The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1911-02-10

able to agree they must call in a
third man from an adjoining county
to settle their differences.
! If the bill passes and the election
is held, Benton county must pay
the expense. To prevent robbing
a county of too great a proportion
of its population and territory the
bill also provides that at least 1000
people must be left in the county
from which the territory is taken.
In the next legislature, instead of
being combined with Yakima in a
senatorial district, Benton county
will be grouped with Klickitat and
Skamania counties.
Klickitat and Skamania are now
represented by John F. Chapel of
Goldendale. one of the four demo-
Gratis in the senate. With Benton
county added to Klickitat and Skam-
ania Chapel will represent dis
trict containing 22,0O4 people. ac-
cording to the federal census.
This is the arrangement according
to the plans of the COW countless
combine, which apparently has as
large majority in the senate as in
the house. The plan is to provide
for only one additional senator.
The new district will be arranged
by redistricting of the counties in
the northeastern part of the state.
Grant county will be removed
from the first district and placed
with Chelan while kittitas, which
was formerly grouped with Chelan,
will take Benton's place in dis
trict with part of Yakima.
The population is very fairly ap-
portioned by the plan OF the small
counties. The eight districts of
King county, with an average pop
ulation of 35, 755, will be the largest
and the Pacific Wahkiakum district
with only 1917 people will be the
smallest.
kennewick May Lose
An attempt is being made to de-
prive kennewick of the headquarters
of the state horticultural inspector.
The scheme is to have some Coast
city, probably Tacoma, designated
as the future headquarters. The
Benton county representatives in
both house and senate, however are
awake to the situation, and expect
the backing of all Eastern Wash
ington to resist the scheme of the
Puget Sound representatives.
If it comes to a showdown of votes
tits more than likely that Kehne-
wick will retain its present position.
Commission Government Bill
Senator Frank J. Allen who rep
resents Benton and Yakima counties
in the upper house, last week got
his bill providing commission plau
government for cities of under 90
600 people through that body.
The bill provides for the opera
ton of cities under a commission of
three men, one of whom shall be
mayor. The salary of the mayor
ranges from $500 to $250O per year
and those of the other two commits
sioners from $3.50 to $4,000, accord
ing to the population of the city
adopting the new plan, now in use
in Tacoma and Spokane. These
three men appoint all other officers
and employees according to their
judgment.
Comparatively high salaries were
specified in the original bill for the
mayor and commissioners but these
fancy prices were clipped in COM
mittee. On the floor an attempt
was made to provide a commission
of five but this failed and the bill
went through as it came out of COM
mittee.
An election to determine whether
the city will adopt the commission
plan may be called upon the petition
of 25 per cent of the number of
voters who cast ballots at the last
election for mayor. The bill pro-
vides that if the city decides on the
commission plan it cannot change
back to the old style of municipal
government for six years.
The mayor and commissioners
are to hold Office for three years but
may be removed sooner by a recall
, election. The bill provides the in
itiative and referendum upon petit
ton and also provides that all fran
chises must be submitted to the
vote Of the people.
J Small Counties Have Majority
: A test vote on apportionment in
connection with the Stevens county