The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1912-06-28
LEST WE FORGET.

In this state campaign We are going
TO hear a lot about the extravaganza
of state government and the cost oil
useless and unnecessary
commissions and boards. Response
bilty for increased appropriations ana
for the existence of the boards and /
commissions will be placed on the |
governor by the rival candidates for 1
that office. That this will be one OF |
the principal issues is already for /
Swallowed by the platforms of several !
of the candidates now in the field
Before the campaign becomes Bit /
ter with personalities and all discus !
sion of this and the other issues de-
generates into biased assertions and
prejudiced defense. it is just as well
to consider dispassionately the real
causes for the increased cost of state.
we'll as local governments. The SIM
pie truth is that government costs
more now than formerly because we
demand more of government For
years we demanded the creation Of
railroad commission and finally the
legislature of 1905 passed the railroad
commission law At the same session
the tax commission was created, in
accordance with the republican plat
of the members were elected. These
two commissions have since then add
ed many millions of dollars to the tax
rolls of the state by their valuations
of public service companies and in
vestigations that uncovered large
holdings of timber and other property
that had been escaping taxation.
The railroad commission proved to
be an efficient regulative body and has
accomplished a great deal both in re-
ducing rates and improving the SER
vice of railroads within the state. The
tax commission justified its creation
in adding to the tax rolls property of
great value that had previously es
capped taxation and by properly en-
forcing and administering the inheri
lance tax. escheat, liquor license, pri
vate car and express company tax
laws. Both of these commissions have
added to the cost of government. but
they have largely accomplished their
purpose and the work they have done
and are doing must be carried on BY
some organization.
The railroad commission was given
added powers by the last Legislature
and developed into the present public
service commission. IN accordance
with the popular wish. The public ser
vice commission is given wide juris-
diction and in ordr to do its work
properly will have to spend more
money in the future than the railroad
commission was required to spend.
The demand for greater care and
efficiency in handling state and local
funds resulted in the creation of the
state bureau of inspection and super
vision of public accounts. The pnr-
pose OF this bureau was to establish a
uniform system of accounting and
check up the expenditures in the var
ious governmental units. The bureau
has recovered more than its cost many
times in uncovering discrepancies IL
legal expenditures and mistakes of
public officials. it may be possible to
reorganiZe the bureau on a more sat
isf:ctory basis. but the work that it is
doing cannot be made to cost appre-
ciably less than at present.
The Office of highway commissioner
w"s established for the purpose of
directing the work of the state in road
building. What The state has done in
the way of road building both in max
ing road laws and administering them
has been frankly experimental As
with all experiments. a good deal of
money has been spent to learn how to
proceed. Substantial progress has been
made. however. and the highway de-
partment is probably fixture in he
state government. As an Indication of
how the cost of government increases
with the demands made upon il il is
interesting to note that in 1905 the
legislature appropriated something
liE s1.,, for hni l.,
AT the last session the appropriations
for this purpose totaled over 81 800. 900.
The board of control is a strictly
business board. 1t has entire super
vision over all the state institutions
other than the educational institu-
lions and the reformatCry at Monroe.
u Is responsible for the maintenance.
construction. purchase OF supplies and
conduct OF the institutions II is an
indispensable body and its record is all
IA" ii. fen~r that it needs.
BESIDES these principal boards ami
commissions there ere (? number of
Inspectors and commissioners. such
rs the coal mine inspector. dairy and
food commissioner. hotel INSPECTOR.
hSh commissioner. oil inspector. hor-
ncultlir" commissioner. bank eXamin-
cr ana labor commissioner that have
all been created AT various times TO
meet requirements placed on the state
goNernmt mt by the popular will. Each
OF these has particular work to do
that We would not consent to have
abandoned
The industrial insurance commits
sion Is the most recently established
board. and every candidate for COVER. |
nor expressly excludes that commits |
zion from the list that ne will abolish
in order To reduce the cost of govern
ment.
II Is safe To say. however. that in I
stead OF the state government becom- I
ing less costly, the expense will CON
tinnally increase. "a more and more !
demands will be made upon il for the ,
extension of its activities into nov
fields OF regulation. supervision or con /
wv " ""SlhcNS anu INDUSTRY. JR. !