938 ARTICLE 23

him and an opportunity of being publicly heard in his own defense, upon
not less than ten days' notice. He shall be eligible for reappointment by
the Governor.

The annual salary of such general counsel shall be forty-eight hundred
dollars ($4,800).

The Governor is authorized to appoint, and remove at pleasure, an expe-
rienced and qualified attorney-at-law of this State, to be known as People's
Counsel, who shall receive an annual salary of forty-five hundred dollars
($4,500).

The said commission shall have a secretary, to be appointed by it and to
hold office at its pleasure. It shall be the duty of the secretary to keep a
full and true record of all the proceedings of the commission, of all books,
maps, documents and papers ordered filed by the commission, and of all
orders made by each of the commissioners, and of all orders made by the
commission or approved and confirmed by it and ordered filed, and he shall
be responsible to it for the safe custody and preservation of all such docu-
ments at its office. Under the direction of the commission the secretary
shall have general charge of its office, superintend the clerical business and
perform such other duties as the commission may prescribe. He shall have
power and authority to administer oaths in all parts whatsoever of the
State, so far as the exercise of such power is properly incidental to the per-
formance of his duties or that of the commission. The secretary shall des-
ignate from time to time one of the clerks appointed by the commission to
perform the duties of secretary during his absence, and during such time
the clerk so designated shall, at the office, possess the powers of the secre-
tary of the commission. The annual salary of the secretary shall be three
thousand dollars ($3,000).

The commission shall have the power, subject to the approval in writing,
by the Governor, in each and every instance, to employ such officers, clerks,
stenographers, typewriters, inspectors, experts and employees as it may
deem necessary to carry out the provisions of this sub-title or to perform the
duties and exercise the powers conferred by law upon the commission; no
person, however, shall be appointed or employed by the commission in any
position whatsoever, unless the commission shall certify to the Governor
that it deems such appointment or employment, and the compensation or
annual salary which it proposed shall be paid in each instance, actually nec-
essary for carrying out the purposes and requirements of this sub-title, and
unless the Governor shall thereupon approve in writing such appointment
or employment, and such compensation or annual salary or salaries. If in
any case the commission cannot ascertain in advance the value of any serv-
ice to be rendered to it or the proper compensation to be paid therefor, it
shall certify such fact to the Governor, who may authorize the employment
or acquisition of the service in question, leaving the value or compensation
thereof to be ascertained by subsequent agreement or adjustment.

Each commissioner and each person appointed to office or employment
by the Governor or by the commission, with the approval of the Governor,
shall before entering upon the duties of his office or employment, take and
subscribe to the constitutional oath of office. No person shall be eligible
for appointment or shall hold the office of commissioner, or be appointed
by the commission to or hold any office or position under the commission,
who holds any official relation to any common carrier, railroad corporation,
street railroad corporation, gas corporation, electrical corporation, tele-
phone, corporation, telegraph corporation, water company, heat and refrig-