Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1903-03-27
EXECUTIVE KNIFE.
1T PRUNES THE ROUGH EDGES
OFF OF APPROPRIATIONS,

1T PRUNES THE ROUGH EDGES
OFF OF APPROPRIATIONS.
The Text Of Some of the Vetoes - The Total
Cut Nearly S40O.000-It Leaves the Total
Appropriations From General and Specia
Funds Still Considerably Over Three Million,
of Dollars. Nearly a Million in Excess oI
the Estimated Revenue.
Probably the best support the action
OF the Executive can have in iustifica.
tion OF his rigid effort to close the door
OF profiigate expenditure. so widely
opened by the Legislature, may be de-.
rived from the veto messages submitted
with each bill that met with disapprov.
al; 80 we give the texts pretty much in
full. There are two measures, however
which came under the knife which,
with all due Difference to the Cover.
ernor, we think should have been al.
lowed to pass even at the expense OF
retrenchment in other directions. One
OF these embraces appropriations for
counties which have paid into the
State Treasury more than a fair and
legal preparation of State taxes. To
refund money, illegally held, is duty
which surpasses all other considera.
tions. The money the law contem.
plated refunding to tie counties never
belonged to the State, and the enact
ment was merely for protection OF the
Treasurer in restoring to counties the
States proportion of taxes levied and
having therefore no groundwork for
support upon exempt property.
The other was the so-called Coed
Roads" law, which if properly framed
to guard the liberal appropriation con-
templated, should have been approved
although clerkship here and there
in the public service had to be elimi-
mated to reduce the general aggregate.
The Governors disapproval of items
in the General Appropriation bill (No.
454) is as follows:
Hon. s. II. Nichols, Secretary of State
SIR: / herewith transmit to you,
for filing in your Office, House Omni.
bus bill No. 454, entitled can act
making appropriations for the mainte.
nance of and construction of buildings
and other improvements at, and other
sundry expenses for the various State
institutions and offices, and for the
sundry civil expenses of the State gov.
ernment for the fiscal term beginning
April l, 1908, and ending March 81,
1905" with my approval. excepting
the following items:
Page 8. under head of For Fire Mar.
shars Office:
For per diem expenses of Deputy
Fire Marshals, $1,000.
For buying records, stationery, post
age and incidentals for office of State
Fire Marshal, $3.50.
For travelling expenses of State Fire
Marshal, $3.50.
Page 6. under head of For Scientific
Experimental Station:
Salary OF Superintendent at $4,000
per year, $4,000.
Salary of assistant at $720 per year,
$1.4OO.
General expenses at 81. 900 per year,
$1,000.
Laboratory, museum building, sup.
plies, etc, 100.
Page 6, under head of For Expert.
ment Station at Puyallup:
Salaries and labor, $1,000.
Laboratory, 500.
Repairs and improvements and clear.
ing lands, $4,000.
Farm machinery, supplies and Incl
dentals, 81 800.
Page 6, under head OF For Free
Travelling library:
Maintenance, $1,000.
Page 8, under head of For Superior
| Court:
Payment OF salaries and expenses ol
Superior Judges pro tenn, $1,000.
Page 8, under head of For Geologi-
cal Survey:
Maintenance at S., 900 per year, $1O,.
600.
Page 8, under head OF For White
Shield Home, Tacoma, $50 per month,
$1,000.
Page 9-For State Historical Socie.
ty, $1,000.
Page 10-For relief of Franklin
county, $5,334.72; for relief of Spo.
kane county, $5,337.O6; for relief OF
Kittitas county. $3,765.9S; for relief
Of Thursson county, 1,541.69; for re-
lief Of Yakima county, $4,S90.2S.
Page 10-For Lake Crescent trout
hatchery, $4,000.
The above specified items are disap.
proved for the reason that the condi.
tion of the States finances is not such
as to Justify their approval. No doubt,
many of these items, perhaps all OF
them. are meritorious, but with the
appropriations from the general fund
exceeding the estimated revenues at
least six hundred thousand. dollars, l
feel it incumbent upon me not to ap.
prove any item not strictly necessary.
The controlling reason for not ap.
proving the items for the relief of the
counties of Franklin, Spokane, Thurs.