The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-01-30
STATE
LEGISLATIVE
TOPICS.

habitual drunkards and lunatics, which
gives them the right to demand jury |
trial while incarcerated.
-ll:-
The Wilkes-Barre News-Dealer thinks
that instead of a bill compelling plumbers |
to register and pass an examination, Rep |
rssentative Connel should have offered
one regulating their prices for work.
-:lI:-
The new libel act has been passed upon |
afiirmatively by the judiciary general COM
mittee of the hccse with the understand
ing that 1t may receive further ctnslder-
alton If amendments are offered.
--:II:-
bill has been introduced by Senator
Grady providing that hereafter 1t shail
not be lawful for any judge of any court
to appoint any officer, clerk, or employe
of any court to act as auditor, master
referee examiner, appraiser or road juror
in any matter pending in court The act,
however, is made applicable only to cities
of the first class.
-.u:-
Senator Coyle proposes to help town
ships lying on the outskirts OF cities ana
towns by enabling them, after popular
consent, to levy and collect a tax to be
known as water and light tax, when
shall be used for the exclusive purpose of
supplying tre-plugs, fire apparatus, street
lamps, street cleaning and other public
purposes.
1t is proposed by Senator Chisholm that
hereafter in all suits that shall be brought
against any practitioner In medicine, DEN
tistry, surgery or obstetrics the plaintln
shall not be entitled to proceed until he
shall have filed bond for the payment of
all costs, with an item of per cent. ol
the damages claimed by plaintiff on the
Inal judgment, If the suit be rendered
against him.
.. --.fI:-
Representative Dunlap, of Philadelphia,
proposes to regulate the pawnbroking
business by imposing a rate of per cent.
per month, and fixing the limit for all IN
terest at that rate. Representative Bald
win, of Delaware county, has bill on the
same subject, which makes it unlawful
for pawnbroker or other person to ac-
cept from chronic inebriate or one under
the influence of intoXcants any article
for pledge or pawn. He fixes the rate of
interest at 6 per cent. per annum, or
per cent per month for storage of articles
pawned.
-:II:-
Speaker Boyer is in favor of the state
getting interest on its deposits. "At the
same time" continued Mr.. Boyer in re-
cent interview on this subject, at should
be remembered that the state treasurer
through himself and his sureties, fully Sc
cures the state funds. Other states have
lost heavily from failures of repositories
but the state of Pennsylvania has never
| lost a penny. My sureties and / had TO
| pay Sl25, 600 into the state treasury for loss
es through banking failures-$l0O, 900 for
| the Delamater failure and $4,000 for that
| of a Philadelphia banking house. From
| the latter's assets we Will recover about
| $4,000. Now the grave question confront
| ing the Legislature is whether the state
| in the long run would be as well off under
| the proposed plan as 1t Is now"
| -:II:-
The Licensed Detective association, an
| organization originating in Pttsburg. in
| tends to have meeting of all the men
| in that business in Pennsylvania as soon
| as arrangements can be made, and after
| that to organize all private detective
| bureaus in the country into one central
| association. The first object is to drive
| from the field agents and detectives who
are called irresponsible, and who have
| neither state nor county license to work
| under The second is to facilitate genuine
| detective work. In order to reach all
points of the country 1t Is proposed to
make members of the sherlffs and con-
| stables of counties with small populations.
| If this can be accomplished, the promot-
ers say the result will be a police system
of such strength never before organized
even in the days when the cardinals of
| France had agents everywhere. The con-
| nection of all this with state Legislative
topics will depend upon whether the
professional detective is to be retained as
| permanent feature of Pennsylvania poll.
| tics.
Professor John Hamilton. deputy sec
| retRry of agriculture, Is impressed will
the need of township high schools, tc
which Governor Hastings is also commit
ted. In paper read last week before the
state board of agriculture he estima tee
that a township high school plant woui(
cost between $1,000 and $1,000, 5000 Of
which being contributed by the stat,
would make the net cost to the township
between $4,000 and $1,000 This the town
ship could pay by l mill tax in fourteen
years, on valuation of s6ls,OJO and sucl
a school could be maintained by the state
contributing $500 annually for each schou
of the highest grade, supplemented by
tax Of 21e mills on $6lS,0CD, thus provdin!
teaching force comprising a prncipa
) and two assistants. This sum, he con
tended, would be no more than IS Eow eX
pended by the citizens of the townships Ii
educating their children abroad, and tn
sum that the state contributes would b
= no more than sufficient to equaliGe tn
present disproport!on between the amour
that the country gets and that which tn
cities receive. The additional advantag
: 10 the county would be that, instead o
educating comparatively few of the coun
try children, a large number would haV
= the opportunity of securing a high de
gree of intellectual training at the!
homes. A bill authorizing township hig
b. schools and providing state aid in the sur
of 100000 annually for them is now /
= committee, having been introduced b
= Representative Seyfert, of Lancaster
-:.;-
I Just before the Legislature adjourne
! Thursday Representative keator, of PM
2 adelphia, introduced novel biz wA.c
) has for its object Legislative Commis
1 draft a certain class of the acts introduce
e by the members, with a view of establish
5 ing the onstitutonaiity. of such acts. Th
= governor is to appoint commission c
e three members, who are to possess all {
= the qualifications of judges of the ST
n preme court. one is to be commissions
: for four years, one for seven years an
= | one for ten years, vacancies to be file
r | by appointment to serve for the full teri
Il | of years. The commissioners are to sery
| from the LIST of December prior to any res
| ular session of the Legislature until III
n adjournment thereof and are to be pai
i $500 per month during such period. Fac
II man is entitled to 500 per month for cler
a cal service during such period. An
= member during the time mentioned ma
e call upon the commissioners for assis
q anCe in the redrafting of any proposed bill
o except appropriation or apportionmeI
is bills. Besides this, the commissioner pr
r pares report which accompanies Il
bill in it's passage through the house
senate. This must contain % conci'
a statement of the existing law, (2) refe
it ence to similar legislation pending b
n fore the legislature, go suggested amen
A. ments in substance, (i) suggested amenC