OCR Text |
Show UNDER THE CAPITOL DOME By Uarda McCarty Utah lawmakers last Monday opened the state's twenty-fourth legislative session with much promise of a harmonious harvest ing of statutory crops that will bring many economic changes in government and administration of existing laws. Coincident with the opening, The Sugar House Bulletin again brings its readers "Under the Capitol Dome" with its weekly resume of legislative happenings. For the fourth time the column : will seek to keep our citizens informed in-formed as to what the district's, legislators are doing, what bills j they have sponsored, how they , vote on important measures, and their participation In the session's general activities. The message of Governor Herbert Her-bert B. Maw first authentic recording re-cording of what Utah's new chief executive believes should be done at the current session advocates a sweeping change in state government. gov-ernment. It recommends bureau shifts to end waste and create efficiency. It promulgates ideas as new as the administration itself it-self offers a new clean-sweeping broom for far-reaching mergers of boards, commissions and departments. de-partments. It further advocates energizing of the state's business and industrial indus-trial structure by encouragement of new enterprises. It stresses restoration of old age pension cuts and retention of social reforms. It urges elimination of appropriations appropri-ations to special groups and control con-trol of expenditures by elective officials. It opposes additional taxation. It pledges Utah aid tc national defense. Governor Maw included in hif citations of objectionable features nf the nrespnt aflministrntivp rvs. tem the policy of legislators in creating and financing new departments de-partments and commissions without with-out adequate investigation of need and without proper coordination and executive supervision. To remedy this situation the chief executive would eliminate boards, commissions and departments, depart-ments, classify state activities into in-to as few units as possible, and create an organization to admin ister each classification. He would give elective officers definite as- signment of responsibility in newly-created departments such as finance, engineering, public welfare, wel-fare, lands and water, service and inspections, health, higher education, educa-tion, and tax, industrial, and liquor commissions. An entirely new department of publicity and industrial development develop-ment is recommended to seek new industries that may . add to the income of Utah citizens. Such a department might be allocated $1,125,000 annually in license fee monies now going to cities and towns for roads and streets, j "Under the Capitol Dome" will seek week by week to keep read- ers posted on the action of legislators legis-lators in regard to the governor's 'recommendations and on all other matters of general as well as local interest. It is going to be an interesting session. prolific perhaps of important administrative administra-tive changes. It promises to be harmonious in many respects. |