The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-02-05
MERELY AN ORNAMENT
Mr.. BeIShaW on the Railroad
Commission.
HIS BILL TO ABOLISH IT
Will Be introduced in the Assembly
at Once.
BILLS OF THE JUNKETERS SENT In.
AOre Than a Probability That ALI Of
the Statements Will Be Materi.
ally Cut Down.

SACRAMENTO, Feb. 4.-C. NJ. Belshaw of
Contra Costa will introduce bill to-mor-
row providing that the office of the Rail
road Commissioners be abolished. He
claims that past experience has shown
that these officers are of no practical use.
"They are expected to fix rates and
fares" he said. "They have done neither
In fact all that I can see that they have
accomplished is to draw their salaries.
California cannot afford such ornamental
appendices, and 1 am going to try to
bring about their removal.
Mr.. Belshaw argues that the abolishing
of the Office would amount to about $780, 600
in saving to the State. The commission
at present draws down 900 in salaries
allowed by the State alone.
McKelvey introduced his bill in the
Assembly providing one-brigade system
for the National Guard as outlined in THE
CALL this morning. The yearly general
appropriation bill was also presented by
the Ways and Means Committee. While
allowing the salaries fixed by law, the bill
recommends number of reductions, most
of which are already covered by special
bills.
A bill by Weyse provides that an officer
may file his oath on the day he enters upon
his duties, or any time before that and
after he has received notification of his
election.
The necessity of this was made evident
when John Burr, the Sheriff of Los An
geles, found he had neglected to file his oath
within ten days after receiving his notifi-
cation, as the law requires, and the Board
of Supervisors was obliged to appoint a
Sheriff. They appointed Burr, but they
might have appointed some one else.
A bill to establish cordage-factory at
the Folsom State prison was introduced by
Healey of San Francisco.
The first act of the Assembly this
morning was to adopt Hatfeld's joint
resolution urging Congress to author
ize its committees on River and
Harbor Improvements to visit and inspect
the inland navigable waters of the State,
and also authorizing the Governor to place
at the disposal of such committee all
steamers and other means to transporta
ton under the control of the State officers.
Despite the resolution which the Assem-
bly, recently adopted, ordering that all
legislative junketing committees be al
lowed actual travelling expenses only, and
not mileage, the committees on Public
Health and Quarantine and State Hospi-
tails and Asylums came in with resolu-
tions appropriating nearly $500 for mile
age, at 10 cents per mile, as a result of their
recent visits to the State asylums at Stock
ton and Berkeley. The resolutions were
referred back to the Committee on Mileage
with instructions to ascertain the actual
travelling expenses of the committees.
Among the bills introduced was one by
Cutter, to compel the State Supreme
Court to hold its sessions in the State
Capitol at Sacramento. He asserts that
such a law would save $4,000 year to the
State.
Assembly bill 90, extending the time for
the enforcement of judgments from two
years after date of entry to five years, and
Assembly bills 10, %, 80 and rs, all remedy
ing technical faults of the statutes, were
passed. Assembly bill 1876, abolishing the
fee now charged by the Secretary of State
for issuing papers of extradition, was
passed.
II SplIll6u QSDdtC dTOSt over CpelCSr 3
bill providing for an appeal to the higher
courts in all cases of contempt, where
such contempt is not committed in the
actual presence of the court. Cutler led
a vigorous attack on the bill, which he
charged was the hydraulic-miners' meas
ure, and a direct attack upon the agri-
cultural interests of Suffer, Yuba and
Sacramento counties. He said the bill
was designed to permit the hydraulic
miners to violate with impunity any and
all injunctions of the court.
The vote was first had on the amend
ment by Cutler to also prevent appeals in
cases where contempt is committed in dis
obedience of the order or process of a court
or Judge. The amendment was defeated
by vote of SO to 20. The previous ques-
ton was Immediately ordered, and by a
vote OF 43 to Is the bill passed the Assem-
bly,.