the public. The budget I am submitting calls for a total allocation
to the University and the State Board of Agriculture—in general,
special and Federal funds—of $44, 230, 792, or $4, 711, 345 more than
the appropriation for the current year. The increase provides for
an enlargement of the teaching and professional staff, for faculty
salary merit increments, for regular increments to classified employees
and for maintenance of the expanded physical plant. The emphasis
that is being placed on the improvement and expansion of the
instructional program is indicated by the larger number of new
positions being allowed the University. The expenditure for new
personnel will make it possible to reduce the teacher-student ratio
at College Park and to improve generally the instructional programs
there, in the professional schools in Baltimore and in Princess Anne.

HEALTH AND MENTAL HYGIENE

From education, our weapon to wipe out ignorance and cultivate
enlightenment, we turn now to the subject of public health. It has
been said that health of nations is more important than the wealth
of nations. This I firmly believe. And so, in each of the past several
years we have broadened our program of public health and mental
hygiene to meet the health needs of our modern age. Is is worthy
of note that almost one-fourth of the increase in general fund ap-
propriations I have proposed for next year is allotted to health,
hospitals and mental hygiene.

For the Department of Health, in total funds, I have earmarked
$45, 464, 716. This is an increase of $4, 252, 931 over the allowance for
fiscal 1964. The budget for this department is a complicated one and
difficult to summarize, but in general, funds have been provided to
allow the department to enlarge and improve such services as en-
vironmental hygiene, local health services, special health services,
medical care, and hospitals for the care and treatment of chronic
diseases and tuberculosis. You will observe that funds have been pro-
vided to add three additional day-care centers for the mentally re-
tarded and two additional centers for the mentally ill.

In the area of mental hygiene, it is gratifying to me to be able to
report to you that for the eighth consecutive year the in-patient
population in the five State mental hospitals has continued to decline.
This remarkable record may be attributed to a more intensified
treatment of patients, made possible by additional personnel, ad-
vances in drug therapy and active community-based day hospitals
and after-care clinic programs. On the other hand, the number of

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