The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-12-17
THE STATES AFFAIRS.
Secretary Weir's Suggestions to
the Legislature.
PROTECT THE STATE LANDS
Measures TO Save the Peoples Patri-
mony-EquaIixation Districts
Needed-Insurance Laws.

Hon. Allen Weir, secretary of state, has come
70 the city as witness in case before the United
states court, and is stopping at the Rainie
hotei- II can hardly spare twenty-four hours
away from Olympia" said he last evening, "for
the rush OF work Just before the opening oil the
legislative session is upon Us. / am busy pre-
pairing my report. am hampered considerably
Dy not having sufficient help, and shall apply
10 the legislature for authority to hire stenog-
raphcr. The tide land commission, of which l
am secretary, has a stenograrher, upon whom
can call for work relating to the commission,
out that Is not enough.
what points shall take up in my report?
Wei, there are a number of minor matters.
Among the important subjects is the work OF the
library commission. During the year some
5000 volumes have been added to the state IL
Drary, and the librarian has been steadily at
work cataioguing and arranging So that we
are making very favorable progress with the
library.
Another question connected with this relates
TO the care of the state capitol and state build
ings and the insurance upon them
Touching the equalization board there are
several things to be said. The members are
agreed, think, that the work could be better
done were the state divided into dozen or
fifteen districts and each district represented by
member in this board. Then the work OF
equalization would be more thorough, and more
SHset JustltS eOGiI pfoDuOly De meteu oht w
every portion OF the state.
zone thing upon which action cannot be de-
iayed ~ the steps TO be taken to hold the state
lands, the school and county land and other
public lands. Take the school sections, for ex-
ample people are trying to enter these on the
ground that they are coal lands or that they
contain valuable metals. At present there is no
one 10 represent the state in resisting these claims
which may be fraudulent. Now and then one
may get prosecuting attorney to take up the
task. but upon no one man is the duty laid of
defending the state against encroachments, ana
no appropriation has been made for the purpose.
$50 think it would be eminently fitting that
the legislature should take immediate action.
"Of course there are number OF subjects that
Will be embodied in the reports of the various
state officers and boards, and at the same time
the governor will also refer to the matters in his
annual message to the legislature.
las insurance commissioner / shall present a
separate report There some 80 insurance
companies authorized to do business in the
state. Comparatively few of these are
organized under the laws OF the state
that is, the majority of them
are companies with headquarters in other
states 1t is singular fact that several of the
richest and strongest companies in the United
states are not authorized to do business III
Washington. For companies to get certificate
Tor this state they must have invested at least
S2OO000 In bonds either OF the United States, Of
New York, OF Massachusetts or OF this state to
to be held in trust for the policy holders. Now
the fact IL that some of the richest insurance
companies have been unable to find the requisite
amount of these bonds"