Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13
100000 ECONOMY
IN VIRGINIA PLAN
Governors Committee Rec
{ 0mmends AboIishing %
L Government Agencies.

RICHMOND, Va, February H.
Abolition of % of Virginia's eight-odd
governmental agencies and consolida-
ton of the others into II major admin
Istrative groups is recommended by
the citizens committee of 81 In ITS
report to Gov. Harry F. Byrd. This
report is the basis of the governmental
reforms of the governor will ask the
General Assembly at it's extraordinary
session in March to inaugurate.
Reconstruction of the entire imam
cial system of the State is proposed
by the committee, which recommends
q unified financial accounting ana con.
troll. whereby every dollar collected
by a governmental agency Will pass
through the State treasury.
Besides outlining an entirely new
governmental system, the committee
PROPOSES the issuance of licenses tor
passenger motor vehicles on a two
wear basis and recommends that per-
netual educational certificates bear
ing per cent be refunded at lower
interest rate. These two items alone,
1t is estimated, will save S16o,0OO an
nually. A total saving of 100000 is
predicted by the committee II its
recommendations are followed. 1t
recommended increasing the gasoline
tax from Az cents to cents, which
will add $4O0 900 to the estimated
revenues for 1927.
Would Abolish Secretary.
Eventual abolition of the Office of
the secretary of the commonwealth is
recommended by the commission. The
second auditor, the State accountant,
the commissioner of State hospitals,
and Superintendent of public printing
are officers slated by the commission
for abolition. Such agencies as the
State board of industrial rehabillta-
fion, convict time board, State Zee
commission, State tax commission ana
State purchasing commission are
among the groups recommended for
Eiscontinuance.
The committee recommends that the
title of State motor vehicle commits
sioner be abolished and that the pres
ent department be made a division I'M
der the division of finance. 1t would
also have the title of State highway
commissioner substituted for the one
now held by Henry G. Shirley. The
IL administrative departments pro-
posed by the committee are: Taxatlon,
finance, highways. education, corpora
tons. industrial relations, agriculture
and immigration, conservation and de-
velopment, health. public welfare and
Jaw.
pf typewriter report, and do not
Include many Of the proposals made
in the report of the New York bureau
of municipal research. which took S19
pages. One Of the most radical
changes proposed is the issuance Of a
Ewo-year automobile license for pas
senger automobiles. Trucks will not
be affected by the ruling. Under the
committees plan, the present policy
of selling licenses would be used. AT
present. the cost Of a license Is based
ON the weight of an automobile-7O
cents for each 100 pounds or major
part thereof. Under this plan. the
committee reported, licenses for two
years would cost $1.40 for each hun
ired pounds. Under the proposed
plan the license would cost 20 cents
For each hundred pounds the first
year and 80 cents for each hundred
bounds the second year, a saving OF
20 cents on each hundred pounds.
Scent Gasoline Tax.
The committee also recommended an
increase In the gasoline tax from Az
cents to cents gallon. This would
give an increased revenue to the State
In 1897 of 100000, it estimated.
The report said 1t cost 100000 an
hually to issue licenses, while 1t only
cost $4,000 a year to collect the gaso-
Tine taxes, which amount to larger
sum. Under the plan, it IS believed,
the State would save $125,000 annually.
be saved by the system of unified
financial accounting and control,
which Is recommended. The COM
hnittee reported that the department
of finance would promote a business
like, effective and economical admin
astration. The report said $17,000,000
sn taxes and other fees collected by
the present State departments and
agencies are collected and deposited
to individual agencies and depart
ments.
The State tax commissioner ap-
( pointed by the governor, would be
the executive head of the depart
ment of taxation. The State tax
commission would be abolished
The duties of the auditor of public
accounts would be transferred to the
department of taxation.
The committee recommended that
the tax on capital in business should
be administered by this department
and estimated that there would be
an annual saving of 100000. There
would be four divisions in the de-
partment of finance.
The auditor Of public accounts
sembly, as now provided, and would
serve as a continuous check on the
financial acts of the administration.
1t is recommended by the committee
there be established in that division,
under the controller. complete sys-
tenn of general accounting for the
whole State government. The State
Treasurer, under the committees
recommendations, would supplant the
auditor of public accounts as chair
man Of the finance board. The State
treasurer and controller are to per-
form the duties of the sinking fund
commissioners under the proposed
plan of government.
Executive Office Divisions.
In the governors Office there would
be four divisions, one budget, records,
military affairs and grounds and build
tngs. The committee believed that
$4,000 could be saved by adding to
the present work of the director the
editing and reducing to concise and
readable form any printed report pro-
posed by any State department The
division of records would be under SUI
pervision of the secretary to the gov
ernor, abolishing. the office. of the sec
rotary Of the commonwealth. b. O.
James is now secretary of the com
lnonwealth, and Peter Saunders secre-
tary to the governor. The superin.
tendent of grounds and buildings and
the superintendent of the State office
buildings would be merged under the
division of grounds and buildings.
Under the division of purchase and
printing the State purchasing agent
the State purchasing commission and
the superintendent of public printing
are abolished. and one director is
placed in charge.