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On Cutting Travel Costs

Click to see original imagePresident Rolfe Kerr of Dixie College said some things the other day about saving taxpayers money by cutting the nimiber of meetings by the board of regents and college institutional councils. He made particular reference to meetings which involve travel to various college campuses. “When you consider the amount of money spent to transport, house, and feed the number of people who attend meetings of the state board of regents, you realize that a substantial amount could be saved by revising the meeting schedule,” he commented. Mr. Kerr’s remarks brought a reply from Donald Holbrook, regents’ chaimian, who said it cost him more out of his own pocket than it cost Dixie College for meetings there, and noted that the law requires meetings on the various campuses. Nevertheless, he agreed that the meeting schedule should be re-examined. Maybe the item mentioned by the Dixie president doesn’t loom large in the state budget. Itls probably quite insignificant, comparatively speaking. But he does raise a point- one that should be studied at all levels of government in the current economy drive to avoid a taxpayers’ revolt. The whole range of travel bears scrutiny. Congress, for example, spends around $1.5 million each year to send its members and staffs to various parts of the world. There’s a big opportunity for economy here. On state, county, and city levels, many people attend wideranging conventions and other meetings. Some of these trips find their way into the news media; others don’t. This is not to say that all such trips are useless and simply a drain on tax funds. Some are motivating and result in ideas and procedures that benefit the people back home. But we do think each proposed trip or junket should receive close scrutiny by the officers in charge. And those who make a trip – for a city, a school district, the county, state, special district. or any govemment unit representing the people – should be required to prepare a report on the trip that may be open to public examination. Max Rafferty, long-time educator, acknowledged in his syndicated column awhile back that in his career he had attended numerous conventions and meetings of various kinds at public expense, but that in most instances he could have benefited just as much by reading the report two weeks later. We have an idea that’s the case with many of the trips the taxpayers are called upon to finance. Economy in government, whether it s local or federal, begins with the individual officer or public employee. Everyone with responsibility should share the task of achieving efficient, economical govemment. When all public servants accept that challenge, the taxpayers will have no need for revolt. Moss Producing Susan B. Anthony To head off one possible threat to wide circulation of the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the Treasury is planning to be there firstest with the mostest. The opposition is the nation’s army of collectors and to be sure that the new coin, a nickel-cop-slp; combination slighly larger the present quarter, does not disappear into their safes, the Treasury will rely on overwhelming numbers. A half-billion coins are to be minted prior to issue. With the circulating supply constantly replenished from large reserves, the Susan B. Anthony should never become a rarity with its value as a collectible exceeding its monetary vmrth. Which should make it a natural for the American consumer, long since accustomed to his dollars never increasing in value.