Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1911-01-20
TO Swing BIG AK
rHELEciSLATURE MAY ABOLISH
SEVERAL UNlMPORTANT
STATE OFFICES
OFFICE OF STATE ENGINEER
inspectors Of Hotels and Telephones
ara Among Those Most Likely
to be Singled Out A.
Dispsnsibls

Pierre-If some OF the contempla
ed legislation of the present >
sion is placed upon the statute ecoAs
there are some prominent state OIL
GERS slated for the legislative ak. Tneie
is q movement in both houses to 90
away with certain offices, which, II Is
contended, a.e unnecessary or nave
outgrown their usefulness.
Pei haps the most prominent OF those
departments, whose very existence Is
in jeopardy, is the office OF state Gu
gineer Lea. A bill was introduced IN
the house today by Halgersop. call a.
for the abolition Of the office an"
placing the department under the d.
rect supervision of the state sur'e Or.
The office of the state engineer wa
created by act Of the legislature IN
1905. 1t calls for one expert hydro
graphic engineer and surveyor to De
appointed by the govel nor at fixed
salary of $4,000 per year. An assista M
engineer is also provided for, the
salary being fxed at s1,5O0 per yea.
This latter office is perhaps the only
assistant state position where the IN
come is set by statute. In addition
appropriations are allowed for the
hiring OF field assistants and CLERKS
and for general and travelling expenses
Allowance il made for what is know
Is the photographic fund, to be used
for materials and incidentals. The
yearly appropriation for this ind Is
$1,000.
Samuel H. Lea was appointed BY
Governor Elrod, to the head OF the
newly created department. At the
time Of his appointment Mr.. Lea was
in the government service at FL.
Meade. but he assumed his new duties
July /, 1906. His term does not expire
till July 1, 1912.
The duties of the office require the
making of photographic surveys Of all
lakes. rive s and streams in the state,
which together with all the available
statistics concerning them, ae to e.
come part of the re ords of tie de
partment. In addit on the department
is made the court of last resort in a ~
questions or disputes on irr!gatit
drainage and the application for wa er
right permits.
It is claimed by those fostering the
bill, that no big irrigation pro ects
have been undertaken by Mr.. Lea in
his Official capacity. Mr.. Lea is CT IT,
cided for his expenditure of the maxi
mum appropr. ations for his dep. TT
ment. f.om which it is claimed, tn }
state has received little or no bene t.
In his official capa ity as slEe in
ho CT ot nf tho
house, Mr. Lea received from the state
81 per day-this in addition to the
$4,000 per annum allowed him in his
official capacity as state engineer
From July 30, 1907 to March 8, 1910,
he drew $4,554 for his services on the
building.
Following are the app: OPERATIONS TO,
the engineers department, since it was
created: 1906, $4,000; 1907, $1,000;
1908, $4,000; 1909, $4,000; 1910, IS 900;
total, $39, 200.
The above figures do not incldde the
81, 900 photographic fund, viii h for
the Ave years, would make the total
$4,000. Thus the total amount Of
money turned over to Mr.. Lea for
his services as engineer and in the
maintenance of that department, 70
gether with the 81 per day allo we'd
him as superintendent of the conslru :
ton work on the capitol, is bIoaght
up to $4S,754.
Representative Cranston introduced
house bill No. IS, calling for the aooli-
ton of the offise of telephone in p Ct
or, and a similar bill may be introduc-
ed to abolish the offise OF hotel in
spector. The former office was c eat
ed in 1909, and the latter in 1907. The
plan is to put the duties OF the hOte
INSPECTOR in the hands of the fire mar
shall in the depal tment on inslran. {
and have the railroad commission r,
take care of the business OF telepnt ne
inspector.
c. M. Hopkins, of Aberdeen, is t {
present hotel inspector. He is | a
solely by fees for inspecting hotel
and all fees SO received in excess Of
81 $50 and expenses per year must {
turned into the state treasury. W
e. Egge, is serving in the capacity Of
telephone inspe tor and draws sal
airy of $1,000 per year.
THE OTHER SIDE.
P:erre-The Introduce on of bill Il
the house, calling for the o!it OF
yesterday, calling for the abolition
of the Office of the state engineer
has brought the friends of Mr.: Lei
Immediately to his rescue. Such at
tempted legislation they character
lie as absurd and point to the recort
of the department. since it's creation
as proof of it's value.
1t is asserted that in the first place
the office was created at the re lues
of the United States; that it had t.
be before the government would 81
ahead with the great Belle Fourch