The New Year's resolution is the product of this kind of contempla-
tion, and the New Year's resolution can be a most valuable instrument
in enabling us to plan an orderly life. New Year's Day is also a time
of thanksgiving — of rendering our thanks to the Almighty for his
mercies and his favors.

As we look back upon the year 1962 and face the year 1963, we
Marylanders see many things for which we can be grateful. In the
first place, in common with all other Americans we rejoice that our
nation has enjoyed another year of peace, and although we are living
in a perilous age in which almost anything can happen, we can see
that the outlook is bright for continued peace and we rejoice that
this is so. With other Americans also, we are thankful for another
year of economic prosperity — a year in which Americans for the most
part were able to derive a full measure of the enjoyment of life as
a result of an abundance of goods and services to supply their material
wants. Our great State of Maryland has been exceptionally fortunate
in this respect, having experienced its best year economically speaking.
For the first time in history, we in Maryland are producing goods
and services at the rate of $9 billion a year. For all of this, we Mary-
landers of course are most grateful.

As I have done in years past on this "Annapolis Index, " I will at-
tempt just briefly to review some of the activities of your State gov-
ernment during 1962 and recite some of the "resolutions" we have
made for the years immediately ahead. Sound and responsible gov-
ernment financing has been the keystone in my Administration, and
I am pleased to report to you again this year that Maryland has never
been in a stronger financial condition than it is today.

As I complete the fourth and final year of my first term, I feel a
sense of satisfaction in the fact that we have been able to finance the
State without the necessity of imposing new taxes. Furthermore, it
is satisfying to be able to report that the budget I am now preparing
for the forthcoming fiscal year contains no additional taxes. All this
we have been able to accomplish by prudent management of your
State's finances, under a policy that calls for strict economy of opera-
tions, providing at the same time the expansions and improvements
that are required for a progressive and rapidly growing State.

But let us move on with our review of activities for the year. Our
"go roads" program has moved along steadily, and again in 1962 we
built more miles of highway than ever before in history. In the year
ending, we completed the Baltimore Beltway, opened the Jones Falls
Expressway, opened up new arteries in the Washington metropolitan

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