Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1935-02-08
GOVERNOR nice
GIVES BANQUET
TO ASSEMBLY
Calls For Sixty Million Dollars
For The Fiscal Years Of
1886 And 1887
WILL NOT RECOMMEND
TWO DOLLAR LICENSES

Governor Nice has presented his
budget to the General Assembly. It
calls for an appropriation of $50, O,723,-
1913 for the fiscal years, 1886 and
1887, and a tax rate of % cents.
In laying the budget before the
Legislature, the Governor had the fol-
lowing to say:
"In accordance with the requirement
of the Constitution, I submit appro-
priation bills for the fiscal years 1886
and 1887. am also causing to be in
troduced the tax levy and bond issue
bills which are referred to in this
message.
'"To the preparation of these bud
gets, I have given my earnest effort
and have offered specific plan on
which the budgets for the years 1886
and 1887 are balanced, as I believe
that balanced budget will do more
than anything else to restore public
confidence and speed recovery. We
cannot gamble on business recovery.
"In order to support prospective ex-
penditures we must face the situa-
tion which confronts us by an un-
derstanding of the facts as they pre-
sent themselves and it would be rash
indeed to permit the expenses Of gov
ernment to exceed, in any respect,
conservative estimate of the States
income.
consequently it was necessary to
make most drastic reductions all along
the line, including percentage salary
cuts, although in doing this I did so
with the greatest reluctance, because
of the deep sympathy / have for those
who must necessarily be affected.
"I am presenting balanced budgets
for the fiscal years 1886 and 1887. In
each year the estimated disbursements
will be less than the anticipated reve-
nues. This has been accomplished
without increasing the State tax rate
or imposing any new or additional
taxes.
81 am recommending a State tax
rate Of % cents for the fiscal years
1886 and 1887 which is the same rate
now in effect. This is provided for
in the tax levy bill which am caus-
ing to be introduced.
"It is my belief that the estimates
of revenues for the succeeding budget
ary period have been conservatively
made and represent the projection in
to 1886 and 1887 of our revenue ex-
perience during the fiscal year 1884,
and that the revenues in the fical
years 1886 and 1887 will not be less
than they were in the fiscal year 1884
under the general and special taxes
levied at that time, and during which
time the States income showed very
large shrinkage.
"In order to bring the estimated dis
bursements within conservatively es-
timated revenues, it was necessary to
make drastic reductions, not only Of
the budget requests for the respec-
tive fiscal years, but in the present
appropriations to the various depart
ments, boards, commissions and in
Some of the interesting items in
the budget are, probably, the recon-
mendation relative to the cost of mo-
tor vehicle licenses. His campaign
on this question mentioned
a fee of So for the tags. This, how
ever seems to have been revoked and
provision in the budget has been made
for a reduction from 80 cents per
horsepower to 20 cents; thus bring
ing the average tag cost down to
$500.
Concerning the So fee, he had the
following to say:
"While I am convinced that fee
not to exceed two dollars per car an
nually is fair charge for this privi-
lege, and every effort should be made
to allow the motorist to pay only this
it must be realized that the
of the gasoline tax and mo-
tor registration fees have increased
during the past decade and
it is important, from the viewpoint
of sound financing, that the decrease
in this charge for registration be ac-
also in a gradual manner"
The Governor has provided for the
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