The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-06-03
Our $lOO,OOO,OOO State Connecticut Becomes Big Business as Budget Scars to New Heights = Figure Causing
 Considerable Thought.
nsiderabIe Thought.
HARTFORD TIMES

economical. It has taken six years to obtain any real action on his urging. This Legislature has passed an astonishing number of reorgan- ization bills, past records considered. What it has done does not compare with what needs to be done if ex- pectations of economy through re- organization arg to be realized.
 However, the establishment of the merit system as !; means of employ ing state workers will help. Particu- larly may it be expected to do so through the nomination by the governor O. Harry w. Marsh of New York, a career man, as director of personnel There will be help, also, in the establishment of a pur- chasing department and a public works department. Consolidation of departments and consequent sim plification of organization is yet to come, however, and the future growth of budgets may provide an incentive to the people to demand it..
 The budget of $100, ,9O6,4 ,425 includes only the necessary amounts to oper- ate State departments and the fund to purchase Sherwood's Island but not the $11, 100000 to be expended in additions to state institutions.
 While the total budget is upwards of $100,000,000 the expenditures contemplated from the general fund, so-called, stands at 48,374, ,872. These do not include highway eX- penditures, financed by motor vehi- cle receipts, but represent the reg ular, routine expenditures of state institutions and departments with that general exception. Against these expenditures it is estimated that routine tax income, which establishes the general fund, will amount to $48,500,000 in the coming two years. If so and if no further strain is placed ol the general fund the budget, as far as general operation of the state is concerned will be balanced. The highway budget is necessarily bai- anced because expenditures of the department are limited to funds act- ually received from registration of motor vehicles, licensing of drivers, fines for motor vehicles offenses and the proceeds of the gasoline tax. Only money that is received will be spent.
 A phenomenon of modern times is that all governmental expendi- lures grow much faster than the population. That is true in munich palities and the nation as well as in states. It is due not only to the fact that government has entered new fields and that the complica- tions of modern society have in- creased its expenditures but also to the fact that everything is done on a grander scale. A higher quality of construction is used in public institutions and they employ refine ments of furnishings and equipment not formerly known. This makes both construction and maintenance cost more. Department and insti- tutional heads require much more assistance than formerly. They are maintained in considerable splendor
 All this sends budgets up and when financed as so much public expenditure is by indirect taxation it shows for the average citizen only in the higher cost of living. The average citizen may appropriately begin to assess the cost of living somewhat in terms of that and take more interest in his government ano the various things it's managers pro- pose to do.