Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1925-02-12

true and there are many improve.
ments to be made in the administra-
tlon of departments. Mr.. Mclean has
promised, if the executive budget svs-
tenn is passed to give his personal at
tention to elimination of waste and
the. people seem to have confidence
in him to carry out his promises.
Some of the folks are saying that
MIR. Bailey should have given the new
governor chance to make good on
his pledges before launching his
broadslde. Others take the opposite
view and appear to feel that now
is the opportune time to bring the
matters mentioned in the Bailey state
ment to the attention of the General
Assembly and the public. Still anoth-
er school of observers say there is
waste in departmental operations but
that Mr.. Bailey confined himself to
criticism and did not offer sugges-
tions of correcting measures.
1t is further suggested that the Ra-
leigh lawyer saw the tide drifting
in the direction of economy and wan
ted to get aboard the band wagon
that conference with Governor Nc
Lean on the subject and an offer to
help solve the problems of the ad-
ministration, would have been a
course for Mr.. Bailey to follow which
would have earned him a wide COM
mendation. The charge of extrava-
gance has been made and whether
Mr.. Bailey was the proper one to
make it is quite beside the question
in the opinion of quite large group
of citizens and legislators. Corrective
measures are thought to be in order
and general charges may be reduced
to more concrete instances before the
session ends. The budget system pro-
posed by Governor Mclean would,
it is believed, prevent unnecessary
expenditures for operating expenses
in the future and place the fiscal af-
fairs of the state on a strictly bust
ness basis.
A mild sensation in administration
ands legislative circles followed the
publication on Friday, of the cost
of legislative commissions during the
past two years, the sum total amoun-
ting to $153,O53.08, viz: Lost Pro-
vinces Railroad Commission $49,-
749.04; Price Water House Com
mission $50, 9,657.62; Legislative Ex-
amining Commission 17,671,9S Ship
and Water Transportation Commits
son $16,82O.47; Land Tenacy Com
mission $7,383.56; Sanitorium Inves
tigating Commission $6,038.75; Com
mission for re-indexing the Consoli-
dated Statutes, $5,951.67; State Pri-
son Investigating Commission, $5,-
1874 Budget Commission $3,748.71
National Park Commission $780,
IA. To the total cost of the commiss-
ions to the state, according to the
ealculators, should be added the ex-
penses of a special session of the
General Assembly last summer which
has not yet been worked out. How
sver the lid is on now and Governor
Mclean has set himself to the task
IF actually getting the States ex-
penditures back in line with its hith-
erto deficit revenues, or ascertain
ing the reason why it cannot be done
The decision of the Supreme Court
that the legislature has no legal right
to create special judges to relieve
court congestion, it is believed, will
bring about the creation of addition
al judicial districts. Already bill
has been offered in the house in
creasing the number from twenty
to twenty-seven. This means the Gre
alton of seven regular judges by the
authority of the legislature. The
Supreme Courts decision was based
on the fact that the Legislature had
no right to amend the constitution
The constitution provides that emer.
gency judges are those who have beer
retired but can be called back to
preside over special courts to relieve
congestion. The Legislature had con
sidered creating special judges te
care for emergencies, but the mem
bers came face to face with the Con