St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-10-18
THE LEGISLATURES.
Some of the More Important Measures
~ Presented.

enough have been presented to keep
the legislators busy for some time.
Here are some of the more important
bills thus far presented, compiled from
! the excellent reports in the Montpelier
} daily Journal
} House bill No. l., presented by Hol-
ton of Brattleboro, called the new
} sfcow- BILL" is more stringent than the
oleomargarine act of the last session.
: According to the latter, man could
manufacture or sell bogus butter pro-
vided he put up sign saying it was
not tile genuine article. This bill
makes such proceeding misdemean-
or, sign or no sign.
A full synopsis of the bill presented
by the educational commission was
given last week.
House bill 15, presented by Wall
bridge of Concord, proposes some i'm
portant changes in the laws relating to
savings banks and trust companies.
The tax on the deposits of the savings
institutions is made one-half of one
per cent. annually /; on savings banks
and trust companies, one per cent
the rates originally, which were aver
aged and made uniform at siX-tenths
of one per cent. in 1884. The tax-ex-
emption limit is reduced from $500
to $500, and the finance inspector is
directed to report the number and
amount of such individual deposits.
Investments in Western mortgages are
restricted to forty per cent. of the
banks assets, and they are required to
invest not less than one fourth of their
total assets in mortgages on real es-
tate in Vermont. The existing re-
quirement is one-sixth.
Mr.. Walbridge also presents bill,
No. 10, reducing the per diem compen-
sation of the railway commission from
Sc to 81 for actual service only, and
limits the total expenditure of the
commission to $4,000 per annum.
House bill %, presented by Carpen-
ter of Waterford, exempts from taxa
ton Indebtedness secured 10y mortgage
on real estate.
House bill %, presented by Good
willie of Vernon, enlarges the duties of
the state board of health and provides
for the investigation and examination,
by the board, of articles of food and
drink suspected of being adulterated,
tI,a cd ,,l tr I,a f;poo
House bill 80, presented by Mann of
Wilmington, brings before the legisla-
ture the much discussed idea of adver-
Using the advantages of the state to
the outside world. This bill authorizes
the governor to appoint a commission
of three or five members, who shall
collect authentic and complete statisti-
cal information in regard to the agri-
cultural productions of the state, its
livestock interests and the prices of
farm property and labor; and make
comparison of the same with like sta
tistics of other states and countries
and the legislative means employed by
them. And, in like manner, to consid-
er the developed and undevelOped
manufacturing interests of the state,
and report at the next session of the |
legislature.
Senator Parker presents an act re-
lating to the repairing of highways and
bridges, providing that selectmen shall |
assess an annual tax of fifteen cents
for the repairs of highways and bridges
to be paid in money, and towns may
vote an additional tax, to be paid eth
or in money or labor in such case the
town to he divided into highway dis
tricts, agents for each district to be
elected at the annual meeting, to have
the care of highways and to collect the
tax in their respective districts; per-
sons who pay their tax in labor to be
allowed at the rate of fifteen cents an
hour.
Among other minor acts and bills
presented are these: An act providing
1926, 900 for the support of the soldiers
home for 1889-90; bill permitting
soldiers to remain at the home without
losing legal residence bill providing
for the equalization of railroad charges
and abolishing free passes bill, pre-
sented by Senator Bates, establishing
for county clerks instead of
fees as now provided bill allowing
in, liquor prosecutions
one half the fines recovered bill pro-
posing the repeal of the Poland pauper
law of 1886. .-.''l
Other bills propose to repeal the law I
an abstract of individual lists
to be deposited in the town clerks
office; to prevent the use of barbed
wire fences adjoining the highways, {
railroad or on division lines to compel s
parties owning lands along the high
ways to destroy thistles, and other
weeds in the bud /; to give a first lien
ON colts in favor of the owner of the .
stallion begetting said colt; to bury l
soldiers dying destitute at the expense
Of the state; to amend the law of 1882
80 as to allow turkey shoots to make !
,he minimum amount chargeable by !
trustee process So instead of $40; to
Increase the salaries of probate judges $
rom $50 to $50 in various counties |
20 allow any citizen, entitled to vote in u
'reeman's meeting, who has moved {
rom one town to another within three
months previous to a general election, r