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I would submit further the proposal that the printing law be strengthened by the addition of competent authority to be exercised by an official of the State Printing Board in the way of reviewing and reducing departmental reports before they are sent to the printer. I believe that there is frequently unnecessary matter included in these annual reports and also matter which once recorded should not be repeated year after year. A revision of the printing law embracing this suggestion would undoubtedly effect a substantial saving to the State.

A CONSTRUCTIVE POLICY FOR HOSPITALS, CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS AND PRISONS

In my Budget Estimate of last year, I referred to the fact that in the Tentative Appropriation Act transmitted therewith, I had recommended certain appropriations for the three major institutional groups of the State which expressed a definite policy of progressive construction and stated that without such a policy it was difficult to give proper relative consideration to the large and increasing requests for construction purposes each year. I called attention to the fact that by the provisions of Chapter 594 of the Laws of 1916, a policy was expressed with respect to the construction needs of the penal institutions of the State and that the Commission which I had appointed, pursuant to the provisions of that law, having developed a policy with respect thereto, an appropriation was made of $200,000 for the reconstruction of Sing Sing Prison in addition to the appropriations of the Legislature of 1916 of $400,000 for both Sing Sing Prison and for a new farm and industrial prison on the Beekman or Wingdale site.

Since the appropriations of last year, the Commission has decided upon the construction of a farm and industrial prison on Wingdale site. To continue the programme of the Commission both at Sing Sing Prison and at Wingdale, I have recommended to the Legislature in my Tentative Appropriation Act a further appropriation of $100,000 for Sing Sing Prison and a further appropriation of $350,000 for the new prison at Wingdale. Appropriations made and recommended for Sing Sing Prison in the three years total $500,000, and the total authorizations are $1,525,000. For Wingdale, the totals, including the present Tentative Appropriation Act are: authorizations-$1,750,000; appropriations $550,000.

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Recognizing the importance of the coordination of the Executive and Legislative branches of the government, extending over a sufficiently long period of years systematically to reconstruct and develop the hospital and charitable institutions the Legislature of 1917, by Chapter 238, created the Hospital Development Com

mission. This Commission has since its organization made an intensive study of the needs of these institutions both as to repairs. which will restore the existing structures to a decent condition for safe and sanitary use, and also as to new construction which will within the period of ten years not only eliminate the present overcrowding, but will adequately provide for the expected increase of inmate population within that period.

The recommended allowances both for repairs and construction for these institutions, included in my Tentative Appropriations Act, reflect the programme of the Hospital Development Commission for its first year. Because of the fact that a very important feature of this programme is to fully repair the existing structures the appropriations for the working force of the institutions engaged upon repairs, as well as the appropriations for materials and supplies used in repairs have been transferred in the Tentative Appropriation Act from the maintenance and operation classification to the repair classification. To the extent that these changes have been made, the maintenance and operation appropriations have been reduced and the repair appropriations increased to an equal amount, as compared with the appropriations for the current year. The transfer of appropriations from maintenance and operation to repairs under this plan have totaled approximately as follows:

For the Hospitals.

For the Charitable Institutions.

For the Prisons.

Total for these groups.

$404,826 00

97,712 00 65,277 67

$567,815 67

The principal items of the programme of the Hospital Development Commission for the insane hospitals, represented by recommended appropriations in my Tentative Appropriation Act, are as follows:

Central Islip State Hospital: An authorization of $150,000 and an appropriation of $50,000 for additional quarters for acute and disturbed patients. For new central heating and lighting plant an additional appropriation of $100,000.

Hudson River State Hospital: Additional accommodations for one hundred tubercular patients, an authorization of $75,000 and ́ an appropriation of $50,000.

Kings Park State Hospital: Total appropriations for construction of $167,500, the principal items of which are an authorization of $150,000 and an appropriation of $75,000, for additional accommodations for 200 tubercular patients and $35,000 for water storage reservoir and connections.

Brooklyn State Hospital: Total apropriations for construction of $376,200, the principal items of which are an appropriation of $200,000 for the construction of additional accommodations for patients to complete an authorization of $300,000 granted in 1917; the appropriation of a balance of $50,000 for the completion of chronic and reception buildings, authorized by chapter 727 of the Laws of 1915; an item of $30,000 for a sewage plant for Creedmore and $10,000 for repairing buildings at Creedmore.

Manhattan State Hospital: Total appropriations for construction of $170,500, the principal items of which are an authorization of $100,000 for a new dining room for 600 patients of which $70,000 is appropriated and an additional appropriation of $400,000 for additional accommodation for 380 patients of which $50,000 is appropriated.

