White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-02-13

0oV. n. IT, ''o' siSN lanQ commissioner,
attorney general, superintendent of
public instruction, state auditor, state
treasurer, and insurance commits
sioner. At present the governor
merely transmits their estimates for
their own offices to the legislature;
under the new plan he is charged with
the duty of preparing their requests
or adding to them.
The tax commission will give three
direct appointees of the governor i'm
mense powers over county assessors,
to the extent of requiring them to
raise or lower assessments and will
also give them the power in certain
cases to revise the millage levies
voted by local tax bodies.
The patronage feature of the tax
commission bill-three commissioners
at $4,000 each, and whatever assist
ants they may employ in the form of
secretaries, experts and office help
is a comparatively minor one, but
adds to the list Of state offices in the
gift of the governor, and provides at
least three more appointive officials
, who receive larger salaries than the
constitutional officers elected by the
people.
When members of the legislature
offered projections to clauses Of Gov
ernor Hartley's budget law which at
tempted to require two-thirds vote
in both houses to raise an appropria,
ton recommended by the governor
Hartley acted promptly in withdraw.
ing the bill and eliminating that fea
ture and other Objectionable pro
visions.
New laws do not take away from
| the governor the power added by the
Hart administration code, and the
gradual growth through previous en-
actments and the growth of the state
The growth of power in the gov
ernor's office has extended ovel
many years, and is apparently due tt
two causes.
One is the fact that the salaries Of
other elective officers, $4,000 in case
Of the attorney general and $4,000 II
the case Of most of the others, are
rigidly fixed by the state constitution
while there is no such limitation OF
the salaries of the governors az
pointees.
The other is that as new depart
ments and duties have been assume
by the state government, nearly all c
these have been placed under tn
governor.
The governors secretary get
$4,000 per year, the assistant secrt
tary $4,000, while the attorney gel
eral salary is $4,000 and that Of tn
other officers named is $4,000.
The limitation on the salaries of tn
senting some other peculiar result:
Attorney General John H. Dunbar, u
to January IA, was receiving onl
$3.50 per month, and was paying hi
assistants $275 per month. On JAM
airy Ia an increase to $500 yea
voted by the last legislature, becam
effective. Secretary Of State j. Graz
Hinkle is also paying his first assis
ant more money than he himself r
ceives. All the constitutional officer
are now receiving the limit salarie
allowed under the constitution, adop
ed in 1889.
Increase in Duties
Along with the increase in power {
the governors office added by til
executive bills goes an especial
marked increase in responsibilities
The budget bill provides for soil
months work on the part of the go'
ernor in person, each even-numbere
year, preparing his budget for th
coming legislature. The tax commits
sion, although bearing direct respons
bility for the discharge of it's dutie!
is also certain to increase the go'
ernor's own duties, and the program
that Governor Hartley has laid on
for himself, Of making personal SUI