The New York herald., 1922-01-05
GOVERNOR DEMANDS
ii FURTHER ECONOMIES

activity of the State provided no new or
unusual expenditures be undertaken. and
| IL attained the public business Hill then
be upon such basis as that It can rea-
sonably be expected that under normal
| conditions, the present sources of rev.
enue with the direct tax for debt service
will be adequate to meet the expenses OF
the Government and that the normal In
crease in such revenue will adequately
provide for the inevitable expansion in
the needs of the State government. 1t is
not just to the taxpayers to accumulate
an unnecessary surplus. and 1t Is sound
| policy to use the existing surplus to tide
US over the present period of lean rev.
enues. The total amount of appropria-
| tions requested by each State depart
ment will be transmitted as requested
without revision. The departmental
studies made by the newly created bu-
reau set Up by the Board of Estimate
and Control were not completed in time
to be available for a revision CT the re-
quests before submitting them to the
|
still incomplete. Detailed reports Of ex-
aminations with the comments thereon
| by department heads are available for
| the information of the Legislature.
The requests as compiled total S145.-
| 019,665.0S, which is $56.624. .627.35 less
! than the requests submitted last year
totaling $201, G44. .292.43, and not includ-
ing requirements which had to be met of
| s4,621.5 545.61.
| THAT comparison is the best evidence
| of the new spirit which rervades the
public administration and demonstrates
that Notwithstanding the drastic reduc-
tions made last year the actual needs Of
the State were amply provided for.
"a significant absence OF the usual re-
quests for deficiency appropriations for
| administrative expenses will also be
noted. Department heads and institu-
tions have administered their functions
within the appropriations. and instead Of
asking for deficiencies many will show
surpluses at the end of the year.
Anticipate Future Needs.
There is a class of expenditures
which it is difficult accurately to antici-
pate, such as judgments of the Court of
Claims, indemnities for slaughtered
|
! Irents, and taxes On public lands and
the like. 1t has been the custom to pro-
vide for such expenditures and for
| deficiencies by a supplemental bill OF
| appropriations Immediately available,
with the result that the Legislature ap-
| propriates at each session for two fiscal
years. a practice which results in some
| looscness, both in appropriations and
expenditures and renders 1t more diff
| ficult for the public accurately to deter
mine the exact cost Of administering the
| Government each year. 1t will be neces-
sary to provide for certain current
needs by similar appropriations this
year, but there is a reduction In such
items as compared with last year Of
| five and one-half million dollars. The
aim should be to anticipate future needs
as accurately as possible and when the
unant,cipated contingencies have been
reduced to minimunc 1t will be practi-
| cable to make provision for them by n
| general item for contingencies and thus
TO have single bill each year for the
expenditures of single fiscal year.
1.-TWO items In the so-called deficiency
items deserve comment One Is an item
of $500, 900 for teachers quotas. That
| is the result of an underestimate made
by the Department of Education of the
| increases that would be caused by GER
| tain amendments to the law enacted by
| the Legislat ture last winter upon the rec
| ommcndation of the department. An In.
| crease Of Mt least $3.000.000 In the ap-
propriations this year for the support
! Of the conrnon schools will be neces-
sary TO make up for that underestimate
| this year and to provide for the corre-
| sponding increase next year. There is
| also n deficiency item of S2OC,OOo In
the requests Of the Department of Pub
lie Works. That results from the fact
that IL had been the practice to make
the appropriations for canal repair and
construction work Immediately avail
able. so that the fiscal year for the
| canals really began with the passage OF
| the bill resulting in the exhaustion OF
| the appropriation a year from that date.
In fact. the appropriation last year was
practically exhausted on January l.
! 1921. That practice was changed by the
last Legislature to conform to the gen.
| eral rule making appropriations avail
able only at the beginning Of the fiscal
year. However, to provide immediate
| funds $500. 900 of the appropriations
for the next fiscal year was made Inn
rned.ateIy available thus necessitating
the present item of 100000 to provide
for the work necessary between April
and July / OF this year.
Plans for Efficiency
''It may be noted that for the first time
| since IL was opened the channel of thu
canal has been cleared of obstruction:
and maintained this year at a proper
depth at a cost of maintenance of $573.
| s19.74 less than the cost of maintenanc,
| for the same period last year.
"The Board of Estimate and Contro
has instituted. as was contemplated
complete surveys of all of the State
activities. Necessarily the initial sur
veys have required considerable tim.
and are still incomplete. 1t has not ye
been possible accurately TO appraise tn,
| value of that work or to determine wha
improvements in administration may b.
inaugurated as the result OF II. Tha
constant study will always disclose op
portunities to promote efficiency ant
economy is inevitable. Naturally tn
reports OF exsmlna tions suggest i'm
provements in departmental organization
in many cases. Where the possibilit.
of marked Improvement Is indicated
recommend that lump sum appropria
. tions be made OF such amounts as ma.
appear to be necessary, to the end tha
reorganlza tions may he effected by dc
partment head upon whom the responsi
biIity OF administration rests. The hlghl
segregated appropriation plan. which ap
peared sound In theory. has. like man
other fine theories. worked badly J
practice.
'fn order to make this work effectiv
, Il Is essential that the most cordial &C
!, operation exist between those concerne