Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1937-11-25
State Capitol News
BY A. I. HARRIS

When Governor Benson announced
that he had asked the Commission of
Administration and Finance (Big
Three) to make an efficiency and
economy survey of all state depart
ments the big dailies yelled politics. !"
When some efficiency and economy
measures were actually instituted,
they attempted to make it appear
that Benson and his department heads
were having little private feud.
In the meantime the papers "dis-
covered that a report relating to
state finances, prepared by Harry
Fiterman, Minneapolis tax expert,
had been submitted to the Governor
and had been kept ''mysteriouSly
secret" In the light of this report,
they concluded, the Governors eff
ficiency and economy campaign was
understandable"
If this actually were the case, that
the Governor was moved to act in
order to correct situation which
may later become alarming, it would
indeed be commendable. The fact,
however, must be recorded, that the
Governor ordered his survey weeks
before the Fiterman report was de-
livered to him on October 20.
Now, what about the mysterious
secrecy" of the Fiterman report? The
report contains many hundreds of
pages of detail requiring weeks of
careful analysis to fully comprehend
even for an expert on taxes and
finance Mr. Fiterman discloses that
the Governor regarded the facts OF
the survey as so important that they
should be placed in the hands of every
citizen and that he requested him
to suggest "a plan by which it would
be possible to disseminate the infOr-
nation contained in the report to
every taxpayer in the state"
The Fiterman statement, issued to
correct the erroneous newspaper re-
ports, points out that Governor Ben
son as United States senator, Ion July
"a. 1886, requested Harry L. Hop
kins, WPA administrator, to make
available federal funds" to carry on
the study of the states finances. In
other words, Governor Benson was
instrumental in having the Fiterman
study undertaken.
The Misrepresentation on the part
of the daily press, however, did not
stop with the facts noted above.
The Fiterman report, very fine and
constructive piece of work, was al
,,,,rocnnpizohln AonnrGin0 m
headlines and editorials, the state
capitol is packed with incompetent
personnel; everybody is doing every
one else's work-in short, the state
government is about as useless as
a Hoover vote.
But the facts do not square with
these stories The report in fact
vindicates the courageous fight OF
Governor Benson on the iron ore
situation, public utilities and timber.
1t explains why government serv-
ice has grown and thereby justifies
the increase in employees. 1t analyses
Minnesota government and, although
offering constructive proposals for
improvement, does not, in the words
of one scare-story, 'foresee govern
ment tottering into chaos and shat
tering into anarchy"
Farmers who during the last week
heard Governor Benson, Commission
er of Agriculture Ommodt, and M. w.
Thatcher of the Farmers National
Grain Corporation outline the pro-
gram adopted at the Minnesota farm
conference in st. Paul recently ap-
proved it eagerly.
The serious break in farm prices
and the need for congressional action
to aid the farmer is strongly felt in
the seven congressional districts of
the state that are mainly devoted to
griculture-farmers meetings in
these districts showed.
The series of district conferences
had been called by the subcom-
mittee of the Farm Conference Board
which was set up by the farmers at
their St. Paul meeting October 4.
Main point on the program is setting
of basic prices on farm commodities
in order that farmers might be able
to depend upon minimum price to
meet costs of production. Specula-
ton would thus receive a tremen-
dous blow.
If the farmers think that the pres
ent Congress will be in great hurry
to pass needed farm legislation, they
may find themselves in for a great