hcii-f. quite
generally held, we are sure that Gov
cTnor Baxter is endcavoling to give
the State an economical administra-
ton Of its affairs and is succeeding.
His desire to take the public into
his confidence that the people may
know just the condition of the States
finances is most commendable. The
doing Of this, however. is 4 very diff
ficuit undertaking and to be complete
would require SO much of detail that
il is doubtful whether the public
would give it the consideration neces-
sary to a complete understanding.
In the matter of this met saving of
of s47S,e20.99 We assume the Governor
would not have US understand that
some of this will not be required to
pay bills which have not yet been
presented and consequently were not
a matter of record at the time the
statement was issued. To illustrate
we turn to the seventh biennial re-
port of the State auditor where on
page 274 appears balances coming
over from 1919 to the amount of
1855, 1888 carried as liabilities of the
year 1920 and the report shows that
during that year Of 1920, s753, AS
of that sum was expended in paying
those bills. Every administration
has to take over some bills from the
previous administration, bills which
have not been presented before the
Incoming Of the new administration.
When all appropriation bills on which
the time limit has not expired have
what is known as the contingent
fund.
The present amount Of the contin-
gent fund does not appear in this
statement. That, as we understand,
Is simply another designation of the
balance to which the term used in
book keeping. profit and loss" is ap-
piled. and was designed to serve as
method for avoiding deficiency bills.
The auditors report for Dec 81, 1920,
shows the State contingent fund sur
plus on that date to have been
s7ss,15o24
With regard to how this contin-
gent fund shall be expended Sec. 81,
Chap. 2, r. S., 1916 provides; War
rants may be drawn upon, charged to.
and paid out of said fund to pay out
standing bills or accounts that were
properly chargeable to the several
appropriations previous to the first
day Of January Of each year; to pay
outstanding bills necessarily con-
tracted by state departments or state
institutions for which the legislature
failed to make sufficient provision,
and to pay such other expenses as
may be necessarily incurred under any
requirement of law or for the main
tenance of government, and which
the Governor with the advice and
the consent of the Council, shall au-
thorize: provided, however, that no
payment shall be made from this
fund. except as above provided I'M
less some emergency shall arise re-
quiring an expenditure of money not
provided for by the legislature"
From this it will appear that the
overdraft money taken by the Gov
ernor and Council from the contin-
gent fund on account of the depart.
ments and institutions that exceeded
the appropriation which the Legisla-
ture made for them was so taken
because the Legislature failed to ap-
propriate a sufficient amount for the
needs of those departments and in
stitutions.
The public is not, we assume. con-
cerned lest the Governor and Council
may make use of this contingent
fund for dishonest purposes. 1t is
hard to conceive of such an occur
ence. People are concerned, however,
that the amount Of such fund shall
not be greatly in excess of the actual
needs also are concerned as to the
wisdom OF the Governor and Council
in drawing warrants thereon. All
will commend the Governor in doing
everything within his power, mot on
ly to prevent the accumulation of a
large contingent fund but to discour-
age looking to that for large sums of
money. not directly provided for by
the Legislature.
With only 81 out Of So senators and