The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1937-10-21

q certain official, we saw q man
sitting at some new kind Of mach
Inc and feeding checks into It with
both hands In q very business-like
manner.
Need Check Signing Machine
Our curiosity having been arous-
ed; we asked what he was doing
and he laconically replied signing
checks" While arranging q new
batch, he informed us that with
that machine he could sign about
$500 checks in half an hour, task
which used to take a man with the
old-fashioned signer several hours
to do.
This led to more questioning
which ELECTED the information that
more than 100000 pay checks had
to be issued at the State Capitol
each year now, representing an in
crease of about 100000 in the past
three or four years. Nor was that
virtually all these checks now
represent materially increased
amounts from what they did before
the present regime took over the
state government.
This has become so apparent
greatly enlarged office personnels
with general boosts in pay-that
even the most sincere and loyal
Farmer Laborites who are follow
ing the trend Of state affairs are
heard more and more frequently to
voice doubts as to the desire of the
state administration to carry out
the party's platform pledges OF
economy in government.
"PayrOllers" Increase
Talking about increased person
nels-here are some of the figures
we obtained from the Capitol re-
cords: In 1925 the total number of
people employed by the state gov
eminent was $500. In 1881 this had
increased to 11,155 and in 1885 to
some over 1900. This latter figure
does not include persons employed
to administer relief, but only regu-
lar state employment.
But these figures do not present
the whole picture. Anyone visiting
the state office building that Is
serving as an annex to the Capitol
these days will notice crews of
men at work rearranging office
space therein so as to afford more
spacious private offices for heads OF
departments, the number having
grown steadily in recent years.
This is said to result in decreasing
the number Of employees accom-
modated in this structure and In
necessitating renting Of extra office
space in other buildings.
This situation seems to have COM
PEELED the administration to resort
to some rather drastic means in ef-
forts to get more office room. For
example: Last week the local G. A.
r. post, which has held its meeting
in the Van SAINT room for the past
80 years, were ordered to vacate
forthwith. But while the ranks Of
/ the G. A. r. are thinning out fast,
those who are left showed some of
their old-time fighting spirit and
with such good effect that the or
der was countermanded few days
later and the veterans continue to
hold the fort.
And while on the subject of state
Jobs and office space-it became
known early last week that former
Mayor Latimer, Of Minneapolis, has
been given $275.O0 per month job
in the state highway department
ito heal-a breach In the ranks OF
the FarmerLabor party"
One result Of this wholesale re
vamping Of personnel which Is
arousing observer comment is that
the state relief setup is developing
into a one-man proposition com.
pletely controlled by the governor
In many instances the meeting OF
the executive council, composed OF
the governor, secretary of state
Mike Holm, State Auditor Stafford
King, Attorney General William s
/ Erwin and State Treasurer G. A
Halverson, become mere matters OF
routine.