Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-11-30

fashion. The senate, however, arbitrarily
cut down the figures to $1,250,000 and the
house concurred in the amendment though
both the state treasurer and the auditor
agree this amount will not anywhere near
meet the claims against the state and they
predict deficiency appropriation two
years hence.
The state tax fixed for the coming bien-
nial term is 10 cents, one half payable
each year. The house passed the bill in
creasing the taxes on corporations but the
senate refused to concur, making it neces-
sary to keep the direct state tax up to the
high point of previous years, though not
so high as two years ago when the appro-
priations were made for a term of two
years and five months and a tax of 20
cents was levied to cover the extra time.
The corporation taxes under the old law
are expected to yield nearly a million
dollars during the coming two years and
the direct tax of Is cents will yield in the
neighborhood of $2S5, 600 more.
Yesterday Governor Stlckney sent a
special message to the legislature urging
the passage of two bills that he had pre-
pared. One bill placed the commitment
and discharge of patients from the two
asylums in the hands of a board to be
composed of the governor and two others,
and was designed to keep ont of the asy-
lum town paupers not entitled to be cared
for there at the expense of the state. The
other bill provided for a state board to
purchase. supplies for all the state institu-
tions under the theory that by buying in
larger quantities lower rates could be Sc
cured. The house evidently did not take
much stock in the governors bi,ls and
promptly slaughtered them both at the
first opportunity.
Senator Cudworth's forestry commits
sion bill was passed by the senate and
killed by the house, and the Marvin eau
Gus bill met precisely similar fate. Sen
ator Clements millinery bill is also num-
bered among the slain.
OF the four proposed constitutional
amendments only one was approved by
both houses and will go before the next
general assembly. 1t is the least import
ant of the lot, the one providing for the
filling of vacancies in the membership of
the senate and house.
At the last moment bill was railroad
ed through the legislature providing for
an assistant in the state auditors office at
$500 per year. The bill also provides for
the state paying the travelling expenses of
the auditor.
The asylum appropriation bill as finally
passed provides $4,000 for the Retreat and
$1S,951 for the Waterbury hospital, in
GLIDING $4,000 for a nurses home. The
valued policy bill was killed by the senate
and the Pan American exposition bill met
a similar fate in the house. The insur-
ance department bill could not pass either
house, but bill went through cutting off
the fees of the insurance commissioners.
and giving them $1,000 each annually.
The raid of the small towns on the big
ones in the matter of the state school tax
resulted in pushing the tax up from FIVE
cents TO eight cents annually. The scheme
to annex WinoOski to Burlington failed in
the senate and the bill to repeal the six
inch trout law was laid to rest in the same
body.
During a recess last evening Speaker
Proctor was presented by Col Emery of
Chelsea, in behalf of the house, with a
hunting case gold watch of the best Swiss
manufacture. Sergeant-at-Arms Phinney
was presented with a gold-headed cane.
Speaker Proctor has proved himself one
of the best presiding officers the house of
representatives has ever had and every
member of the legislature can now be safe
ly counted as a staunch admirer of Col.
Proctor.
State Treasurer Bacon paid out $67, 900
Wednesday morning between and o
O'Clock to members of the legislature and
state house employees.
The last actual business done in the
house Wednesday mOPBing was to accept
(COntinaed on the 10Th pdge.)