Second Message
TO
The General Assembly of the State of Georgia
BY
L. G. Hardman, Governor
July 18, 1927.

SECOND MESSA.GE
to
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA
Having expressed in my first message to you my confidence in your ability and your desfre of co-operation, I come now to express my appreciation and gratitude for the rapid and harmonious action that you have taken in coming together and electing the respective officers of the two departments of legislation, viz., the House and the Senate. AJso for the rapidity and co-operation manifested in arranging and appointing the committees of the respective branches of legislation. I also commend the activity and interest that is apparent in the organization of these committees and the work that is put forth and the prompt handling of the measures that have been offered or presented looking to the better legislation that will provide and encourage progress, efficiency and economy in all of the departments of government of the State and the interests that this commonwealth fosters.
You have now consumed almost half of the entire session of the present term of the General Assembly, and I wish to commend to you for your consideration in more detail some of the problems which I desire should be solved du ing the present session of the Legislature. I recognize that a body which is composed largely of new members can not so readily handle the problems that contemplate reorganization and rearrangement of the departments of State Government and the Department of Finance. I believe, however, that with your ability, interest and enthusiasm you will be able to solve some of the problems looking to the betterment of State Government and State Finance.
RECESS PERIOD. I suggest for your consideration the advisability of recessing, in order that you might have more time and opportunities for the conside1 ation of some of the problems that look to the correlation and co-operation of some
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of the more important departments of the State. The purpose of the recess would be to 1eorganize, correlate and provide co-operation and reduce the number of Boards of the Institutions and Departments, so as to provide greater efficiency, economy and co-operation.
I recommend for your consideration three plans, either one of which might accomplish, or aid in accomplishing, the purpose above indicated
(1) I recommend that these problems, if possible, be solved during the present session of the Legislature.
If, for the lack of time and opportunity, you find in your
wise deliberation that you are unable to do that, I then recommend:
(2) That you appoint a Committee or Committees to consider the matter of reorganizing and correlating the departments of Government and Finance, for the purpose of studying during the interim these problems and presenting its findings and recommendations to the next General Assembly for their action.
Should you, in your wisdom and judgment, decide that this is not an economical and wise plan, I suggest:
(3) That you authorize the Governor and provide an appropriation to secure experienced and trained experts to investigate and study and make such recommendations as their study might indicate, to be reported to the next General Assembly for their action.
The St te of Virginia, which had one hundred Boards and Departments, has now reduced that number to less than a dozen. The State of Tennessee, which had forty-nine, has now reduced them to eight; and similar action has been taken by other states, looking to efficiency, economy and co-operation.
DEFICIT. I call your attention again to the report of the
Investigating and Budget Commission, which declares that in 1929, under the present plan, we shall have a. deficit of $572,000.00. I call your attention also to the report furnished by the State Auditor that by the end of the year 1927 we shall
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have a deficit of at least $225,000.00, resulting from expenditures by Departments and Institutions over and above the appropriations rn ade for the year 1926-27. This does not include the losses from bank failures. This, all told, will require a revenue or fund of $797,000.00, resulting from the deficits as stated by the Auditor's Report and the Report of the Investigating and Budget Commission. This condition should not exist. I recommend that you provide funds to take care of these institutions, but that they shall not be permitted to expend funds or create a debt unauthorized by the State of Georgia. It is far better to provide adequate revenue to maintain our institutions th n to permit an accumulation of debt. No institution, Board of Trustees or Department should be permitted to create such deficiencies, and it should be declared unlawful to do so and that Institutions or Departments creating such debt shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Now, in order that extreme emergencies in Departments or Institutions of this State may be cared for, I recommend that you provide and place in the Governor or some other Department the authority to take care of such emergencies, and that you enact such laws as in your judgment would be wise to provide for such exigencies.
BANKING. The problem of better safeguarding the deposits in the banks under the supervision of the State Banking Department and the prevention of the failures of these banks, which materially affect the entire activities of the citizens of Georgia, must be met. I urge upon you the necessity of amending and providing in your banking laws such supervision and regulation and enforcement as will prevent the failure of these banks. The supervision and regulation and enforcement of the laws should be so thorough and complete as to prevent failures, rather than provide methods of taking care of the banks after failures. The banking business, since it deals with the money of almost every citizen in the State, should be made so strong and so complete as to be the most dependable and reliable business in the entire State. The losses due to bank failure in our State have brought a tremendous burden and suffering upon small depositors as well as large ones; and the matter of better methods in handling the
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banking business was strongly and most decidedly passed upon by the people in your election and mine.
PUBLIC BuILDINGS. In order that we may determine the needs or that you may have the information concerning our Capitol as well as other buildings of the State, we present for your consideration the reports of the architects giving the floor space in the Capitol and the number of occupants as well as the standard space necessary for each occupant that will provide the best efficiency and economy, with the best health conditions providing light and air. This is both a scientific and a practical problem, to determine whether or not you need and will attempt to build a Departmental Building or will improve our present Capitol. Our Capitol building is deteriorating for the lack of repairs that should be done annually, rather than permit deteriora; ion that would require a large sum to replace the damage from age and use. I call your attention to the measure which has been introduced in the House which would provide funds to build a departmental Building without an appropriation, the money coming through saving of the insurance on State and public buildings.
