St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-19
Representative Haven Scores
a Point Against the Oil
Inspection Lobby,
And Has His Bill Made a Spe-
cial Order for Wednes-
day.
An Analysis of the Lane
Bill. and the Fees
in 1t.
Mappiage Agitates the Sena-
tors, and They Desire
Reform.

~ cannot get Mr.. Lane to call the
committee. | have asked several times
that the committee meet TO consider the
bills before it. but it seems impossible
for it to do so."
Representative Haven spoke with
some feeling. inasmuch as he is the
author of bill to regulate and reform
the oil Inspectors office. This bill, with
one from Representative Lane, went to
the committee on illuminating oils,
which has been in existence over
month, has not held meeting, and al
though ordered by the house to report a
week ago last Saturday, has flied no re-
port on either of the two bills. 1t is to
this committee, of which Freeman Lane
is chairman, that Mir. Haven refers in
the above remark. What he says adds
color to the GLOBES publication of
Monday that there is quiet plan on
foot to kill all oil inspection legislation
this winter, just as il was done two
years ago.
The office of oil inspector yields from
$4,000 to SS0,0 900 per year TO the incum-
bent and his deputies. The law of in
SpectiGn under which the inspector now
operates is considered to be one of the
best in the United States, and has given
oils inspected in Minnesota high repu-
tatiOn. Dakota is said to be about to
adopt the same system.
The one objection to the law has been
the fee system attached, which turns all
the revenues derived from inspection
into the pockets of inspectors, yields no
revenue 20 the state, and creates the
fattest Office in the state as prize for
some lucky politician. In the present
depleted condition of the states finances
every attention is demanded from the
legislature in providing new sources
of revenue without raising the rate
of taxation. One of these new
sources is the oil inspectors office.
MI. Haven hadt his in view when he in
troduced his bill I'll. f. 49,, which turns
all of the fees of the Office into the state
treasury, and leaves the law of inspec-
tiOn just as it is at the present time.
Under the bill the inspector himself is
to be paid salary of $1,000, and the
deputy inspectors so per cent of all col
iectionS up to $500: 25 per cent between
$500 and $1,000, and 10 per cent for all
above 81 200. The bill thus turns into
the state treasury, above all the eX
penSes of the office, several thousand
dollars per annun, now diverted to pri-
Vate pockets.
The members OF the committee On
illuminating oils are Messrs. Lane,
Haven, Brown, c. Ii. Davis, Perrin,
Sumner andslyes, ana by the terms of a
resolution which Mr.. Haven had passed
last evening they must report his bill!
to-day, and it is made special order for
noon Wednesday, Mr. Estes opposed
this action of Mr.. Haven's and Mir. Sum-
ner thought that it was not ''Square
deaF' on Lane, who was absent: hut the
house was aroused and MIR. Hoyen
pressed the matter to SucceSsfui eonclu-
sion. His bill is in the direct line of the
policy Of the country members of the
house, and meets with their views on
Che subject. but it is to be fought vig0r-
ously by lobby which is determined to
keep the Office and fee system practi-
cally unchanged. The Lane bill in one
feature shows what legislation may be
attempted. The fees provided for in
the Lane oil inspection bill would have
made the oil inspectors income last
year 9,206, and it SO reyi5eS the system
of inspection that the inspector himself
could inspect all the oil in st Pau,
Minneapolis, Saltwater and Duluth
without deputy. Under the bill the
inspectors fees for Hennepin county
alone would have been s6, 1856 last year,
Stliu IN hainS6y -. 600.
The evidences are good that oil in
spection is to be stirred up with stick
KREIS ON BILLIARDS.
The broad, mO0n-like face of Repre-
sentative Kreis, which a smile irradi-
ates as Ph9bus does the Orient at
early morn, was shadowed with a cloud
yesterday until his bill to prevent bill
lizard or pool tables being placed in sa-
looms located in towns of less than 2.G0O
inhabitants, was taken up. Mr.
Perrin desired the bill to apply
to all the state. His amend
ment to that effect was defeated. Mr..
Bars similar amendment was defeated
and Mr.. Diment's. to substitute the
word ''room'' for 'building," also. Mr..
Hanke tried to have the bill laid on
the table, but gave it up, and finally
the house recommended the bill to pass.
Mr.. Kreis beamed all over; he smiled a
huge guffaW, and in the extravaganza
OF his JOY went out and bought q cigar.
The bill will come up for final passage
to-day, and most determined effort be
made to defeat it. In urging the pass
age OF the bill Mr.. Kreis said yesterday:
Billiards in saloon Or pool table
in a saloon offer great temptations to
young boys, and from that it is an easy
step to drinking. desire the bill to
pass because it will protect the young in
our small country villages where police
protection cannot be had.''
The opposition to the bill comes nat
urally from the ''politicians" of the
house, who see in its passage complca-
tions at home with their constituents
who are interested in saloons. MFR.
Kreis may win the day-the chances are
that he will not.
HENNEPIN AFFAIRS.