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Show IIUBtErS MESSAGE 10 LEGiSLATURE UTAH EXECUTIVE URGENT FOR ECONOMY AND REFORM IN GOVERNMENT. Lawmakers Told That a Return to Rock Bottom Foundations Is a Sure Augury of Future Progress. Salt Lake City Charles R. Mahey, governor of Utah, delivered his first message to the lawmakers of the slate when the Fourteenth legislature met jit joint session in the hall o the house at noon on January 11. Governor Mabey said: "Should it seem that this message conies dressed in somber clothes, it will be remembered remem-bered that these are somber times." Then, declaring that the chief idea of representative government is to grow, lie continued: "There comes a time in every well ordered political unit when it must take stock of Its condition before it branches out into fields. At this moment, civilization is consolidating its gains. It is a breathing breath-ing space, not a retreat. Reduction of expense is not reactionary. Sanity is not retrogression, A return to rock bottom foundations is a sure augury of future progress." This utterance was heartily applauded, applaud-ed, as was the next declaration that "few laws, wisely administered, are the best indication of statesmanship. That state is best governed which preserves pre-serves to the greatest degree local self-government. The tendency has been towards centralization of power and too much regulation of private, affairs. af-fairs. The happy medium is That wherein efficiency is secured at the sacrifice of as little personal liberty and individuality as possible. To that end let us labor." The governor called attention to the fact that the estimated receipts of the state from all sources for the bien-nium bien-nium 1921-1922 were .?3,300,000, and urged that the appropriations be kept to the minimum consistent with the income. in-come. Governor Mabey declared that "The nation is stiffering from the lassitude of an athlete after a trying contest. Men's nerves are unstrung, and they are given to complaint and criticism." "The people are in no mood to tolerate tol-erate frivolous expenditures." "The people pray earnestly that each individual member's slogan will ue not 'How much can I save for my city and country?' but 'How much can I save for my state and still maintain that efficiency which has always been her chief characteristic?' " "In the twenty-four years since statehood, administrative agencies have been multiplied in bewildering confusion until today there are more than forty of them. The svils following follow-ing such a loose system are apparent. A solution can be found without any radical change in our present administrative admin-istrative form. Boards and commissions commis-sions that arc similar should be consolidated." con-solidated." "The heavy burden of taxation resting rest-ing upon the people should claim your early and serious consideration, in the hope of not only not increasing that burden, but of decreasing it. "It is now time to learn that a prudent city or state, like a prudent person, must live within its means and not eud'avor to ape the life and practices of communities muck richer." "Desire as much as we may better communication into favorite localities, if we keep our main lines of road' in first class order during the years Immediately Im-mediately to come, the resultant road efficiency and the saving of the taxpayers' tax-payers' money will be pleasing to most of our people." "All educational veneer must be scraped away and a more practical program ushered in; but this does not mean stooping to cheap and sordid, but contemplates a deeper awakening of the spirit through the building of a better social order." "Our state department of education is top heavy. Its work should be simplified sim-plified ; its working force reduced and it should be made to articulate with that of the Agricultural college and the university to the end that duplication dupli-cation be absolutely eliminated." "Tliis is no time for freak legislation, legisla-tion, neither is it the moment for experimentation ex-perimentation at the people's expense; hence, it is hoped that all requests for funds beyond the legitimate income of the state be met with deaf ears and unflinching hearts." "While it may be impossible of meeting meet-ing the recommendations of the commission com-mission appointed to make a study of a suitable memorial for the veterans of all wars In which this country participated, par-ticipated, the excellent service the commission has rendered should not be lost and it should be kept intact for later action." |