Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1897-05-13
pASSESINTO HISTORY
EXTRA SESSION FINISHES ITS WORK
ON THE CODE.

Oct. Is the Date Fixed For the New Laws
to BE Printed and Ready For Distribu
tion-Several Important Measures oil
Economy Were Adopted,
\ Dies MONIES, May 1l.-Aftera session
of 113 days the extra session of the
Twenty. sixth General Assembly has
passed into history. There will be an
adjourned session for day or two he.
ginning at p. m. the first day Of July
next for the purpose of meeting the con
stitutional provision that laws passed at
special session shall go into effect sc
days after the adjournment of such SEES
sion. The bill providing for State pub
LEGATION of the new code fixes October
as the date for the code to lie printed
and ready for distribution. On that
date it is desirable that the revised laws
should go into effect and this made nee,
essary an adjourned meeting prior tc
that time. There will be no additional
expense, however, attending this meet.
ing, nor will the members receive mil.
cage for coming back to Des Moines.
The expense for the salary of members
during the session is about 100000, to
which must be added $500 each for the
lieutenant governor and the speaker OF
the house in addition to the amount al.
lowed to them as members. The other
expense for employees, etc., will probably
run close to $50, 900, making the actual
expense of the extra session about $780,
600. In addition to these there have
been other expenses attendant upon the
investigating committee which, how
ever, have not been very heavy. The
witness fees for the investigating COM
mittee which first looked into the affairs
of the state printer and binder amount
ed to $lO.S9, witness fees for the house
printing committee continuing this in
vestigation were $30.O5, and the sum
paid expert stenographers for taking the
testimony before the house printing
committee were $1S725. The witness
fees before the Funk investigating COM
mittee amounted to $3.50. From these
figures it will be seen that the expenses
OF these investigations were not very
heavy.
Measures of Economy.
As an outgrowth Of the different in
vestigating committees several import
ant measures Of economy were adopted.
The bill governing the state printer and
state binder which was the outgrowth
Of the Investigations of these Offices,
makes a pretty extensive cut Of present
prices paid to both of these officers. In
the first place the bill reduces the num-
Der of volumes Of the state reports, in
many instances fully one half. The
schedule of fees allowed the state
printer is also very materially reduced,
as is the fees allowed for binding Off.
cial documents and other work done by
the state binder. This bill passed both
bodies with practically a unanimous
vote, and it is believed that it is as near
IN honest measure of economy as can
be devised. The saving to the state in
these two offices, estimated upon the
amou- of work done last year, is put
at about $4,000 per year. Another
measure which was proposed for the
purpose Of governing the state depart
ments and providing for a more bust
nesshke administering the affairs thereof
passed both houses without any dissent,
The code bill governing the judicial de-
partment was amended in very many
particulars. 1t took away many of the
powers of the executive council in re-
MI or fnl
given them by section 100 of the old
keep strict oversight upon all matters of
expenditure for supplies, labor, etc.,
connected with the capitol, and the diff
ferent departments. 1t also provided
that supplies should be purchased as
far as possible by contract. An i'm
portant feature of this bill provides for
standing committee on retrenchment
and reform, consisting of the chair
men of the three leading commit
tees of house and senate. This
standing committee is required to
investigate state officers and by resolu-
ton at the opening of each session pro-
vide for the number of employees and
their compensation during the ensuing
biennial term. To make this law ct
fective at once resolution was passed
fixing the number of employees and their
salaries in the different departments at
the present time, The reduction in ex.
penses which this resolution provides
for is shown by the following table,
which gives the amount now paid for
clerical and janitor help in the different
offices and the amount to be paid as
proposed by this resolutions:
Office. Now Under
paid, resolution
Adiutant General ........-. $1,000 S!54
Attorney General ........... $500 2,J4U