MESSAGE OF GOVERNOR JAMES P. GOODRICH.*

Gentlemen of the General Assembly:

The particular question before us is that of putting the State's business on a strict business basis with an attendant increase in efficiency— the universal complement of intelligent economy.

The questions with which we will have to deal during the session of the General Assembly have little to do with national politics. In the consideration and settlement of the questions concerning the State's business, no partisan advantage attaches, save that which accrues to an individual or party which renders faithful and efficient service to the public. I trust that in both legislation and administration we may be able to rise above mere partisan consideration. In expressing this hope,

I wish to detract nothing from the importance of political parties, but, on the contrary, to argue against the abuses of political parties which come from exalting partisan considerations to the detriment of the general welfare.

While I hope that the majority of the members of the Legislature will be disposed to stand together in all matters covered by the pledges of the party in power to the people of this State, on the other hand, I trust that party affiliations may not interfere with the business before the Legislature; that the view of the minority members may have due weight in our deliberations and that we may all work together as representatives of all the people of the State for the common good.

I shall be glad, of course, to confer at any time with the members of the General Assembly on matters pending before it and the executive branch of the state government.

I do not believe in executive dictation, but I do believe that the executive, as well as the General Assembly, is bound to carry into effect the promises made to the people in a political campaign, and I shall recommend such legislation as I believe necessary to fulfill these pledges and such legislation as I believe to be demanded in behalf of the public we are sworn to serve.

It is possible for us to render a great service not only to the people of our State but to the cause of representative government by undertaking in a business-like way to establish both economy and efficiency in the conduct of the State's affairs.

In doing this we must all adhere to the theory that "he serves his party best who serves his country best."

While this applies to all parties, it is more difficult, however, for a majority party to apply this theory than it is for a minority party.

The people are growing restive under the increasing cost of government. While they must realize that with the increasing functions of the State, undertaken in the light of its enlarged responsibility, and because of an advancing conception of the State's duties to the people. there must follow a constant increase in the cost of the government, yet they also understand that this condition demands the greatest economy in the conduct of the public business if democracy is not to break down * Delivered to the two houses of the General Assembly on January 8, 1917.

of its own weight. To establish rigid standards of economy should be the unyielding determination of those charged with public responsibility. There should be such careful examination of all demands upon the treasury that every dollar expended may be fully justified. Unnecessary expenditure should be cut without fear or favor and there should be no weakness in refusing demands upon the public treasury made either in behalf of selfish interests or misguided sentiment. If the public business is so conducted we thereby fix a standard of civic duty and official conduct which is bound to exert an important influence upon the loyalty and confidence of the people in their state government.

Whenever we fill the state or national capitol with unnecessary employes; whenever we pad the public payrolls with sinecures; and whenever we waste the public funds in unnecessary or extravagant appropriations we tend to bring the government itself into contempt, discredit the State as a factor in the daily life of our people and contribute to a feeling of distrust by the people with regard to those who occupy high public places.

We have just celebrated the Centennial of Indiana; we are proud of the history of our commonwealth; we are not ashamed as a whole of the standards of public service which have been maintained and which year by year are growing higher. We may well aspire, however, to the distinction of establishing as the "Indiana Idea" in state government the maintenance of the same standards of economy, efficiency and service which prevail in the conduct of the most efficiently managed private business. To bring this about will require some sacrifice of our own personal interests and feelings. People demand economy and efficiency in the abstract, but are not always individually so anxious for it when the execution of the plan conflicts with their own interests.

We shall have to disappoint many of our frends in the work we undertake and to be content to receive much of our reward in the consciousness of duty performed.

We do not wish to restrict, but rather to widen the service rendered by the State to the people, particularly to the State's dependents in the care of our public institutions and likewise to those served by our educational system.

Many recommendations will be made to the Legislature for the construction of new buildings and for the establishment of new state institutions. Unless there is absolute and imperative need for the immediate accomplishment of such work it should be deferred until industrial conditions are more nearly normal than they are at the present time. This policy not only will enable the State to construct additional buildings and new institutions at a much lower cost, but at the same time will furnish employment to our citizens when such employment will be needed more than it is under existing conditions. For this reason I recommend that the greatest scrutiny be shown and the greatest care exercised in authorizing appropriations for such purposes.

I am convinced from a casual survey of the business of the State that there are numerous offices which can be abolished without any detriment whatever to the public service, but, on the contrary, in many cases will result in actually increasing its efficiency.

In making the recommendations hereinafter set out with regard to the elimination of public officials, the consolidation of various bureaus and offices, I want the General Assembly to know I have no purpose in view except to promote the administration of the public business. It would be far easier personally for me to yield to the demand for places from the party whose candidate for Governor I was in the last election, than it is to recommend the elimination of the offices hereinafter set out, but I am convinced that a point has been reached where the severest retrenchment must be practiced and the greatest care exercised in conducting the business of the State.

I shall submit to you for your consideration certain bills embodying in greater detail these recommendations and hold myself in readiness at all times to meet with you or the committee to whom the various bills may be referred.

EXPENDITURE OF PUBLIC FUNDS.

There has been an increasing tendency of late years to make open appropriations, leaving the expenditure of public money entirely under the control of the various boards, commissions and departmental heads.

Believing as I do in centralizing the control of the expenditure of public funds in the executive and in holding him responsible, I believe that a law should be passed requiring the approval of the executive in the expenditure of all funds of this character. He should have nothing to do with the personnel of the employes or with their selection, but he should have something to say about the salaries paid and the amount of money expended for a particular purpose, and I, therefore, recommend that a bill be passed in accordance with this suggestion.

