24

State Papers and Addresses

and expenses of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, the Traffic Courts and
the Maryland State Police, as well as all of the expenditures by the State
Roads Commission, are included in the general budget and are subject to the
statutory budgetary regulations. It, therefore, follows that any curtailment of
administrative expense in any of these Departments does not relieve the burden
of general taxation, but operates solely to make available more money for
the maintenance and extension of the State Highways System.

This, however, does not, I think, lessen my responsibility in connection
with the appropriations for these departments, and I conceive it to be my
duty to exercise the same care and restraint in considering their requests as
is done with other departments whose income is derived from General Funds.
I have, therefore, given equal study and consideration to the requests of every
State department, institution and State agency appearing in the budget which
I am submitting to you, regardless of the source of all or any part of their
income.

The budget for the State Roads Commission originally submitted to me by
the Commission has been revised) and rewritten and the revised draft, with the
allowances I recommend, is included in the General State Budget.

The following comments—briefly stated—relate to the more outstanding
features of the revised budget which I submit to you:

(1) No diversion of gasoline taxes are to occur and this budget reflects a
complete restoration of all gasoline taxes;

(2) It provides for 72 less positions than the budget under which the Com-
mission now operates, amounting to a reduction in total salaries of
$98, 862. 00.

(3) It provides for 164 less positions and a reduction of $282, 806. 00 in total
salaries requested in the budget originally submitted to me by the State
Roads Commission.

(4) The original Budget set up the cost for maintaining State highways at
$4, 000, 000. 00, or almost $2, 000, 000. 00 in excess of the 1938-1939 Legisla-
tive budget appropriation for maintenance, and after dedicating funds
necessary to complete approaches to the Susquehanna River and Potomac
River proposed bridges, left a reconstruction fund of only $231, 000,
whereas the revised Budget, after making provisions for the same ap-
proaches to the two bridges, and after providing for the cost of main-
tenance, shows a reconstruction fund of $1, 445, 000. 00, plus other funds
which will be available for reconstruction and new construction.

(5) Heretofore the Commission has not established in its budget the details
and total of its normal administrative expenses; but instead, has set up
the estimated detailed cost of all of its operations, including all adminis-
trative costs, and has then apportioned the total to maintenance, re-
construction and new construction, without showing the details of such
apportionment in the budget. In the revised budget, the normal ad-
ministrative expenses of the Commission are shown as a separate item,
no part of which should be apportioned to construction, maintenance or
other projects. The establishment of this item affords an opportunity to
maintain a closer study of the details of the normal administrative ex-
penses of the Commission.