or seriously curtailed. A number of them are strengthened and im-
proved, as we shall see later.

In the requests they submitted to the budget director last summer,
department heads asked tor a total appropriation of $461, 668, 013,
of which $217, 418, 541 represented general fund requests. The amount
they asked was 15. 6 per cent more than total appropriations for 1959
and 22. 2 per cent more than the general fund appropriation for the
same period. The total fund appropriations I have allowed amount
to $447, 869, 484. This is a reduction in the amount requested of
$13, 798, 529, of which $12, 617, 113 is general funds. The appropriations
recommended require an increase of $26, 876, 602 in general funds
for the fiscal year 1960.

As I have indicated, every effort has been made to practice rigid
economy. Expenses for future programs were eliminated if there was
doubt that such programs would be in operation during the year.
No appropriation was made for unfilled jobs if a pattern of unfilled
vacancies appeared in the past. A full year's impact of the new salary
schedule authorized by the General Assembly in 1958 is reflected in
the appropriation of each department. This item accounts for $3, 372, -
353 of the total increase. An additional $6, 953, 167 was needed to
finance mandatory requirements in the laws applicable to the State
school system, mainly to take care of a growing school population
and retirement system increases.

In examining the budgetary documents before you, you will ob-
serve that 91 per cent of the general fund increase will be found in
appropriations for education, health, welfare and correction. The
additional money for health, hospitals and correctional institutions
is to be used primarily to staff, equip and operate new or expanded
facilities, such as the Chronic Disease Hospital at Montebello, the
Maximum Security Hospital of the Department of Mental Hygiene,
the Maryland Children's Center of the Department of Public Welfare,
new units at the University of Maryland and many others.

Time will not permit me to discuss in detail here the departmental
programs. I should like to call your attention, however, to some
features of a few of them.

It was gratifying to all of us, I am sure, to learn that fatalities on
our highways declined by approximately 10 per cent in 1958. The
strengthening of the Maryland State Police over the past several years
has, in my opinion, been an important factor in holding down the
highway death toll. Therefore, I am recommending an additional

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