picture that is painted for us is that all is well in this best of possible
worlds. Maryland, of course, will hope to share abundantly in that
prosperity.

But when the idea gets around that "all's right with the world, "
prudent men become watchful and cautious. Farmers call a perfect
day a "weather breeder, " and seeing one begin scanning the horizon
for the first signs of a brewing storm. Already, the economic experts
have begun to temper their rosy predictions with words of winning.
They speak of a possible "tapering off" this year and of a "dip" or
even a "recession" in 1961, the first half of which is embraced in our
financial planning at this session. And so, the program which I am
recommending to you, while in no sense an austere one, nevertheless
has been contrived with care and caution, in mindfulness of the
danger of over-optimism and over-exuberance in times like these.
More about this later, but let us return now to our inventory of
conditions—to a review of what has been done and what remains
to be done in the government of the State of Maryland.

In appraising the accomplishments of the first year of this Admin-
istration, I think there is much in which we can take pride. We
have reorganized and improved the structure of many State agencies,
including the State Roads Commission, the Department of Tidewater
Fisheries, the State Planning Department and the State Racing Com-
mission. We have expanded State services by the establishment of
new agencies such as the Department of Economic Development and
the Commission on the Aging. We have instituted reforms in the
Baltimore Municipal Court system, the State tax courts and in our
traffic-safety program. We have inaugurated special studies in the
fields of old-age assistance, labor legislation, the magistrates' court
system and many others.

This, in my estimation, is a good beginning. Much, to be sure,
remains to be done. Let us examine in more detail some of the
achievements of the past year.

The State Roads Commission, which you reorganized at my request
last year, has adopted a policy of "action now, " under which it expects
to give the taxpayers sound administration of their tax dollars and
at the same time develop bold concepts of how to get big jobs done
fast. The new Commission has reorganized its staff, creating a plann-
ing and programming division to make sure our highways will serve
the function of moving traffic safely and efficiently while they con-
tribute to the orderly growth of the State.

New legislation will be offered to you at this session to remove

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