The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1901-02-16

(ACSSdAl y NOAoul1lC0 III llldhlllR llc iii.
~'vsstigations and we have met with. man,
oEtacles. We now submit the follow
ing partial report, and ask leave To sub
as we see them are completed.
We recommend that the allowance
ofnAflerk hire, etc, be as follows for
the Biennial period
Governors office $4,000
{ Secretary OF state 80. So. .... 1000
: State auditor 1000
State treasurer ................ 4,8oo
Attorney general performances. 5000
Superintendent of public instruc-
....... 5000
Commissioners Of agriculture and
labor ......... y. 2,4OO
Commissioner OF insurance. 5000
Supreme court clerk ........... 1900
Supreme our reporter, instead
Of salary, per volume ........ 600
We believe that the above mentioned
amounts will be ample, provided the Of
ficers elected give their personal atten-
ton to the duties of the office.
The board of railroad commissioners
Ashould be reorganized. They should
elect a secretary from among their num-
Der, who should reside at the capital
and the Office Expense should be paid,
as others are, from the maintenance
fund.
The appropriations for the salary of
the adjutant general should be repealed.
All other national guard officers serve
without pay, except when upon active
duty; with the present small force there
is no necessity of maintaining this of
fcer on duty at all times. The expense
account should be paid out of the mill
tia appropriation. The militia appro-
priations have not been all used for
some years and the balance cancelled
at the end of the fiscal year:
We do not recommend a reduction of
this appropriation for the reason that
if the national guard is to be maintained
an occasional encampment is necessary
to keep up the interest and promote the
efficiency in the service, and with proper
economy the appropriation will suffice
allowing for short cncampment once
in two years.
Y. The office of commissioner of irri-
cation. should be abolished.
The transportation of convicts, insane,
etc., is a very large expense as now man
aged. Believing that publicity of these
accounts would materially diminish their
size, we . recommend that a law be
passed requiring all such accounts. to
be first approved by the board of county
commissioners and published in their
proceedings before being audited by the
state.
The state fair appropriation should be
repealed.
As a matter of economy the legis-
lative assembly should adopt a con-
tract system of %engrossing and enrolling
bills and the present system abolished
as soon as possible.
We have found by an examination of
the vouchers charged to Legislative, ex-
pense" that many items are charged in
it that properly belong under other ap-
preparations. Committee rooms could
be obtained at the capitol by combining
some of the officers to smaller space
during the sessions of the legislature
and much might be saved in that, way
and the convcniences purchased for n
session might not disappear before the
next.
The business of the legislative assem-
bly, is at the capitol building and it
should be done there.
The giving away of chairs and other
state property by the legislative assem-.
bly, and other state authorities should be
absolutely abolished and prohibited by
law as it appears from the vouchers
! to be expensive and in certain cases very,
questionable.
f The expense of the state board of
equalization amounting to $6I7.5o, in the
past three years (sce vouchers 3oo24,
3oo25, 3o136, 3o27o, 1908, 337I5, 338o3
and others for the items of the years
900 a-SE SOooNH - ,,sk1.o..xG s,eksEooks0o