Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1925-02-13

xCGAXxAEM all elective off.
GERS, including the
secretary Of state,
Gov. r. N. Hartleyland 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 tho 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 a 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 over
many years. and is apparently due to
two causes.
One is the fact that the salaries OF
other elective officers, $500 In case
of the attorney general and $4,000 in
the case Of most Of tho others. arc
rigidly fixed by the state constitution,
while there Is no such limitation on
the salaries of the governors ap-
pointees
The other is that as new depart.
ments and duties have been assumed
by the state government, nearly all of
these have been placed under the
governor
The governors secretary gets
$4,000 per year, the assistant secre
tary $500, while the attorney gem
eral salary is $500 and that Of the
other officers named is $4,000.
The limitation on the salaries of the
other constitutional officers is pre-.
senting some other peculiar results.
Attorney General John H. Dunbar, up
to January IA, was receiving only
$3.50 per month, and was paying his
assistants s275 per month. On Janu-
airy IA an increase to $500 a year,
voted by the last legislature, became
effective. Secretary Of State ]. Grant
Hinkle is also paying his first assist
ant more money than he himself re-
ceives. All the constitutional officers
are now receiving the limit salaries
allowed under the constitution, adopt
ed in 1889.
Increase In Duties
Along with the increase in power Of
the governors office added by the
executive bills goes an especially
marked increase in responsibilities.
The budget bill provides for solid
months work on the part Of the gov
ernor in person, each even-numbered
year, preparing his budget for the
coming legislature. The tax commits
sion, although bearing direct RESPONSE
bility for the discharge of its duties.
is also certain to increase the gov
errors OWL duties, and the program
that Governor Hartley has laid out
for himself, of making a personal sur
vey of all state institutions, in the
time intervening between the ad-
iournment of the present legislature
and the convening of the special ses-
sion, is task never before attempted
by an executive.
sAvlDGE NEW CHAIRMAN
STATE PARKS COMMITTEE
State Treasurer w. g. Potts re-