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Show DAVIS LAUDS Cabinet Government for States Best, Idaho Executive Ex-ecutive Declares. Elimination of Loose Methods Meth-ods Follows, Paper Asserts. Because of the inability of Governor D. W. Davis of Idaho to be present at the governors' conference yesterday, his paper on "The Growth and Consolidation of Administrative Boards" was read to t'.io conference by Frank W. Brown, secretary secre-tary of the Idaho executive. Following' are excerpts from the address, which was warmly received and highly commended by the governors who heard it: "This is the dawn of a new era in civil administration. As I have watched the workings of the new plan of the cabinet form of centralized state government In Idaho, where r if ty-one departments, boards and bureaus have been put under nine heads, I am convinced of this. The red tape and costly duplication of. the past Is gone in Idaho. "I beiif.ve we will all agree that public opinion is the final court which sits on the acts of public officials, and this public pub-lic opinion is tired of the loose methods that have characterized the conduct of state affairs in most of our common-; common-; wealths in the past. The public is tired of the bushwhacking methods of politicians politi-cians who, seeking personal power and the ' false satisfaction tnat goes with it, have made themselves and their efforts repul- slve "In "hese days of unrest we have an-! an-! other war to win. It is the war for civil t health, and we can be victorious by the ; accomplishment of intelligent centrallza-; centrallza-; tioa of the functions of state. Fair Trial Given. ! "A broader spirit prevails In Idaho to-i to-i day than I have over known before. The I peop.e of our splendid commonwealth I seem wil.ing to give the consolidated form I of state government a fair trial. There i will be objections, I know, yet the spirit ! has been so splendid up to this time that I cannot refrain from speaking of it. 'This centralization has two marked ef-' ef-' fects. It brings better men into public l life and it arouses in the people a higher reaard for their duly in selecting their officials. "Under this new system state government govern-ment becomes a great business, and good nn-n can be drafted to become general managers or heads of departments because be-cause their intellect and energy can be developed and results shown. "The system's success largely hinges on department heads, and in Idaho I have been successful in drafting big men for the several departments. The former appointee ap-pointee was a politician placed for the political reasons and he did. not have to report to anyone. Today the success of the system and the success of the individual indi-vidual responsible for it depends on efficiency. effi-ciency. Office-holding is a higher occupation occu-pation in Idaho than ever before, and this has had an astonishing effect on the personnel per-sonnel of our workers. "The other point which is fundamental Is the standpoint of the people in relation to the consolidation of governmental activities, ac-tivities, for therein lies a strengthening psychological influence among the voters. They know now that they must pick good men for the management of their great business, because it would be dangerous not to do so. Analyzes Opposition. "To those of you who might contemplate contem-plate an effort to establish such a system sys-tem in your commonwealth, may I say that a careful analysis of the elements supporting and fighting the establishment establish-ment of the system prompts me to say that on the side against its adoption can be found firmly aligned the professional profes-sional politician, while the supporting elements ele-ments are those always found on the side of the public and Its good? Political scientists sci-entists have held no disagreement for the past two decades on the principal of the plan of consolidation, and I believe a great truism today is, 'We must conduct the state's business just as efficiently as we would a private business.' "Our commissioner of agriculture has declared that he intends to protect the farmer adequately from the moment his seed is planted in the ground until he actually receives his check. Pursuant to that policy he has established thoroughly advertised grades on Idaho products ; he has furnished the farmers market reports In the form of a regular bulletin service; he has authorized the licensing of capable individuals to weigh grain at the various bonded warehouses In the state; he has seen that sufficient inspectors have been put Into the field to guard against all species of injustice, and he has examined carefully Into charges of fraudulent dealing, deal-ing, and he has launched vigorous campaigns cam-paigns against both plant and animal diseases dis-eases wherever he. has found them. "The agricultural department is vitally important in the state of Idaho, because 65 per cent of our people are intimately interested in some form of food production, produc-tion, and three hundred thirty-five millions mil-lions of our wealth may be found invested in land and livestock. "Administered by the secretary of state, at an initial saving of the salary which would have been paid a commissioner, the department of law enforcement has achieved unusual things In its bureaus of constabulary and of fish and game. Evils Eliminated. "In the department of finance foundations founda-tions are being laid for the preparation of a state budget which will eliminate the serious evils resulting from haphazard appropriations ap-propriations made by legislative committees. commit-tees. This budget will be a careful, scientific scien-tific analysis of the financial needs of our institutions and departments, designed, de-signed, of course, to enable the legislature to authorize equitable expenditures. "Complete co-ordination of the work of our three state institutions dt-voted to the care of the insane has been one of the outstanding achievements of the commissioner com-missioner of public welfare. "Among the spectacular accomplishments accomplish-ments of our commissioner of reclamation was the satisfactory adjustment of difficulties diffi-culties arising from Idaho's unusual water shortage of the current year. The state was faced with the most serious water scarcity in its history. "In private business we have all of us j noted that where individual responsibility j is lacking there is lacking efficiency. The f?me tiling holds true in public busn--ss. j The individual with no responsibility does not get results. Even great business men today at the head of grcn t corporations employ professional auditors to eherk them up and to make tliem report to themselves. The centralizing of public i business where heads of departments and their subordinates have some one to check them up means better work. The board or bureau of the old regime provided pro-vided a. clf-ak behind which t'ne individual micht hide his procrastination or weakness. weak-ness. Tod.-iy in -Idaho tho cloak Is rent and the Individual exposed.'' j |