Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-12
To the Honorable Senate and House ot
Representations. oS "a

As required by Chapter 102. of the
mitte MITES i hsyin OF lsls the Budget Com
ments from the heads of d ACKNOWLEDGEMENT asate
state institutions. commissions and
nossos OF trustees who are. entrusted
and from n inaividrais Of psS.s noney
soclattons, boards and Institutions,
whether public or private, resolving or
g stats: ang bappropriati9na from tho
rious sections Of tho state With due
notice to parties interested and 10 tho
General Genera . public. resnectfully presents
s anies sn 1,Sag estimated Aneoma frsm
said Chapter lo2. together With esti.
mates mates showing the amounts that are
charges and expenses Of the public
service, for charitable and Benevolent
institutions, new buildings or the reno-
sa.lon OF old buildings of the state IN
sltu.tons and the rate of direct taxR-
tion tnat VIII be required to produce
me necessary amount of revenue In
each fiscal period.
The committee has confined its rec
the public service and those institu-
IONS and organizations to the support
or which the state IS already COM
; nriSss P t law or custom. New e9ter-
tion by the legislature. are not H..
GUIDED in the committees estimates
, nis aenort is intended to bring to the
session Information which viii assist
III tho early determination Of the
amount Of revenue required for tho
SUPPORT OF the necessary public bust
ness and those quasi-public, charitable
ana benevolent institutions that look
regularly TO the state for aid The
legislature can then more readily de-
Gide now much further revenue shall
be raised and for what purposes Il
shah hc spent.
II IS proper to start with the cur
rent assets available January /, 1921.
The cash balance on that date was
S353o,1 TO- s. accounts due from the
federal government totaled $3.50 6oS.-
80 from municipalities sJ2219.20.
and from other sources $105,49a.17, n
total of S6,515. C40.96. Some large
sums n the way of uneNpen,:ed an
preparations stand as liabilities
against this total of assets. The chief
items are the highway and bridge con-
bonus, 1t is impossible to determine
:" early IN the month of January the
exact Balance Of assets over liahili-
IS which. in the form of the state
contingent fund. will be available for
expenditure in the first fiscal period
This sum in the Judgment of the com
lnittea. Will not exceed So of the
total budget. certainly a small margin
Of safety in a financial program cover
ing two and ore-half years. This bal
once may: therefore, be properly dis
Income
Appendix "A" attached hereto SHOWS
the estimated income from all sources
other than direct taxation. 1t should
be noted that all income from state in
stitutionS is included in these esti-
mates and even in the cases where the
law permits income to be added to the
appropriation the total appropriation
required is estimated as an expendi-
ture. This is the present practice for
the sake of uniformity and to allow
subdivision of maintenance appropria-
lions If it is desired to leave income
TO be added to appropriations as per-
mitted by law the income items should
be omitted and the proposed appro-
,priationS correspondingly reduced, II
tho present plan is continued an appro-
pirate general statute might be ad-
Nisable.
Change in Fiscal Year
One effect of the budget Law is to
change the fiscal year so that begin
ming June 30 1922 the fiscal year will
end IN June so of each year and each
Legislature will make appropriations
for years from July 1st following
It's session. To carry this change into
effect this Legislature must appropriate
for two and .one-half years instead of
two years. AS the laws are at present,
much the larger part of the indirect
revenue of the state comes into the
treasury in the latter half of the cal
cndsr year. that is. after July l. The
direct revenue from taxation is not
DUO until December first Of each year.
Ifhe greatest problem of the commit
tee has been to provide sufficient rev.
enue for the period Of six months
from January LIST. TO June 30th, 1921.
a glance ut Appendix %" tho sum
mary of revenue and proposed cXpendi-
lures, will show that under existing
laws estimated revenue i'll that six
months period would fall short of
proposed expenditures by $3.50, 76S.S2.
~ is impossible to meet this deficit by
direct taxation for no direct tax car
be assessed and collected within The
required time. The committee can
imagine no new form of indirect taxa
ton which could be put into force and
made to yield the necessary revenue
posal is. therefore. to meet the situa'
lton by changing the due dates of the
taxes on express companies. parlor
and sleeping car companies. telegraph
companies railroad companies. tele
phone companies. and land in unincor-
porate1 places. SO that the total rev.
enue from these sources. estimated ut
S26S3.5Gd.11 in 1927 will he available
before instead Of after July 1st. This
propneal would increase no tax and
would create no hardship except the
payment from few days to few
months earlier in the year.
Tho special item showing revenue
from tho tax on land in unincorporat-
cl places in the fiscal ye"r 1s22-23 IS
included because if the recommends
fion nf tho COMMITTEES is adopted and
tha tax on wild lands made payable
before July fst. the tax received In
tic year 1928 will he on the new gal
nation probably q larger increase
thnn the figure estimated.
Maintenance and Operating Expenses
An-vndix "B' contains the estimates
for maintenance and operating tX-
pencre of state departments and ineti-
int tom, and those benevolent and edu-
cattnnal institutions that are custom
:rilr aided by the state. The genera
.stilrates for the departments have
been made on tho basis of the existing
NAY roll and for the institutions on
the i.nSiS Of the Dcr capta cost f"f
u" full year ending June 30. 1870.
with due allowance for prospective
inr"o" Sc If population. 1t is expected
that food clothing and materials in
general viii show q sharp decline below
thn' period referred to. On the other
band railroad travel and transporta~
ZION charges will show an increase.
Adjutant General
Tho military fund. now fixed by law
st Si1 on0 must be increased to At
;-aGt 1na 900 in order to make Su1ti-
Gent funds ava liable to comply with
the program OF the federal govern,
Inont for increasing the national
guard 10 about four times it's former
,.trenr 9Th, A large appropriation is
:, so recommended for the publication
e thu valuable report of tive Ad1utant
rercinl for the period or the war
This rer0rt contains the military
record = cacr man from Maine who
served in the Great war.
Ialand Fish ard Game
Tire recommeltiatio OF the amount
cr s'sh 800 q year IL with the expecta-