STATE SOLDIERS AND SAILORS' MONUMENT.

GEN. FRED KNEFLER, PRESIDENT AND SUPERINTENDENT BOARD OF REGENTS..

This monument, which is erected in memory of the soldiers and sailors of the late War of the Rebellion, is recognized the world over as being the most artistic, the most beautiful and symmetrical soldiers' monument that is in existence to-day.

On the 25th day of February, 1899, the following act for the completion of the monument was passed by the General Assembly: An Act to Appropriate Money to Complete the State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and Declaring an Emergency.

(S. 283. Approved February 25, 1899.)

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana, That the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) be and the same is hereby appropriated out of the moneys in the State treasury not otherwse appropriated, which sum is to be in full for the completion of the State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument and to pay for work already done, by order of the Board of Regents; Provided, That said monument be in all respects completed by the first day of January, 1901, and provided further that any unexpended balance of said appropriation remaining on December 31, 1900, and after the completion of said monument, shall be returned to the general fund of the State treasury.

The above appropriation, in the opinion of the Board of Regents, suffices for the entire completion of the monument in all of its main features, according to the original design.

The Board of Regents has informed the committee that it has exhausted every effort to complete the monument January 1, 1901, as required by the above section 283, but has been prevented by circumstances beyond control to accomplish this much desired result, but the board is of the opinion, and has every reason to believe, that if nothing extraordinary shall occur, now at this time. entirely unforeseen, the monument will be ready for dedication on or before June 1, 1901.

The Board of Regents respectfully requests that the General Assembly reappropriate the unexpended balance of the $100,000 for the completion of this monument and extend the time for com

pletion to June 1, 1901, in order that the Board of Regents may be enabled to pay promptly all its obligations entered into on the contracts now in progress of completion. The unexpended balance is $34,131.93.

The Legislature in 1899 made an appropriation for the maintenance of this monument as follows:

To the Board of Regents of the State Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, $10,000: Provided, That said Board of Regents shall on the first day of each month file with the Auditor of State a statement of all the receipts for the preceding month, and pay said receipts into the State treasury, and no part of said appropriation shall be paid unless this provision is complied with. (Acts 1899, page 534.)

There was drawn against said appropriation the sum of $9,948.80.

The receipts from all sources from the monument for the fiscal year 1900, paid to the Treasurer of State, as shown by number of quietus, were as follows:

Showing an expenditure of $739.70 more than was paid into the treasury.

This monument has cost the taxpayers of Indiana $599,083.95. The following specific appropriations have been made:

The following sums have been paid from the general fund out of the State treasury:

For year ending October 31, 1900, earnings turned into treasury

were

6,209 05

Total cost of monument..

$599,083 95

What earnings were made and collected prior to October 31, 1899, were paid out and used in maintaining the monument. What sum they would aggregate we are unable to state, as the law prior to the act of 1899 did not require the earnings to be turned into the State treasury.

The Board of Regents drew from the treasury for the year ending October 31, 1900, the sum of $11,500, and expended same as follows:

The Board of Regents asks an appropriation for maintenance for each year ending October 31, 1902, and October 31, 1903, the sum of $10,000.

RECOMMENDATIONS.

The committee recommends an annual appropriation of $10,000 for running expenses, provided that all earnings of the monument shall be returned to the State treasury.

STATE HOUSE.

J. W. VEST, CUSTODIAN, S. C. SHUTT, CHIEF ENGINEER.

The committee has visited the different departments in the State House and examined all parts of the building under the guidance of the custodian and engineer, and submits herewith the requests of these officers for appropriations for the two years ending October 31, 1903:

NEEDS.

The custodian states the needs under his supervision to be, and makes requests for appropriations therefor, as follows:

$400 of this sum to be made available in 1901, and the

For steel filing cases for State Board of Medical Registration

To this should be added as the annual appropriation for second

year

$21,150 00

Total for two years....

$49,695 25