Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-05-09
CROWDED FOR ROOM
AT STATE HOUSE
CONGESTION AT CAPITOL Will
DRIVE SOME OF THE OFFICERS
DOWN INTO BASEMENT

"A QUESTION Is RAISED
Precedence May Change Plans OF Nov
ing Observation-Disclosures Commits
sion Seeking Room Sufficient to
Hold Meetings.
| Des Moines Bureau of
The Ottumwa Courier,
Des Moines, May 7.
Something must be done soon
toward switching the officers
in the state house and while
the executive council has not
| turned wheel towards making the
new adjustments the employees of the
| state house are somewhat concerned
because of various cunauthentic and
| haphazzard guesses as to what will
happen. There is considerable choice
in the matter and the question OF be-
ing stationed in the basement or on
the first floor is as much NOTED q
matter as the questions OF social de-
gree in Washington The legislature
has been accustomed to ordering that
officers and boards be given officers
in the state house and leaving it to
the executive council to find the
room. Some of the officials are of the
opinion that they have particular
rooms at the favor Of the legislature
and that the executive council cannot
move them.
With the erection of the new paper
warehouse back of the heating plant
north of Grand avenue there will be
considerable room provided and it is
not at all unlikely that the council
may take advantage of this to make
some changes. While there has been
no official discussion of the matter
on the part of the executive council
there seems to be reason for believing
that the geological department will
be transferred to the historical build
ing and that its rooms in the north
end Of the basement Of the state house
will be igven to the board Of control.
There Is movement on foot to have
the document room under the secre-
tary Of states Office transferred to
the new warehouse and this would
make a nice big Office room. The
state veterinarian must be provided
for and there is soon to be vacant In
the brick building across the street
east from the state house some room
that may provide for the state veter-
| marian and possible some others.
One Of the gravest problems Is that
of caring for the railroad commission
For some years the railroad commits
sioners have had nothing much but {
4 kitchen table on which to pile theil
valuable papers but since for some
| years the commission has done moth
| ing Of consequence but draw its pay
| it didn't make much difference. II
is different, however, now since the
people have changed the personnel b!
putting on couple of new men there
is work being done.
4 Chairman Ketchum has now beer
| provided with a modern office desli
but there is not space in the rooms
of the commission for the other two
members to have desks. The execu
tive council will try to give them
more office room, especially placs
big enough for a dozen or more per
sons to get into the room at a time
for hearing. But the agriculture
department is on one side of then
! and the supreme court on the other
and 1t is difficult to find the additional
room for them. 1t is bearly possible
that the clerk Of the supreme cour
4 may have to be moved to make the
additional room. There has beer
talk that the agricultural department
should be at the state fair grounds
whit an administration building erect
ed for that purpose. Some of the
members of the board of directors o
that department, however, object.
4 this was done it would make ample
space for the railroad commission.
Another difficulty is to find addition
/ all room for the attorney general who
! needs another small room By moving
1 the Office of the secretary OF the
| executive council this can be done bu
the question Is where to put the secre
tary. The rooms occupied by The
horticultural society's display which i
not legally department Of the state
would make suitable and excellen
/ quarters and the horticultural dispia.
may be moved to some other place
But the horticultural society paid fol
the interior furnishings OF that room
/ They furnished the wood and had !
carved in the form of apples and othel
fruit and they will make a big kicl
i before they are ever moved out.
| Some additional room could be hat
by moving the pharmacy commission
or the labor commissioner to the bricl
building owned by the state east .
the state house but the pharmac.
commission must have a vault or SAT-
and this would necessitate the pur
chase of safe. Besides the room
vacated would not answer the purpos,
Of those needing room. Within ;
short time it is recognized that tn,
state will have to put up an offic,
building to take care of the overflow
from the state house.
Cecil Dixon for some sessions journ
al clerk in the senate is preparin
to shake the dust of Iowa off his fee
and become citizen of Michigan
He is going to Detroit which he vii
make his home and where he will pe
oox,,> with a 70 nj, in