Evening star., 1936-09-13
! MILLION YEARLY
SLASH PROMISED
rs Per Cent Reduction in
Employees Would Be
Method of Cut.
BY JERRY VESSELS,
snenial Cnrresnnndent of The Star

Special Correspondent OF Inc star.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, September IA
Republicans, bidding for return to
power in Minnesota. are attacking
Farmer-Labor administration ex-
penditures and promising a sharp
pairing of the State budget if the
voters will only give them the chance.
They got help from an unexpected
source in the complaint about ex-
travagance in State government when
Gov. Hjalmar Petersen, filling the
unexpired term of the late Floyd B.
Olson, announced that he would de-
mand maximum efficiency at mini
mum of expense.
To this end Gov. Petersen this week
Instituted regular meetings with State
departmental heads, at which he ad-
monished the administration chief
tains to tighten their purse strings.
Meanwhile some pressure has been
attempted to caution the new Gov
ernor that with hard campaign
under way 1t is extremely difficult
to restrict. much less slice, the State
pay roll.
S5,000,000 Cut Promised.
The Republicans, whooping it up
behind their man, Martin Nelson,
Subernatorial candidate, have an
nounced intentions to pare State ex-
penSes annually by S5,000,000 simply
by reducing the number of State EN-
ployes Is per cent.
The outright intention to this effect
was expressed by State Representative
Roy Dunn, majority leader in the
lower house, and Republican na-
tional committeeman from Minne-
sofa. He said, in fact. that, even
though the G. o. P failed to defeat
Earmer- -Laborite Elmer Benson in the
gubernatorial race, the cut would be
effected through anticipated conserva-
tive control of the Legislature.
The Senate, its members not up for
Reelection this year, is certain to con-
tinue conservative, and indications
are that the House again will have a
conservative majority.
AS for Gov. Peterson's part in the
pay roll trimming, rumors still per-
sist that the new chief executive is
about to WELD the ak on few prom
anent administration officials.
No Reprisals Promised.
Replying to one published report
Shat he planned house cleaning in
feprisal to the successful efforts, aid
ed by some department heads, to bar
him from running for the full guber-
material term, Gov. Petersen said
there will be no reprisals" and that
''any action I take will be predicated
on my demands that there be maxi
mum efficiency in all State units
So the observers deduced that Pc
terSen merely was awaiting the ex-
piration of the period of mourning
proclaimed following Gov. Olson's
death, before swinging the AK
Petersen for several months has
criticized his party'S handling of State
and Farmer-Labor affairs, referring
mainly to Mexican generals in the
set-up and "clique control" He was
silenced for while after the Spring
endorsement convention, which re-
fused to back him for Governor. But
he barked again after Olson's death
had projected him to the chief execu-
tive's chair.
Meanwhile, much of the shouting
along the campaign front centers
around the proposed constitutional
amendment, to be voted on at the
November election, to exempt real
property from State taxation.
Republicans Proclaim Need.
The Republicans who sponsored leg
islation leading up to the submission
of the amendment to the electorate,
insist that the action is needed to re-
1ieve real estate of a crushing" bur-
den.
Farmer-Laborite candidates con-
tend that the amendment is advo-
Gated as means of enacting a State
sales tax. Such levy was approved
by the conservative controlled Legis-
lature but the bill promptly was
vetoed by Gov. Olson on the grounds
that the scheme was to pass the cost
of State government along to the
little fellow.
The shift in the Farmer-Labor
campaign lineup necessitated by
Olson's death has been completed.
To take the place Of Representative
Ernest Lundeen, picked to take the
late Governors place in the United
to tne
Labor leaders selected Henry Teigan,
associate editor of the Minnesota
Leader, official party newspaper.