The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-07-29

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the so.called Executive Budget sys
TEN, believing that no one thing can
do more to help the administration
and the Legislature to plan wisely our
expenditures. A budget system Is
sometimes misunderstood as limtn.
the legislatures authority over appro-
n, ,,..'ie,"s taking from 1t the control
soseps1ss stste Library s.,snsG s not s0 SC, 0ela al,
and guiue ~ hsible for decid;
ing how the money available shall bc
spent. Under the Executive Budget
system all needs and requests for ap.
propriations are brought together and
considered at one time as TO their
relative Importance. After due SON
sideration and revision by the incom'
ing Governor and other officers OF the
incoming administration these esti'
mates would be presented to the Leg
islature at an early date after the
opening of the session. The Lesisla'
ture in this way has before 1t togeth'
er and at one time all OF the stimates
and requests with the recommends
tlons OF those persons closest In
touch with the business affairs OF the
State and who have been selected to
have charge of these affairs for the
next two years. Such programme
does not in any way hamper the Leg.
islature or limit its authority. II can
decrease or increase any appropria'
ton. strike out some and ad others,
but under an Executive Budget II mas
before it at one time and as a W'lole
the figures indicating the probable
needs Of the State for the next two
years and is in position to consider
each in relation to the others and to
plan the whole in relation to the total
income expected. A system like this
offers the only practical method oil
setting a definite limit to the States
expenditures and then keeping tne ap'
preparations within that limit. II Iias
been tried out in many States ana
recently introduced into the Federal
administration and has everywhere
proved ite merits. II is more enc
lent and helps to prevent waste and
does much to do away with the costly
habit OF various departments compet'
ing against each other for appropria-
tions by political influence, publicity
and otherwise. :.
The steady increase in the activi'
ties which the State has undertaken
both by way of new departments ana
the expanding of old existing depart
ments has greatly increased the ma
chinery of government. This Is not
peculiar to Vermont, but is true to
greater or less degree in all tina
states of the Union. This new wark,
whether it be performed by a COM
missioner or a board adds In every
instance a burden to the cost uf ad'
ministration. Frequently these new
departments, for we may properly so
designae them, have been given
sweeping powers and so constructed
that they stand somewhat outside any
OF the three original branches OF our
government. There has been wide
spread effort in many states to rem
edy tlis sort OF thing by reorganiza-
tion and consolidation. Pennsylyan-
ia. Michigan, Connecticut and other
states have attacked this problem and
made some progress. In New YORK,
! Governor Hughes attempted to do
something as far back as 1910 and
great headway has recently been
made there by Governor Miller. 9th
er States have had even greater sue
cess, Illinois in 1917 put the work of
/ 125 Boards and Commissions into
nine departments and soon after that,
/ Nebraska reorgani2ed her administra'
tion into eight. and Idaho cut down to
! the same number Last year ONO
put the work of 81 Boards and Com
missions into eight departments and
Massachusetts, after a fight begun in
1912 and in connection with which 1t
was necessary to adopt a Constitu
tional amendment, reduced her de-
partments to fifteen. In al these
cases the work of reorganization has
simplihed and pulled together the adj
ministration eliminating many unnec'
essary officers and boards, centrallz
ing responsibility. Vermont can well
profit by the experiences and exam
pies of these other states.
The Board of Education is doing
good work and on broad and scietifit
lines. The present high standard
must be maintained There seems
to be, however, considerable criticism
of the system Of supervision. There
are at present approximately sixty
Ave district superintendents, ten OF
these having single town or city
and five others acting as superintend
ing principals Toward their salarie!
the State pays a total of well over
S135. 600. | do not raise the question
OF any of these superintendent beint
overpaid, in fact, | am not sympathe
tic with the suggestion that the State
! arbitrarily cut all its employees
fixed percent. Among these supelln
tendents in the Department of Edu
cation, there are probably some in
stances where the ability of the sup
ervisor is not sufficiently create
= than the ability Of the supervised.
!. realize that difficulties. OF travel II
!, winter in many of these districts ha
> been an influence to increase tn
number. A capable person experienc
- ed in a particular line of work ca
!, accomplish much more in a give
!, length of time than a person of les
? capacity. l believe that this work o
supervis on can be well done by fey
= er, carefully-selected, capable person
y who received larger salaries tha
the average paid at present and at
substantially less total cost to tn
:, State. The expenses of the Educi
y tional Denartment have not increase