Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-04-09
Nebraska
Officia16
Eff
Senate Probe Shows Depart
ments Cd Not Overlap or
Duplicate-No Irregu-
larties Found.
Audit System Is Praised
Audit System Is Praised

Lincoln, April 8. - Especial }
Constitutional offices in the state ad
ministration function little too i'll.
dependently.
The bureau OF markets in the state
department is accomplishing no re
suits, where it should be OF grca
value.
The state department of public
works is eXonerated OF any irregu
laritv in connection with grading
contract in Harlan and Franklin
counties and with contract fol
highway signs.
Public service corporations should
be required by law 70 pay fees tc
defray the cost OF operation of tht
Nebraska railway commission, which
during the last biennium was Sl24,
go. ,.
! he foregoing are some of the
high spots OF the report OF the Recc
investigating committee of the sen.
ate, filed Friday, after 10 weeks o.
investigation OF overlapping and du
plcation in the state administration
The committee consisted of Senator:
Reed, Bliss. Halderman, Randall and
Cooper.
Commend Accounting Plan.
The code administration is com,
nlended for its accounting system
and code departments are declared
to have paid their own expenses tron,
fees, with surplus left over OF SIPS
600. This is not counting the de-
partment oi justice, or in other
words the attorney generals office
A long tabulation OF figures con-
cludes Tie report, showing the rel.
ative cost OF administration i'll Ne
Eraska, Kansas and Colorado. The
legislative appropriations in the three
states in their order were $l,202,739
$l,013,525 and $l,10S,323. Nebraska
has 22S employees, compared with
227 for Colorado and 2l7 for Kan
sas. -.
Fees collected in Nebraska totalled
81, ,327,679. The fee receipts in the
other states are not given.
The legislative reference bureau is
dismissed with the publication OF a
letter from Chancellor Samuel
Avery explaining that the salary OF
Director A. L. Sheldon is limited to
$500 from all sources, under the law
of 1917, which limits the university
appropriation to $1,000, i'll addition to
the l,500 received as secretary OF
the State Historical society.
Attorney General Rules.
A letter from Attorney General
Clarence A. Davis is appended TO
the report on the department of pub
lie works, explaining that, in his
opinion, it was not mandatory ON the
department to collect fees for high
way signs; the department had al-
tered its contract with the Iowa road
marker concern to provide for fee.
The Harlan-F Franklin county cou-
tract, to which the Franklin county
board objected because the highway
department had not settled, was
found to be entirely regular, and the
delay was due to the failure of the
government accepting part OF the
projects.
The printing of departmental re-
ports is criticised, in that succeeding
reports are often ready before the
first report is finished. A time limit
on the printing contracts was rec
ommended. 1t was also urged thai
the reports be condensed.
Revise Budget Change
Constitutional elective officers are
to cooperate and
standardizc bookkeeping methods. 1t
is suggested that either fund be
created in one of the departments to
pay extra clerk hire or extra salaries,
or lump sum be appropriated to the
offices for distribution, as the execu-
tive OF the Office sees fit, instead OF
fixing the salary of each employe
in the budget appropriation,
The report criticises the law'which
provides different methods OF paying
fees, some to the. departments and
some to the state treasury, and rec
ommends that all the fees be paid to
the departments.
1t is recommended that SO far is
possible all supplies be bought
through the state purchasing de-
partment.