The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-05-12
The Bell people are equally AZ confident
that the maximum bill is constitutional.
Uniform System of Text Ranks

ance which went through the house
4 last week and - now pending i'm the sem
ate was the Gtaham- Forsyth bill To es-
tablish uniform system OF text books
7 In Michigan. IL is claimed that the bill
will effect saving of 80 per cent. in the
cost Of school text books. IT is a sig
nihcant fact, however, that the educa-
tors Of the state are a unit i'm opposition
! to the bill. Last week the annual meet
| Ing OF the state association of city school
superintendents was held here and reso-
| iutions condemning the bill were adopt
ed by unanimous rising vote right on
the heels OF an hours speech by Senator
| Forsyth in its favor The resolutions
says that such n law would cause an
expenditure by the parents of the state
| or over $500, 900 with no material benefit;
that 1t would not bring about any of the
fancied blessings of state uniformity;
that ii would not materially cheaper
| text books; that it would open the way
for vastly inferior books; that Ii would
centralize too greatly the power Of text
book adoption that 1t would stand in
the way OF a compulsory free text book
! law which would secure all the advan-
tages claimed for this bill and avoid it's
serious and calamitous provisions" The
| association concluded by appealing TO
the senate to kill the bill and save the
state from the impending disaster at
tendant upon Its passage The impress
sion prevails that the bill stands an eY-
csllent show Of passing the senate in
| spite OF the vigorous opposition that il
being made.
Killed in the senate.
A bill fathered by the state fish COM
| mission and designed to yield the state
an annual revenue Of about So, GOO was
killed by the house few days ago. This
bill sought to inflict an annual license
fee on commercial fishermen. the theory
of the commission being that as these
| operators are the ones who get the bene-
| fit of the work OF the state in stocking
the great lakes with fry they should
stand a portion of the expense OF carry
ing on the work. y majority of the
house could not see the matter i'm that
light, however. The other commission
| bill passed the house. This makes the
| closed season fer trout and white fish
| during November and December, and
| increases the size of the mesh in the va
rious kinds of nets used by commercial
| fishermen, thus increasing the size of
| the fish that may be legally taken. In
| order that the fishermen may not suffer
|
| vides that these may he used until 1900
| but that all nets purchased after that
date must be of the mesh designated
therein. The provisions as TO meshes are
as follows: An increase of u inch in the
mesh of pound net. making Az inches
as used, not as purchased; an increase
| Of a inch in tho mesh of a gill net maxi
ing it Az inches as used; prohibiting
the catching of white fish that weigh
| less than two pounds in the round, pro-
| viding. however, that white fish weigh
| ing less than TWO pounds which are caught
| in gill nets, may be marketed; prohibiting
the catching Of sturgeon orrock sturgeon
weighing less Than fifteen pounds in the
| round. The commission is empowered
to grant permits for the use of smaller
meshes for herring fishing. There appea,s
| to be growing antagGaism among the
Legislators TO the bill waking an appro-
priation for the fish comm isson. and the
! indications that It viii be badly slashed
are daily becoming more apparent.
Liquor Bill Acted Uron.
Two important bills have been acted
J UPON by the house liquor committee
lately. One Of these sought to permit
! the use Of screenes to obstruct the view
} of bars from the street on Sunday and
| during other prohibition hours. The
! claim was made that the provision Of
the present law requiring an unob-
structed view Of the bar had worked
I gross injustice i'm several instances, sa-
| .oonkeepers being heavily fined for keep
| ing their saloons open during prohibited
! hours when, in fact, they were in their
saloons for purely innocent purposes.
! The committee decided to report the bill
unfavorably Notwithstanding this claim.
A majority of the committee have de-
! Cided to make a favorable report on the
bill permitting saloons to keep open on
| New Years Day, Fourth of July and
Labor Day. Two members of the COM
mittee will make an adverse report and
The bill will doubtless be defeated, the
disposition of the members being to not
lessen the restrictions placed about the
J liquor traffic.
Both houses have finally agreed on
| May 81 as the time for adjournment al
though they are apart as to the day
when all business except the enrolment
Of bills. etc, shall cease. This difference
being but one day will doubtless be ad-
| jrsted during the present week. 1t is
evident that if the legislature is 20
finally adjourn on the day named a
( large number of important bills will re-
| main Enacted upon. Just what they will
be cannot, of course. be known at this
| time. but it is a fact that there are at
| present a sufficient number of impor-
tant bills. including appropriation bills.
| on the general order of the house alone
| to occupy every moment of the time Of
that body up to the last day of the month
| If they are to be given anything like the
| consideration which their Importance de-
mands. Aside from these there are sew
| eral hundred bills still in the hands OF
the various committees. In view of this
| fact the slaughter to ensue If the legis-
! lature vanishes with the month is some
| thing frightful to contemplate.
| To Prevent Diseases.
] Both houses have now passed the bill
appropriating $500 annually for carry
| ing out the provisions of the law requir-
| ing that there be taught in the public
schools of the state the best methods of
/ ri do