The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-03-09
AMENDMENTS SUGGESTED
THEY ARE ACCEPTED AND BILL
PASSED AGAIN.
Several Measures Returned With Ex-
ecutive Approval-Salaries of
State ofhcers-Many Measures Re-
turned By Committees With Rec
Communications.

q new act relating to the powers and
duties of the state board of land COM
missioners in the selection, sale. lease
and management of the state lands, the
investment of the proceeds thereof and
the protection of the timber lands. The
reading of the bin had not proceeded
far before a snag was struck. Some
senate amendments were so unintelli-
gibly marked on the dill that it became
necessary to send it back with a re-
quest for a. key to the translation.
The bill was subsequently returned
from the senate in proper form, and
consideration of it was proceeded with
III, to the time of the joint assembly
convening.
The senate bill contained a provision
that any person may purchase not more
than four sections Of arid and grazing
lands It was amended to read not
more than four sections of grazing
land and not exceeding 500 acres Of
arid land shall be sold to any person.
Another amendment made in the
house was that permitting settlers on
government land who relinquish their
holdings to the state TO purchase title
Mt the rate Of 81. instead of $l.25, per
acre. The minimum price OF any lands
selected by the state was fixed at 81,
and a provision is also made for private
sales, instead of by auction,
The afternoon session OF the house
did not commence till nearly O'Clock,
owing to the inability of securing a
quorum, the sixteen men supporting A.
w. McCune for senator having been
detained at a caucus. In the absence
of Speaker Roylance, Representative
jackson was chosen speaker pro TEN.
The Evans bill was taken up again
and another amendment of Importance
was adopted giving the land board
power to make investment loans on
farm mortgages at the 3 per cent rate
annually instead of per cent, the rate
heretofore in vogue.
Altogether the bill is a liberal and
wise measure, such as the experience
of the land board has taught should be
in force.
After considering the bill for another
hour ii was passed by a vote OF IS ayes.
Pending the return of Evans land
bill from the senate. some other mat
tiers were disposed of.
In house bill No. 149, passed on Tues
day. the fiscal year for county auditors
financial reports was made to end in
January. on being informed that this
change disarranged the fiscal matters
ia the entire county government act.
Representative Fisher yesterday morn
ing asked for and obtained consent to
insert July in place of January, as in
the present law.
POLICE AND FIRE BILL.
The first order of business at the af-
ternoon session was the consideration
of the governors diSapproval of house
bill No. 162, relating to the reorganiZa-
ton of the police and fire departments
in cities of 1900 and more inhabitants.
The executives objections to the bin
were stated as follows:
THE experience of cities in Ether
states where a non-partisan fire and po-
lice board controls these departments
is that the efficiency of the depart
ments is greatly increased thereby. The
experience in the cities of Salt Lake
and Ogden has not been so favorable,
yet the fault has perhaps been in the
administration Of the law rather than
in any defects in the law itself House
bill No. 49, virtually puts the fire and
police departments back into the con-
troll Of the mayors and city councils.
and in this respect may be regarded as
q step backward. Yet the condition
confronting these cities is that they
now have no certain and specific law
IN force. Certain features If the nom
partisan law of 1896 are said to be in
effect in pursuance of decisions of
tourts, while other features of that law
are repealed. So that it seems imper-
alive that some law on the subject
snail be enacted and put into effect at
ohce
While house bill No. l62 is not salts
Factory for many reasons. it is prefer
able 10 the present chaotic conditions,
and it is therefore with sCme reluctance
that L have returned the same without
approval l have done so only because
no ather course is open to me, but in
the hope that You will amend the
mea sure. repass the same and thereby
comply with the wishes of the mayors
and ditv councils of these cities, l re-
specially submit the following sugges- |
tions:
"Tyhe word and should be used in
place of the word or after the figures
] . 600 IN the title of the bill, and in I
sections l. .. 3. 4. 5. II and u, for the |
reason that in the technical construc- !
ton of THE law the word or as used /
may be construed to mean two or more /
classes Of cities. while the word and /
can. as ased here, mean but one class. |
Sections Z and are ambiguous and !
indefinite in form and are susceptible /
of two constructions. There may be |
occasion for the mayor to take the mi
tiative in removing officers in either of !
the departments, or il may be neces- /
sary for the city council to take the ini-
tiative. As the section now stands the
mayor would not have the power to
take the initiative toward the removal |
of any officer or member Of either Of .
the departments
In section u reference should be /
made 10 section II instead of section 9 /
Section l3 should be amended SO that |
the terms of office of the present OFF,
GERS and members of the two depart
ments Of said cities shall expire thirty
DAYS after the act goes into effect, for
the reason that as the bin now stands
- l. -. III j
fire department for a number Of days
after the taking effect OF the act.
1.-The repeating clause of section IA
Should be made more specific and def
rite.
..The law should go into effect at
once. fIS the reason that the present
officers and members of the police and
fire departments are holding their office
under the laws of 1896. The board ap-
pointing them has been abolished and
the situation at present is so uncertain
that cities thus governed have been and
are now put to great expense in litiga-
;ion before the courts and unless the
law goes into effect at once the city Of
Salt Lake may be compelled to pay a
double set of officers. The supreme
court has held that the present officers
and policemen of the police department
hold their office during good behavior,
and as such. are entitled to the salaries
incident 10 such office. The district
cur-t has held in a recent case that
the firemen are bound by the same rul-
ing as in the case of policemen. If the
law. as contemplated in house bill No.
lG2. goes into effect as therein specified.
Il is represented to me that the city OF
salt Lake will lose during the year 1899
he sum of SS.627.S4 as additional sala-
res over and above the amount pro-
rided by the ordinances of said city,
and viii probably result in additional
litigation and expense by suits insti-
.uted against said city"