The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1911-05-19
WASHINGTON STATE
|MPRESSES EBERHART
Governor of Minnesota Likes
Our Public Institutions.
Auto Tax Money Must Come--BIa
Increase in Highway Fund Con-
stitutionaIity of Employees Com
pensation Act TO Be Tested.

Olympia, May II On his visit to the
state training school at Chehais and to
the rock quarry at Meskill in Lewis
county Governor A. 0. Eberhart OF Min
nesOta said be was much Impressed with
Washington institutions, and he declares
that the West had made great strides in
that respect. He was accompanied on
the trip by Governor Hay, State Treas
urer Lewis, State Auditor Clausen and
State Highway Commissioner Will r.
White.
Auto Tax Money Must Come.
There was collected by the office OF the
secretary OF state in the month OF April.
1911, the sum OF $14 916 20, or an in
crease OF nearly $4500 over the receipts
OF the month of April, 1910, which were
$1O,479 10. The receipts in May, 1910,
were $S934 30, but probably the receipts
in May, 1911, will break all records. as
the secretary announces that he is wag.
ing an active campaign for the collection
OF auto license money
Big Increase IN Highway Fund.
The sum of $121, ,945 3S was paid into
the state treasury by the various cOun-
ties OF the state in the year 1907 for the
| construction of state and state aid
highways, the levy in that year being
only one-fourth mill In 1908 the ag-
! gregate amount paid by the counties for
construction OF highways was $264, 957-
"A and in 1909 the sum of 1868, ,177.97
was paid, the levy in both these years
being one half mill. In 1910 the levy
had been raised to one mill and the
amount paid in was $75G,93 80, or
almost as much as was paid in the three
years preceding, making total Of ST.
| 5OI ,019.37, of which amount Whitman
county paid in 1907 the sum OF $67I3 OS,
IN 1908 the sum OF $l3, ,S32 70, in 1909
the sum OF $l4 $40 80 and in 1910 the
sum of SIC, ,54S 40, or a total OF sell
1922 The smallest amount paid by
any county was $25S4.75 paid in by
San Juan county, while the largest sum
was S425, ,635.3l, paid by King county,
being nearly One-fourth of the total sum
paid by all the counties.
Test Cases Started.
A test case is to be started by the at
torney general in Tburston county in
order to determine the constitutionalitv
| la W ha e
inspection and supervision of public Off
cers. The auditor will refuse to issue
warrants to pay for the checking being
done III the city OF Olympia, and an ac-
tion in mandamus will be brought by
the state to force the county auditor to
recognize the claim of the bureau against
the city, and the determination of this
suit will settle the question as to whether
the state bureau has a right to make
examinations OF county, municipal and
school records and make the taxing dis.
trict pay for the examination.
New Source of Revenue.
According to ruling OF the state tax
commission fish trap locations are to be
assessed under the 1911 law as personal
property. These have been escaping
taxation for years., and the commission
also holds that the burden OF proving
that the assessment is unreasonable is
| placed upon the owners of locations and
that they are to be assessed for road and
school purposes
Employees Compensation Act.
The constitutionality of the new en-
ployes' compensation act is to be de-
termined by test snit which is to be
brought as soon as possible by the at
torney general in order to have the law
passed upon by the courts before further
steps are taken in the organization OF
the commission. The officials OF Wash
ingtOn desire to have the courts say
whether or not the law is good before
they proceed, as in New York the supreme
court knocked out law along the same
| lines. 1t is imperative that such a test
case be made so that there can be no
question as TO the right OF the commits
sion to proceed.
More Trouble in Sight.
Thirty-one out OF the 33 candidates
who took the examination for admission
to practice before the supreme court OF
Washington we're successful, and among
these were Hugh C. Todd OF Whitman
| county, who was a member OF the house
il the last legislature One woman, Lulu
j. Shakespeare of Everett, took the ex-
animation and passed. OF the success
ful candidates IA were from Seattle, six
from Tacoma, four from Seattle. two
from Everett and one each from Wenat-
chez, Pomeroy, Colville, Oakville and
Vancouver.