The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-03-12
BUSY v EEK.
Legislators Do a Lot
of Work.
PROGRESS IS SLOW.
Worcester Members in the
Lower House.

Boston, March 1.-THE week Just
closed has been the busiest thus far Of
the session of 1899 of the great and gen.
eral court. and not only in the commit
tees but in the legislature.
The sessions have been prolonged to
late hour in the afternoon, and as
result a large number of matters have
been disposed of and a good gap has
been made in the accumulation Of bust
ness before both branches. Still the
progress made does not compare with
that of last year and the legislature is
in the neighborhood of 150 matters be-
hind a corresponding date of the last
session.
This does not augur we'll for an earlier
adjournment than last year, and neither
does the fact that many OF the COM
mittees are yet still far from the end of
their labors. This is especially true of
the committee on cities, which still has
large number of matters assigned for
hearings and consideration and will not
probably be able to finish them up and
make report until the first of next
month at the earliest
The committee on the judiciary is
also behind on its work and so is the
committee on military affairs. The lat
ter had SO matters assigned to it at the
opening of the session. which comes
pretty near being a record breaker for
this committee
Both sides are lining up for the fight
on the gypsy moth and brown tail moth
appropriation bills, which were reported
from the committee on ways and means
this week. The bill carries an appropria-
ton Of $4,000 for the work of eXter-
minating the gypsy moth and of S25, 900
for the suppression of his friend. the
brown tail moth, and that there will be
sharp fight for and against the bill
next week.
AS for the cattle commission, the eff
fort to dispose of the present board will
be another sharp one, and Representa-
tive Hayes of Lowell is already primed
with arguments in support of his bill
to abolish the commission altogether.
The committee on agriculture has Civ
en- number of hearings on this mat
ter and win report adversely on the bill.
This means n good fight in the house,
but the chances are against the sue
cess of the Hayes bill.
| Commission fight No. 8 is that against
the highway commission, or If that
fails, for another method of appor-
tioning the money for the construc-
ton of state highways. Both these
measures are fathered by Representa-
tive Mills of Newburyport, and it is an
ticipated that the committee on roads
and bridges will report against them.
Mr.. Mills will then carry his fight into
the House
Two Of Woroester's youthful repre-
sentattVes made their maiden effort in
the House this week and both did we'll
| and received many congratulations
These last were deserved, for Doth
Messrs. Hagberg and Tatrnan spoke
we'll and Interestingly in favor OF the
formers bill to reduce the rate of in
terest on overdue taxes For a young
man not used to public D ,eal1lng, Mr..
Hagberg did surprisingly well, and in
his brief but pointed debate with the
experienced MIR. Newton Of Everett,
had the best of that estimable but ra-
ther prosy gentleman. Mr.. Tatman's
| argument in favor of the Hagberg bill
was brief but able and convincing. Now
that the bill has been amended So as
to make the rate instead Of per
cent, it stands an excellent chance of
going through the Senate, Its fate in
! that body with the per cent rate be-
ing rather doubtful.
Brother Mellen rather stirred up the
animals Thursday in his attack on
State Treasurer Shaw and his son over
the admission Of the bill to incorporate
the latter's syndicate which aims at
obtaining street railway and other
franchises in Cuba and Porto Rico
incidentally, he had a tilt with the
speaker in which the latter came out
best But Mr. AIellen has succeeded in
getting the valued policy fire insurance
bill passed to a third reading, and he
has something to be happy over.