East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-01-10
OSWALD WEST
IS GOVERNOR
CONTINUED from page one.)
receiver appointed by the courts.
Insurance Laws.


Knowing the insurance laws of this
state were obsolete and afforded lit
tie or no protection to the public but
realizing that any attempt at COM
plete revision without careful study
and investigation would lead only to
confusion, the last legislature con-
tented itself with passing law which
removed few of the most apparent
abuses and provided for the establish
ment of a department OF insurance
which was to have general supervi-
sion over all companies doing bust
ness in this state. The wisdom of this
| move Is borne out by results obtained
during the past two years. The pro-
hibiting of combinations and rate
agreements between fire companies
and the opening up of the field to
competition has resulted in a reduc-
ton OF about 20 per cent in rates and
means an annual saving of about
100000 to the policy holders of this
state.
The insurance commissioner fully
sets out in his report the needs of the
state in the way Of insurance legis-
idilou anu do ne nv
doubt given this intricate and per-
picking question careful study and in
vestigation his recommendation should
be given careful consideration.
State land Office.
During recent years the affairs OF
| the state land department have been
administered in the interest Of the
taxpayers and school children, and it
has ceased to be a breeding ground
for scandal and a place Of "easy
picking" for the members Of the old
school land ring. An effective land
| law made it possible for the state land
| board to adopt many long needed re-
| forms and secure a fair price for the
| remnants of that magnificent grant
| OF over 4,000,000 acres which was CIV
| en- to Oregon by the federal govern
ment to aid in the support of its
common schools. The records show
| that on January /, 1908. three
fourths OF all the lands-school, col
| to the state had been sold and that
the average price received by the
state was s1.25 per acre. The state
| has since that date sold one-eighth Of
| the grant, for which II has received
s2.500,000 or an average price of IS
per acre.
State Printing Office.
Good business demands that here
after each department of state be re-
quired to file all acquisitions for
printed matter with the state printing
a. IL
fore placing the order with the state
printer. to inquire carefully into the
reuirements of the department fill
ing the requisition, in order that no
more than the amount necessary to
serve its needs be ordered and the
state be saved unnecessary expense.
Ii is common knowledge that under
the "help yourself" system now in
vogue needless quantities of printed
matter are ordered and used only for
fuel.
A great saving could also be made
IL the different departments would
boil down their annual reports and
eliminate lot of useless statistical
matter. I am sure this can be done
without depriving the public of any
useful information. A dollar saved
is dollar earned. and there is abso-
lutely no reason why the state should
throw its money away for useless
printing.
AS you are no doubt aware, the
printing plant now being operated in
the state capitol building is the pri-
vate property of the state printer,
who, having never been placed upon
flat salary, is working under the old
fee system.
In 1905 the state of Kansas placed
her state printer upon a flat salary
and the records show that a saving
of over 40 per cent has been made by
the state through the change
hope to see bill introduced and
passed at this session which will au-
thorize the purchase of a state print
ing plant and provide for placing the
state printer on a flat salary. This
reform is long overdue and should be
adopted without delay.
Purchasing Supplies.
The supplies for all of our state in
stitutions should be purchased by, or
under direction of, one board and this
can be done without the creation of
additional boards or commissions and
with but little added expense to the
state. This purchasing board should
consist Of the governor, secretary of
state and state treasurer, and 1t /,
should be given authority to employ |
a chief clerk, who should be man
we'll fitted for the important position
he would be called Upon to fill.
Auditing Accounts.
Oregon needs, and the interest
economy demands, sor"
es,.o,,,.s ..v adequate and
system Of auditing the ac-
counts of the state.
Oregon State Penitentiary.
The Oregon penitentiary is one OF
the best managed and most humanely
conducted penal institutions to be
found in the United States. This fact
is admitted by every student of prison
reform who has visited the state. The
Superintendent, believing that the
reformation of a convict can be better
accomplished by treating him as hu-
man being and with such kindness
as his conduct will merit, has tried,
as far as good prison discipline will