PERMANENT RECORDS. I suggest also that we should have a department or location in the present Capitol for filing permanent records of all the departments of the State Government, as well as of other institutions not otherwise provided for. I suggest that such a location could be economically and permanently provided in the first floor of the present Capitol Building. The State is a permanent organization, and should have permanent, substantial and sufficient room to transact her business and provide for permanent records.
STATE FARM. There should be records made of every individual placed at this Institution, and these records should be placed in a vault for permanent protection.
1. There should be forms provided and records made of the criminality.
2. There should be made a careful physical examination of the individual in detail, giving the distinctive marks of
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identification as well as physiognomy and finger prints, also to be filed away.
3. There should be made a medical examination, which should be thorough and complete, on proper forms, to be filed away with the other records. When the criminal, if not infected with some communicable disease such as tuberculosis when entering the Institution, is later transferred to the Tuberculosis Hospital, another examination should be made and filed, on entering this department at the State Farm.
4. That a medical examination should be made of those leaving this Institution after serving their sentence or being paroled or pardoned.
I call your attention to a sketch of the Tuberculosis Building at this Farm and of the floor space therein, which building now has fifty tubercular criminals, when the space required for the proper care and treatment of these should be twice as large as we now have at this Institution. The baths, the beds and the food are inadequate and undesirable, as well as the sewerage. An additional building should be provided and the present building renovated and the ground better kept.
I call your attention also to the fact that in the Woman's Building or Department we have about ten tubercular white women and twenty tubercular neg,o women, who should be segregated. I commend the very splendidly kept building that the female criminals are placed in.
There are four thousand acres of land belonging to the State Farm, about two thousand acres of which are going to waste, and I suggest that through your Department of Forestry this land be reforested and made productive, which could be taken care of by the Forestry Department and the labor on the Farm.
UNIVERSITY. I desire also to remind you of the first Message, carrying with it certain recommendations regarding the University at Athens and some of its branches, as to their condition and needs.
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HEALTH DEPARTMENT. There can be no question as to the helpfulness and the need of this department, for the welfare of the individual citizen and the entire State of Georgia, and I suggest for your consideration that the departments and interests looking to the prevention and relief of human suffering be correlated and that sufficient funds be provided to make this department most efficient. I shall not go into detail recommending to you the State Department of Health, the Tuberculosis, the Defective and the Welfare work; but I suggest that all of these interests should be so correlated as to co-operate in a helpful and economical way. All of the Public Health problems should be placed under one Secretary or Commissioner, with subdivisions, so as to make it efficient, economical and co-operative. The health and education of each individual are fundamental in the production of wealth and revenue for the State, as well as in the development of industries and enterprises.
HrcHWA YS. Road construction and road maintenance are State problems. There is no interest in the State for which we spend as much money, and this expenditure should be placed upon the very best business basis, so as to give to every county and every section of the entire State the very best roads possible, and to provide the construction of these roads as rapidly as possible. Road construction and maintenance and bridge construction and maintenance are engineering problems, and should be provided with trained, expert and experienced men to provide and supervise the entire interest. These engineers should not only be expert engineers, but should have knowledge of the material used for road building and of the chemistry and the strength of the materials, and should regulate the traffic.
You have passed in the House the Neill bill, which will provide for safeguarding the funds not only of this department, but of all other departments, so that it shall all come into one treasury and be checked out by vouchers which must be countersigned by the Comptroller and by the Governor of the State.
This Department should have the very wisest business methods, since it involves the largest funds.
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TAXES OF REVENUE. The sources of revenue in the State should represent the value or profit in the respective sources which pay taxes. Taxation is not for the purpose of burdening or eliminating enterprises, industries, agriculture or other lines of business; but should represent to some degree a return to the Government which permits and provides plans and protection for the operation of the business or enterprise that makes it more profitable to the owner and beneficial in the way of maintaining the protection under the Government.
Revenue should be, as far as possible, equalized on every line of industry or enterprise, as well as on property of all classes.
I might suggest some of the plans that are in operation in other States and that are now under consideration in your Legislative Department. Whether or not the Capital Stock Tax and the Land Tax should be abandoned for State purposes, and a Millage Tax placed on the returns of all business of every type or class, is a question to be considered. Also, the question suggests a Sales Tax and a Luxury Tax.
It should not be'. the purpose of legislation to burden any class of values or of industries, but by reason of the legislation and the system in operation to provide methods and permit operations that tend to make them more profitable.
This would ~ncourage the location of industries and manufacturing plants of every variety, and would thereby give you a larger source of revenue for the State and at the same time allow profit to the investors.
Su.'vIMARY. In a summary, the suggestions that I have made to you are as follows:
1. That all funds be placed daily in the Treasury and the State Depositories, subject to expenditure on appropriation, by properly signed vouchers.
2. The safeguarding of banks.
3. That the Highway Department be placed upon the best scientific and practical and wise business basis.
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4. That a Departmental Building program be put into operation.
5. That the number of Departments be reduced and that greater efficiency be provided under them.
6. That a place be provided in the present Capitol Building for filing permanent records of the State.
7. Consideration of various plans of taxation and revenue. Yours truly,
L. G. HARDMAN,
Governor. By unanimous consent 300 copies of the Governor's Address were ordered to be printed.
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