The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-10

unless its purposes. cease to be confused
| with the regulation Of public utilities and
personnel is provided with .t,a,
| life This court can live and become
great blessing II allowed to stand upon Its
| own merits, but 1t must be given a person
| mel with the time to carry its activities
| into industrial WORK
| False Nation of Evonomy.
The Court of Industrial Relations was
! given the administration of public utilities
! fhru false notion of economy, and one
| of the objections to restoring the pubic
utilities to the control OF board especial
| ed cost of an additional body. III the IN
dustriaI court were relieved of the necessity
of spending practically an OF us tlme upon 1,a
| Industrial work some bureaus or state ser
| vice which harmonic with 1t naturally and
which already possess the machinery which
| the court would need for carrying on its
natural activities For example, there could
| be administered under this court factory
| Inspection the free employment bureau,
mine inspection the duty of the welfare
| commission and other activities which now
are either scattered or under the super
| vision of the labor bureau.
| This natural machinery, already created
and functioning, could be used by the in
dustrial court for all of its investiga tons.
| II is now costing the state one hundred and
seventy five thousand dollars per biennium
for carrying on the work represented by
| this group of activities. CentraliZing this
! group under the supervision of the indus
| trial court would enable US not only to save
in the cost of administration, but likewise
| to provide a more scientific supervision I'M
der one head than is now secured unuer in
dependent administration.
| it is also hoped that this legislature will
adopt a workmens compensation act, the
prime modern feature of which will be the
| administration of workmen's compensation
/ by special commission. This work could
also be carried on under the supervision of
| the industrial court without unduly bur-
dening its time:
7 do to nh, CT,
! the fact that there should be legislation in
this session to give to the Kansas farmers
every aid and encouragement of which or
| ganized government is capable.
The farmers have been more deeply af
| fected by the fluctuations of the war period
and the subsequent months than the other
Industries. They were the first to suffer
the disadvantages of federal regulation IN
the high tide. of war profits and they are
| the first to be hit by the era of falling
| prices. They have also been the victim OF
| a disastrous shortage of grain cars at the
! their crops with profit. Their INDUSTRY is
now in critical need, and whatever legisla-
ton may do to help them with the subject
| of their credits. their marketing conditions
and the other phases vital to their indus
try should be done.
I also believe that this session of the
legislature should create a state depart
ment of agriculture, whose Importance and
effectiveness would correspond to the i'm
portance of agriculture in this state; Just
now there are more than fifteen different
expressions of service carried on, some
under societies. some under boards, some
under commissioners and some indepen-
expressions of agriculture, including
livestock, grain; veterinary examiners
| subjects. state dairying problems and a
wide range of other related topics.
Kansas could easily, establish model
department of agriculture, which would
consolidate all of these activities into a
more effective expression of service and
bring them into proper relationship to
possible to gain both increased efficiency
and decreased cost of operations.
1t is my opinion that we could improve
other departments OF government by sim
liar consultations. In earlier times, when
the state had a small population and less
wealth and fewer state duties to perform
the lack of systematic correlation was nor
a serious matter. Now, with her larger
and more prosperous activities and in
n constantly widening sphere. lack of CO.
ordination has become serious matter.
Kansas experience in this is by no means
practically every state in the. union has
grown mp in the same way, and Kansas Is
in this respect, Recently there has come come
rather wide-spreading sentiment that this
obvious defect should be remedied. As the
completed important consultations.
Illinois made most drastic reorganiza-
tion, sweeping away one hundred and five
offices and agencies. correlating the offices
of the state under nine great departments.
Massachusetts,, by a constitutional pro-
solidation of numerous offices. and agencies
composing the state administration.
Nebraska, by an act of 1919. reduced
eighty-two departments and agencies into
six administrative departments. six con-
stituttonal offices and four constitutional
boards.
Idaho. Delaware, Oregon, California. In
diana and New Jersey are also working at
the problem.
I shall not urge upon the legislature as
40 no oy1iz off on
of all the departments of government would
entail: but do believe we could make a
session some of those more important ones
in which the effect of consolidation would
produce pronounced advantage.
Better Rural Schools.
One of the deepest needs of Kansas is
the improvement of our rural school sys-
tenn. In these schools are trained a great
body of our citizenship. For many of them
which touches their lives. 1t Is of the great
est Importance to them and to the state
that these schools shall possess the quality
and strength which characterize the public
school system the land over. Bound up in
the issue of better rural schools is also
the subject of rural population. Given a
good country school system, good roads
and proper adjustment of land laws to
make home owning in the country more
easy of accomplishment and a great adj
vancement has been made in the back to
the farm movement which has been the
subject of so much philosophy and so lit
|
| Farm Home Legislation.
The adoption at the last election by the
| people OF Kansas of the Farm Homes
amendment must be regarded as an ex-
preston of dissatisfaction with existing
| rural conditions in the state and of de-
sire that the state take some definite ac.
ton, involving direct financial assistance
| toward improving these conditions The
present situation in the rural districts oil
the state is largely of seventy years of IN.
planned, undirected. individualistic develop
ment of rural communities. This develop
ment has been modified from time to time
by fragmentary legislation, some Of which
mas been of little or no benefit. and some o.
which has been temporarily helpful but /.
now out of date. Generally speaking, thu
most important difficulties in our unsatis
factory rural communities are due in
large measure to three conditions: A lacl
OF sufhcient intelligent cooperation in tn,
Development of community enterprises; tn
obJeetionable feature of farm tenantry a