Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-04-02

corporation in the State to fix and
determine by majority vote of the
qualified electors voting thereon the
! class or classes of property upon which
taxes for municipal purposes shall be
levied, which tax shall be uniform as
to persons and class; And provided
further, that the property of the United
States and the State, counties, school
districts and other municipal corpora
tions and such property as the Legisla-
ture may by general law provide may
be exempt from taxation"
House bill 402, by Committee on
Horticulture, for a Commissioner OF
Horticulture, to be appointed by the
Governor, who shall have general
supervision over the Horticultural in
| dustries of the State, and give all
necessary information in this direction.
Applicants for the position of Com
missioner must furnish certificates
from the faculty of the Agricultural
College that they are skilled in
Horticulture. The Commissioner
shall keep his Office in Tacoma, and
is to hold the Office four years. His
salary is fixed at $1,000, with an ad-
ditional $500 for incidental expenses.
The County Commissioners in each
county are to appoint County In.
spector, who is to receive 50 per day
for each days actual work, to be paid
out of the county funds. 1t also
authorizes the printing of five thous-
and copies of the Horticultural report,
two hundred of which shall be bound
in cloth, for special distribution.
House bill Ala, by Kittinger, for the
assessment and collection of the cost
of improving street intersections in
cities of the first class by apportioning
the cost to adjacent property; an
emergency.
House bill 472, by Lusher, relating
to common schools is the longest law
of the session and codifies the school
law. The purpose of the codifcation
is to unity the educational system of
the State, and to recognize high schools
and the higher institutions of the
State as a part OF the school system.
1t changes the apportionment of the
State funds to the relief of the small
districts by making the basis of ap-
portionment school attendance instead
of school population, and every dis
trict is to be credited with at least g.
600 days attendance. 1t provides
Board of Higher Education, whose
duties it shall be to correlate the in
stitutions of learning with each other
and with the common schools. 1t pro-
vides for free text books, when so voted
by the electors of any school district.
There is also provision for the
registration if voters in all school dis
tricts wherein the present registration
law is applied. Any district may es-
tablish kindergarten school, to be
maintained by the special tax and to
be under the control of the Board of
Directors. The County Superin-
tendent is required to hold certificate
granted by the authorities of the State
and to have taught for at least nine
months in the State.
The bill provides that the County
Commissioners shall levy the tax neces-
sary to pay the interest on bonds, and
that it shall be paid only from such
special bond interest fund.
The certificates will be granted on
uniform basis, and will be valid
throughout the State, being marked
in the Office of the State Superin-
tendent. This reduces the expense
of examination at least one-half.
The bill further provides for an ex-
animation fee of 81 to be paid by the
applicant, which fee shall be placed to
the credit of the institute fund of the
county in which the examination is
held.
1t further provides that the Superior
Judge shall be the executive officer to
enforce attendance at school according
to law.
Vivisection is prohibited ard the
dissection of dead animals is limited
to the immediate pupils who are study
ing the subject to be illustrated.
A provision for the display of the
United States flag at expense of the
school district is incorporated in the
new draft.
Some change has been made in the
management of the Normal Schools by
dispensing with the General Board,
and substituting therefore Board of
Higher Education, which will have
control of the courses of study and
regulations governing entrance and
graduation.
In addition to the above many minor
corrections are made to make the code
more clear and harmonious, and the
section are rearranged with reference
to a logical outline as to subject matter.
House bill AT, relating to common
carriers and for reduction of freight
rates. The first section of the bill
stipulates that no railroad or other
common carrier within the State shall
charge for hauling agricultural pro-
ducts in carloads lots within the State
| a HIGHER rate than 81 o. nor ton for