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Show BY HARRY MARLOWE Speculation on Capitol Hill this week dwelt largely on how near the Twenty-eighth Utah Legislature Legislat-ure will go toward staying within Gov. J. Brackeu Lee's "retrenching" budget for 1949-51. The governor opened the week by presenting his biennial budget message - - four days late at his own request. It calls for appropriations appropri-ations from the general fund of $12,580 030 as compared to $15 110,950.83 appropriated by the 1947 legislature. Basis for the budget are estimated estimat-ed general fund revenues for the biennium of $11 759,950 and an estimated 1947-49 surplus of 1 520,973.12, amounting to a total of $13 280 923.12. If set up in ac-! ac-! cordance with the governor's budget, bud-get, expenditures would leave a ! 1 surplus of $700 893.12 at the close ! of the 1949-51 period. . I This is in contrast to actual gen- 1 eral fund revenues for fiscal year I 1948 of $9,131 478.14 estimated fis-! fis-! cal 1949 revenues of $7,378,207 and a 1945-47 surplus of $1 627, I 448.72 or la total of $18,137 133.96 I for the biennium which ends June I 30 1947. Of this amount, $1 021, ! 378.31 goes to mine occupation re-I re-I j serve, $15,110 950.83 to legislative I : appropriations and $483,831,.70 to 1 deficit appropriations leaving the estimated surplus of $1,520 973.12. The governor told legislators he had actualy received requests covering cov-ering expenditure of $81,520,000 for the biennium and that he had recommended expenditure in excess of $43 000,000. Of the latter amount howerev, $31,000 000 comes from earmarked funds, leaving $12 500, 000 for the legislature to appropriate. appropri-ate. "To my mind," he said in this regard, "this creates an undue restraint re-straint upon the legislative and excutive branches of the gover-ment; gover-ment; and one which cannot help but create serious financial distortions distort-ions in the foreseeable future." He called atttention of the Legislature Leg-islature to "the fact that in every instance my recommendation for the appropriation to administrative departments is substtantially less that appropriations to the last biennium." bi-ennium." Previously he had stated that: "In making my recommendations to you, I earnestly have in mind strengthening our financial structure struct-ure against the day when adversity may strike by continuing the policy pol-icy already initiated by your bodies bod-ies of creating"and building necessary neces-sary reserves." In his recommendations by departments dep-artments the governor first suggested sug-gested consolidation of the Utah Safety Council and state driver license division now under the tax commission, into one unit under the Utah Highway Patrol. This he said, could done at a saving of $200,000, the exact amount recommended rec-ommended for the combined dept. for the biennium. He said they are spending $400,000 between them this biennium. As a "saving" medium he recommended re-commended concentration of all vocational agricultural education under the extension division of the Utah State Agricultural College Col-lege and called for a general elimination elimi-nation of duplication of vocational education and federal aid programs. pro-grams. He reccomended reduction in appropriations for some "so-oalled "so-oalled federal aid programs" and suggested a careful scrutiny of them. 000. The Univertity of Utah alone, in addition to its dedicated credits, asks $5 285,660, while Utah State Agricultural College requests totaled tot-aled $3 390,908. Weber College, which hopes to become a four-year school through legislation already introduced in the Senate requested $873,854.26 while others include Branch Agricultural Agri-cultural College, $366,739.58; Carbon Car-bon Junior College, 216,898.16; Dixie Dix-ie Junior College $201,955.20 and Snow Junior College, $244 444. "Appropriation to any institution institut-ion should be based upon reasonable reason-able need, limited only by the ability of the state to pay declared declar-ed the governer. . His recommendation in regard to welfare is directed at reduction of administtration costs. He recommends recom-mends the same assistance appropriation ap-propriation as that of two years ago, plus the deficit appropriation of $398,000 already made and now being considered by the Legislature Also recommended was la continued con-tinued appropriation of $750,000 per year for teacher retirement, although he pointed out that the state has not been paying its share of the fund. He then recommended a study of the fund to determine a firm future policy. With the presentation Of the hiiHtrer. mpssaEre the ioint armropri ations committee of the two houses hous-es began daily meetings in the paration of the appropriations bill, governor's board room in pre-Interesting pre-Interesting is the fact that in one previous meeting the committee pased a resolution adopting a policy pol-icy of staying within estimated revenue. A questtion may arise as to what the real "estimated revenue" will be, las it is noted the legislature appropriated over $15 000 000 two years ago against estimated revenue reve-nue of around 14,000,000 and yet the results shows a' surplus of over $1 500,000 after additional deficit appropriations of nearly $500,000. Meanwhile, the Legislature had in mind the plight of the livestock men when it passed and sent to Washington a request for .Congress ional emergency aid to rescue starving star-ving and freezing sheep and other livestock stranded by severe cold and storms. It also passed the bill calling for ratification of the Colorado River Upper Basin Sttates compact com-pact and sent it to the 'governor for his sngnature. One of the problems facing the Legislature, which now has over 300 measures before it has to do with the revival of "junkets" to state institutions, which were halted hal-ted when World War II came along. al-ong. Forty-five of the 83 lawmakers went to Ogden and visited four state institutions on the first post-wart post-wart trip last Friday and it is only logical to assume that the legislators legis-lators will be invited to Logan Amercan Fork Provo, St. George, Ephraim, Cedar City and Price. Specific examples were the rehabilitation re-habilitation and on-the-job training train-ing programs. In both cases he maintained federal grants were so reduced that the state was forced to pay more than the agreement -called for. He recommended a cutback in State Health Service appropriations from $580,000 appropriated for 1947 -49 to $500 000 and suggested only 25,000 be appropriated to the Utah Veterans' Administration in con-years con-years ago. In regard to the latter, he maintained that he found through thro-ugh "personal investigation" that the work of the organization "largely "lar-gely duplicates that conducted by various recognized veeran organizations. organi-zations. had been spent and what is left his opening message calling for the legislature to control planning of projects under the Water and Power Board by retaining power of final approval, then asked that no appropriation be made to the board He said' less that half of the $1 000 000 appropriated two years ago had been spnt and said what is left in the fund would carry the projects pro-jects for the next two years. Abolishment of the State Publicity Pub-licity and Industrial Developement was again asked with the creation creat-ion in its place "a new advertising advertis-ing agency" with a modest" appropriation. ap-propriation. On the subject of higher education, educat-ion, the governor's budget recommends recom-mends a lump sum appropriation of $5 700,600 to be distributed a-mong a-mong seven institutions with requests re-quests totaling $10,580,459.20. In the schools would retain their dedicated de-dicated credits, as in the past which the governor set at $4 200 west trying to clear the roads to UTAH STATE SOIL CONSERVATION CONSERVA-TION COMMITTEE. Legal Notice of Election of Three Supervisors for the Millard Soil Conservation 'District. Notice is hereby given by the Utah State Soil Conservation Committee Com-mittee to all land owners or occupiers oc-cupiers of land lying within the boundaries of the Millard Soil Conservation Con-servation District that Nominating Petitions for the election of three supervisors of the said District have been received by said State Soil Conservation Committee. Please take further notice that on the 8th day of Frebruary, 1949 an election meeting will be held at the Court Room County Courthouse Court-house hall at Fillmore County of Millard, Utah to elect three supervisors super-visors for the Millard Soil Conservation Con-servation District of the State of Utah. All eligible land owners or land occupiers within the boundaries of said district shall have the right to voteat the said election meeting. meet-ing. By order of the Utah State Soil Conservation Committee. V. A. Bergeson, Chairman First publication Jan. 27, 1949. Final publication Feb. 3, 1949. |