THE OIL DEPARTMENT.

We have in the State at this time fifty-nine oil deputies, a chief oil inspector in the state house and the clerical force under his charge, for which service in fees, salaries and expenses they are receiving approximately $125,000 each year.

I recommend that the entire oil department, as now constituted, be abolished at once; that the work now being done by this department be turned over to the Pure Food and Drug Department; that the commissioner be authorized to increase his present force of deputies by not to exceed three; that he be allowed an additional chemist and a sufficient increase in the appropriation for his department to cover the added expense. That the fees as now charged be paid into the state treasury.

STATE STATISTICIAN.

I recommend that the office of State Statistician be abolished and that the statistical part of the work now being performed by this official be transferred to the executive department, the collection of statistics to be made by the various offices, departments and bureaus of the state government and published by direction of the Governor, with the cooperation of the Bureau of Legislative and Administrative Information; that the work of the employment bureau be transferred to the Industrial Commission. In order that the newly elected State Statistician shall suffer no material loss on account of the abolition of his office, if this

recommendation is followed out, I will appoint Mr. Roberts to a position with a salary equivalent to the one now fixed for his office. Many thousand dollars can be saved by the abolition of this office and the distribution of the work as indicated.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL.

The office of Attorney-General is a legislative' office. It is the law construing branch of the state service and the legal arm of the executive and administrative departments of state government. In addition to $19,200 expended every year for the payment of salaries in the AttorneyGeneral's office, the State is now paying out large sums of money for legal assistants in the various departments. The State Board of Tax Commissioners is spending $2,500 a year for special counsel; the State Fire Marshal employs a legal assistant at $2,000 annually; the State Board of Accounts employs a legal advisor at $2,800 annually. Besides the $6,000 expended annually by the Public Service Commission in payment of the salary of its general counsel, the Public Service Commission has expended over $3,600 since its creation in 1913 for special legal counsel. All this has become a serious financial burden. Any legal advice needed by any officer, bureau or department of the state government ought to be furnished by the Attorney-General and I am convinced that the office of the Attorney-General should be made appointive.

I therefore recommend that the office be abolished as an elective office; that the Governor be authorized to appoint an Attorney-General; that the Attorney-General and deputies under him shall be the legal advisors of the various commissions and boards of the State; that all authority now enjoyed by officers, boards, bureaus and commissions to employ special counsel be abolished.

If this recommendation is carried into effect, Mr. Stansbury, the present Attorney-General, will be appointed to the position of AttorneyGeneral and I am fully convinced that the legal work of the various boards and commissions of the State itself can be performed more economically and efficiently than it has been in the past.

PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMISSION.

The work of the Public Library Commission and the state library, in my judgment, should be combined under one commission of four members. The libraries are a large factor in the educational system of the State and their efficient co-operation will be fostered by having the two different state agencies co-ordinated under the management of a single commission.

THE LEGAL CLERK TO THE GOVERNOR.

I recommend that the office of the legal clerk to the Governor be immediately abolished. All legal advice needed by the Governor should be furnished by the Attorney-General.

QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL.

I call your attention to the fact that, effective last year, the Federal Government, under the National Guard law, is paying to the Quartermaster-General of this State $1,000 a year for his services rendered to

the federal government. This makes his salary in this State $800 in excess of that of the Adjutant-General, his superior officer.

I recommend that the salary of the Quartermaster-General be reduced

$1,000 a year.

CONSERVATION COMMISSION.

I recommend that the office of State Fish and Game Commissioner as now constituted be abolished; that the State Board of Forestry, the offices of State Geologist and State Entomologist be abolished, and that there be created a commission of four, not more than two of whom shall belong to any one political party, to be known as a Conservation Commission, which commission shall serve without pay and have charge of and carry on the work now performed by the State Board of Forestry, the State Fish and Game Commissioner, State Geologist and State Entomologist, and also have charge of the public parks of the State; that they be authorized to carry on the work now authorized by law in the boards and offices abolished, and to select and employ the force necessary to do such work. The commission should be authorized to call on the state educational institutions for assistance. These institutions can be most helpful to the commission without any additional expense to the State.

I recommend in the enactment of this law that the work of the conservation of the fish, game and bird life of the State be separated from the law-enforcing branch of the service and that a chief game warden, with an adequate number of deputies, be appointed to have charge of the enforcement of the law and that experts be appointed by the commission to look after the propagation of fish, game and birds in the State.

The creation of a nonpartisan, nonsalaried commission will make it certain that this work be kept out of politics and the work be made an efficient branch of the public service instead of merely an avenue for the reward of "deserving" partisans.

ABOLISHMENT OF USELESS OFFICES.

There are numerous other offices that may be abolished without any detriment to the public service and at the same time result in saving considerable sums of money to the State. Recommendations for the abolition of many of these offices will come from the state officials with whom I have conferred with respect to them, and I shall not go into details at this time.

In addition to the positions named elsewhere, the position of clerk to the Public Service Commission should be abolished; the position of inspector of locomotive engines and boilers in the Public Service Commission; one of the clerks in the office of Clerk of the Supreme Court and in the Industrial Board; one clerk should be required to act for the factory, mine and boiler inspection department. The salary of the statistical clerk, who receives $1,500, should be reduced to $1,000 a year, and the number of clerks cut down from six to three.

The survey elsewhere referred to will undoubtedly develop other unnecessary offices that can be abolished, but this can be accomplished through executive order and without any legislation on that particular subject.