Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-03-23

several of the petitioners appeared this
afternoon before the committee. They set
forth their grievances; they told OF bills
run up and of the debtors then going else
where to spend their cash and leaving
them to whistle for their money, and this
on goods paying often small profits. But
the committee is inclined to regard The
proposed remedy as bad as the disease ana
will almost certainly report the bill back
to the House without recommendation.
The same committee has decided to re-
port adversely the bill in relation to the
tax on the annual purchases of merchants.
This bill, as already shown in this CORE
spondence, coutemplates the substitution
of complex schedule for the simple
straightforward and equable system of the
existing law and this without comforting
any discoverable benefit worth mentioning
upon any merchant in return therefor Az
the most the saving to the average retail
dealer would not exceed So per year, while
it is doubtful if it would reach more than
half that sum.
The iieneral Homestead bill was also
considered, and favorably. This measure
empowers the resident judge to grant char
tiers to homestead companies, which are
represented to be something in the nature
OF building associations and are to be man
aged upon what is known as the Caldwell
system.
The bill empowering the Kent county
Levy Court to fund $40, QUO of the county
debt at lower rate of interest than is now
paid on the outstanding certificates of in
debtedness, was also considered. This bill
will be passed, with some amendments.
Several other bills were considered and
the committee. with commendable assid-
ulty, remained in almost continuous SEES
sion from 2 to Top. m.
IT BROUGHT THE ANSWER.
During the afternoon this committee
| gave hearing to General Manager Hit of
the Adams Express Company, who came
on from York, Pa, 10 explain that there
was no intentional discrimination by his
company against Delaware business.
Manager Hit also stated that the com
| pany gave the people of Delaware certain
compensatory privileges; that il trans.
| ports fruit and produce by express at very
much less than express rates, and school
books at practically half rates, On
this latter item, he explained that full
rates are collected in the first place.
| but one-half of this sum is refunded to the
State Treasurer at the close of the year; the
amount refunded last year being S2i3. He
also stated that the company is required
| by law to carry the State express matter
free and that this duty is cheerfully per-
formed although the company pays the
railroads for transporting the same. Mr..
| Hit asked for n further hearing and the
committee to accommodate him with q
| public hearing, in which the men who
have grievances against the express com
pany will also be given chance to state
the other side.
EDUCATIONAL
Next Wednesday the joint committees on
education will meet for the purpose of Civ
ing audience to all friends of the educa-
tional interests of the State who may
choose to be present, with intent to get
into shape a general educational law.
What has been done by the committee
thus far in this direction is mainly pre-
liminary. The object aimed Mt is
to embody, so far as practicable, all
these interests into one general law,
One thing that has been agreed on
is to raise the standard of teachers GER
titicates and to grant no certificate where
the applicants examination average falls
below Is per cent Another matter is the
requirement that all school property shall
be insured The big question of utilizing
the $4,000 surplus i'll the hands of the
commissioners OF districts all over the
State is being considered, but, as Chairman
Hickman says, this is difficult subject
which will require careful handling"
Pertinent to this, Mr.. Hickman explains
that the bill relating to school superinten-
dents, which he introduced yesterday and
about which there has been earnest
inquiry to-day, does not change the salary
of these officials, but is intended to trans
fer from the school fund to the general
fund the amount which has been paid out
of the latter in salaries of superintendent
since the inauguration of the present
system of county superintendent. This
is the intent of the retroactive" provision.
! Dover, March 17.-The Legislative
proceedings of st. Patrick's Day were
rather slow.
In the Senate, Register Cooch's col
lateral inheritance tax repeal bill was
passed.
There was spirited debate in the
House during the morning over an
amendment, offered by Mr.. Watkins, to
the Senate bill reducing the cempensa.
ton of the insurance commissioner
Hitherto this office has been worth, in
GLIDING the biennial legislative allow.
ance for preparing and experimenting
the publication of reports, from $1,000
to $1,000 per year. The Senate bill cuts
the remuneration down to $1,000 and
provides that this sum shall be in pay.
ment Of all the duties pertaining to the
office. The amendment offered by Mr.
|
$1,000, and it is worthy of notice
the solid New Castle delegation
This was incidentally referred tc
by Captain Dasey, who, with The
other Sussex men, stuck out for $500
81 am aware" said Mr.. Dasey, shat the
Senate has cutdown in several instances
the amounts of money named in Houst
bills, but that is no reason why we SHOULD
cut down in this bill the amount below
that Tor which the oflise can be properly
filled" The contention of the New
Castle men was that the State auditor
! was willing to perform all the dutie:
devolving on the insurance commissioner
for. $500 per year, i'll addition to hi;
present salary, and that it looked like
extravaganza and favoritism to pay
another man three times this amount
The vote on Mr.. Watkins amendment
was as follows; ...=.
Ayes-Cooch, Gam, Pratt, Spruance
Watkins, Whittock, Speaker Whitemal
-.
Noes Dasey, Hall, Harrington, Hick
man, Jacobs, kenney, Lynch, Sauls
bury, Seyil-9.
MANUFACTURERS TAX.
Following is the text of memorial reaC
in both houses this afternoon;
The Industrial improvement Company o
} Wilmington would respectfully pray of til,
General Assembly that revision Of the statut,
, or statutes governing the laying and lnposi
, ton OIL the tax ON manufacturers within til
State be undertaken at the present. session,
The said company being formed for the pur
! pose Of inducing manufacturers aud capital t.
locate within the borders OF the State has me
AL 80 Ia Ter .luu llst
, of the tax on manufacturers in this STATE
, being so largely in excess OF similar taxes laiC