Elmore County Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1910-1915, 1913-05-10
COMMISSION TO
GO INTO OFFICE
The Contest For Secretaryship is
Becoming lnteresting-No
Headquarters Secured

Idaho will have full-fledged public
utilities and state highway commits
sions tomorrow when the members
appointed by Governor Haines, as an
nounced above. are sworn in and be-
gin actively on their work. The COM
missiOners could lie sworn In today
but as there is some question as to
just when the laws go into effect 1t
was deemed advisable to wait until
Thurs'la,, May &, when there can be
no legal question raised as to the
laws becoming effective. Two of the
members of the public utilities COM
mission are now in the city, d. w.
Standrod of Pocatello and John A.
BlomQuist of Boise. Axel P. Ram
stedt the third commissioner, Is at
Moscow, and from word received from
him today will not be in Boise until
late tomorrow unless he changes his
plans.
The public utilities commission will
organize with the election of a chair
man and secretary. The name Of
Judge Standrod has been persistently
connected with the chairmanship, but
there, is a probability that Mr.. Blom-
quist who by virtue of the fact that
he holds the short term, may be Sc
lected chairman. This was the pre-
cedent followed by the state board
of education and it was claimed to-
day may be followed by the public
utilities commission. Mr.. Blomquist
was appointed by the governor to
serve two years on the commission.
The contest for the secretaryship
has become interesting. The most
formidable candidates are c. J. Lyle
editor and owner of the Richfield
Recorder; Charles e. Elmer, former
private secretary to Governor Good
ing; Charles A. Hackney, q well
known newspaper man of the western
part of this state, and Thomas Ram
aog, also a newspaper man, formerly
on the staff of a local paper. The
friends of P. L. Neil, postoffice in
spector for the southern Idaho dis
trict are urging him to enter the
race and have presented his name tt
the commissioners. The commission
ers are non -committal as to the stant
ing of the candidates for the sec
retaryship.
The question of headquarters Of thu
commission is still a puzzling one
EnviOus eyes have been set by thu
commissioners at the only boart
room worthy of the name in tn
state capitol building. 1t opens OF
the secretary of states department
Should it be turned over to the com
mission the various boards of tn
state would have no general boar
room. There is also talk OF fOrcin
the state bank commissioner and tn
state veterinarian from their quarter
on the west side of the building ol
the second floor, closing up the hal
and using this for the commission
: while even the senate chamber an
house of representatives in the oil
capitol building are mentioned as POI
sible quarters. 1t was stated toda
that it is very probable, unless stat
officials now installed at the capitt
are willing to vacate, that the con
mission will have to find quarter
down town, in one of the busines
buildings.
The state highway commission ais
goes into effect tomorrow. Within ]
days this commission must organic
with the election of a chairman an
may elect a secretary. The member
of the commission are Theodore Tu
ner Of Pocatello, Miles Cannon
Weiser and Professor Little OF tn
engineering department of the Un