Appropriations under the jurisdiction of the Hospital Development Commission are recommended for the development of plans and studies by the State Architect and State Engineer and by special committees of the Hospital Development Commission for the following: Psychopathic Hospital, State Hospital at Creedmore, Central Islip State Hospital, Kings Park State Hospital, Utica State Hospital, Marcy Division.

The principal appropriations recommended for the charitable institutions are those for continuing the development of Letchworth Village inaugurated by the authorizations and appropriations of last year. For these purposes I recommend a total of appropriations of $605,500.

THE FORM OF THE APPROPRIATION BILL

I repeat this year the request which I made in my Budget Estimate last year that the appropriation bill, as approved by the Legislature, follow the form of my Tentative Appropriation Act, by carrying in one place in the bill the appropriations for each department, institution or unit and showing extension totals for each subdivision and class of expenditure together with totals for each department or unit. While the appropriation bills, as passed by the Legislatures of 1916 and 1917 included the principal features essential to a properly segregated act, they were practically impossible of ready analysis and study by the public owing to the fact that extension totals were not included and also to the fact that in many instances appropriations for the same units of government were placed in different parts of the bill. This form of appropriation makes difficult, except for those who have adding machines and a corps of clerks available, any study of the bill itself or a comparison of its allowances with previous appropriations.

The legislative bill in those features to which I have called attention follows a legislative custom which had little to recommend it and because of those features defeats the full accomplishment of the purposes of segregated and classified appropriations otherwise excellent in form as accepted by the Legislature for the past two years.

I again ask favorable consideration of a recommendation made last year under this heading, namely that allowances for construction or repairs, except where needed for emergency work, should become available as of the first day of the fiscal year; also that where increases in the Personal Service over allowances in my Tentative Appropriation Act are submitted to me in a legislative bill, that the existing salary of each employee so increased be set forth in one item and the proposed increase in compensation be set forth in another item immediately following.

HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE

The appropriations for the maintenance and repair of State and county highways recommended in my Tentative Appropriation Act aggregate $5,400,000 for the nine divisions of the departmental maintenance work of the State. The recommended appropriations are $775,000 greater than the allowance for the same purposes by the Legislature of 1917, but with the advanced prices of all materials and labor, I am informed the increase represents the power to purchase little, if any, more actual work than was obtainable under the previous appropriation.

While I have not given favorable consideration generally to those appropriations which will call large groups of men from the fields of industry directly contributing to the success of the war, I feel that such maintenance of our State highways, as is necessary to prevent their deterioration, is of vital importance under existing conditions of partial failure of our railroad transportation.

By recommending liberal appropriations for the purchase and rental of maintenance and repair plant, and by making all the maintenance appropriations available for departmental labor, I have encouraged the idea that much of the work on State roads should be done by gangs of State employees rather than depend upon contractors as has heretofore been the practice for the heavier kind of repair and reconstruction. I am also of the opinion that the work of these gangs could be so regulated by the Division Engineers as to release the men when need both for the planting and harvesting season in the farming districts, without seriously interfering with the departmental work. If that could be done, the organization of these gangs could be made a great aid to the food production of the State while at the same time assuring proper maintenance of our highways.

COMPARATIVE STATEMENT AND ESTIMATE OF THE STATE

COMPTROLLER

I attach to this Budget Estimate and make a part thereof a statement of the State Comptroller marked as follows:

Exhibit A

Comparative statement furnished by the State Comptroller of the actual and estimated revenues, receipts and expenditures for general purposes of government for the three years and nine. months ending June 30, 1918, together with statement of estimated resources to meet general budget appropriations of the Legislature of 1918.

STATISTICAL STATEMENTS ATTACHED TO THIS BUDGET ESTIMATE

For the purpose of placing before the Legislature in condensed form, information of value in studying both the Compilation of Desired Appropriations and the Tentative Appropriation Act, which I transmitted to the Legislature with my annual message on January 2, 1918, as well as information with respect to appropriations of the Legislatures of 1915, 1916 and 1917, I have added to this document the following exhibits:

Exhibit B

Comparison by class of expenditure of the appropriations included in the Governor's Tentative Appropriation Act to the Legislature of 1918, with the appropriations by the Legislature of 1917, and with appropriations desired from the Legislature of 1918 by the various departments, institutions and officers of the State.

(A

Appropriations for current and regular expenses.) (D- Appropriations for deficiencies.)

(S― Special Appropriations.)

Exhibit C

Recapitulation of Exhibit B.

Exhibit D

The departmental totals of the Governor's Tentative Appropriation Act for 1918-19 collated into parts comparable with the Legislative Appropriation Act of 1917.

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