THE TUMBRELS ROLL

Massachusetts taxpayers have left no stone unturned in their exhaustive probe into the mysterious question of what becomes of their money. Their report to the legislative committee on ways and means presents cold facts about several dozen of the 705 items of the state budget, all revealing that funds are being misused to the tune of a grand total of some thirteen million dollars.

The recent airing of the executive department's dirty linen takes a prominent part in this report. Large sums spent on luncheons, executive travel, and office supplies have been explained away by the Governor's secretary as justifiable, since used in spreading "hope and joy among the people." The people has indicated that it will no longer stand for such mummery. The lieutenant-governor's office-assistance appropriation was at zero for one hundred and fifty years, but in 1930 possibilities of treasure accruing to this post were discovered, and for 1936 $7100 is requested in the budget. It is suggested in the report that "the legislature may well now seriously consider the desirability of the complete elimination of this unjustifiable budget item."

Unwarranted increases in salaries, the utter disregard of personal expense for which the executive department is notorious, are two of the cesspools into which the taxpayers' money drains. Another and more insidious one is the creation by a generous legislature of wildcat administrative boards, for which no other excuse can be found except the legislators wish to help their friends and constituents. Such a typical parasite's paradise is the lately conceived board of regulation for hair-dressers, which starts its career with a request for $18,000 for personal services, and $13-800 for travel--for the thirteen members of the board.

Major expenses like the state housing board, and bond issues for building programs are wretchedly enough controlled to warrant a general budget-housecleaning; but it is the countless number of petty outlets for corrupt spending that really bleed the taxpayers dry. The cool and straightforward way in which their representatives who drew up the report have ferreted out and condemned these rampant evils, shows that there exists in this state, at least, a strong public determination to clean up a particularly harmful form of graft. Legislators will have to give ear to this growing voice of discontent, for, like William Lloyd Garrison, "it will be heard."