The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-09-01

StdCe treasurer. IN the pdSC certain
funds have been deposited in semi
private accounts where they have not
been drawing interest for the state.
An active campaign has been car
ried on by the department through
the banks of the state urging against
the exchange of government bonds
for other so-called securities. This
particular activity has met with a
splendid response from virtually all
of Idaho's banking institutions.
4 Efforts have been made by the de-
partment to examine into the bonded
indebtedness of the various counties.
In several instances it has been pos
preaching the fraudulent in the sale of
county bonds.
Supervision of the administration
and enforcement of laws governing
the assessment of property and the
levy, collection and apportionment of
taxes, one of the principal delegated
to the finance department probably
will not ben entered upon until later
in the year.
Marked improvement is the regis
tration of vital statistics and a
thorough synchronizing of the work
of the three state asylums devoted
/ to the care of the insane are among
the more important results which
have been achieved by ]. K. White,
commissioner of public welfare.
DR.. E. E. Laubaugh of the bureau
of public health service in the well
fare department is rapidly bringing
the registration of birth and death
certificates and other essential sta
sites to point where Idaho probably
will be recognized by the United
! States census bureau. The census
bureau standards demand 80 percent
efficiency.
BY process of conference and
continual contact through correspond
ence and visits of inspection, the
superintendent of the three insane
asylums have been enabled to profit
both by their mutual mistakes and
mutual proficiencies. Uniform sys-
tenn of reports will be installed in all
of the institutions in the near
future.
Commissioner White plans to pre-
sent at the next session of the legis-
lature detailed reports which will
have as their principal feature an
accurate forecast of the probable
future needs of the three asylums
The unfortunate Blackfoot situation
will be remedied the moment funds
are made available.
Surveys of the three institutions
probably will be made at some time
in the near future by investigators
representing the national committee
on mental hygiene, an organization
devoted to psychopathic research
which already has done much credit
able welfare work for the insane in
cooperation with authorities in other
states.
ton placed Under the control of Com
missioner White by legislation au-
thorizlng the issuance of bonds for
extensive improvements, new nata-
forum covering two of the larger
pools has recently been completed.
Buildings contemplated at the Idaho
soldiers home may not be erected
at once as legislative appropriations
intended for the purpose have proven
inadequate.
Perhaps the most spectacular of the
achievements of w. G. Swendsen,
commissioner of reclamation, has
been the satisfactory adjustments of
the various difficulties which have |
arisen as the result of the current |
years record breaking water short
age.
Distribution and apportionment of |
water in all the streams of the state |
became urgently necessary as soon
as the early summers unusual scare |
ity developed and with the single ex-
ception of an instance of court inter
ference, Commissioner Swendsen
made his adjustments so satisfactory |
ly that he won the cordial approba-
ton of several Influential citizens
who had been bitterly opposed to the I
idea of a definite reclamation de- /
partment.
Directly as a result of the Davis
bill re-alignment, the reclamation de-
partment has been able to expedite
tremendously all matters of Carey
act administration. Under the late
and unlamented system of land board
control, carey act applications partic-
llarly if they involved legal and en-
gineering questions, often were not
acted on for six months or a year,
out with the present Capitalization of
functions action always has been
prompt.
Commissioner Swendsen announced
only recently that he has been in
formed by the commissioner of the
general land office at Washington
hat the patent list on the Salmon
liver tract, which has been deferred
more than three years, will issue at
'nce. Almost 80 Carey act patents,
ome of which have been pending as
ong as 10 years, have been issued
ince the creation of the reclamation
department..
Weather bureau reports of the past
20 years and all other available
ecords will contribute to a series of
harted tabulations which will make
easible the issuance of widespread
before the opening of the
ext irrigation season.
"Our guesses may not prove infal-
IDLY accurate" said Commissioner
'wendsen in explaining his proposed
ystem, "but we do believe that they
>f H., J.