Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-03-09
Several Very Important Questions
Are Acted Upon in the
Iowa Legislature.
ATTEMPT TO ABOLISH OFFICES FAILS.
State Printer and Binder Will Re.
main-Growth OF the State Requires
Increase in Tax Levy-Investigat-
Ing Resolutions and Other Notes OF
General Interest.
Especial Correspondence

| questlon mas been partly settled, al
least to the extent of making it certain
| that the offices of state printer ant
| state binder will not be abolished. The
| bill to abolish these offices and let the
printing and binding by contract was
discussed an entire day in the house
but was defeated by vote of As to 4s
or six votes short of the constitutional
majority required to pass bill. Ii
must be understood that bill must
have 81 votes in the house and 26 votes
in the senate before it can pass. The
advocates of the bill to abolish the of
ices of printer and binder claim that
the state is now paying too much fol
this work and that it could be done fol
less IT it were let to the lowest bidders
Those who favor the present system
whereby all the work is done by the
state printer and state binder, claim
that the contract system in other
states has resulted unsatisfactory
and has given rise to scandal and fraud
besides giving the state an inferior
quality of work.
Immediately after the defeat of the
bill to abolish the offices of state print
er and binder, Mr.. Ayers, chairman of
the house printing committee, offered
resolution providing for the appoint
ment of special committee to investi-
gate any abuses that may exist under
the present law and report bill cor
fectlng the same.
Iowa Has Grown.
AS the work of the appropriations
committees progresses and the urgent
needs of the state and it's institutions
are brought before the members, it be-
comes apparent that Iowa has grown
during recent years and that the state
tax levy of 21a mills has been per-
manently outgrown. The estimates of
state revenue for the present biennial
period, based upon return to the 21a
mill levy, give the appropriations COM
mittees $1,275,Oo0 to spend for extraor-
binary appropriations. The total
amount asked for various purposes is
about $1,sO0,o0O. This does not repre-
sent much imitation. The bills had
been cut down to reasonable limits be-
fore they We're introduced. This is es-
pecially SO with regard to the institu-
tons under the management of the
board of control and of the educational
institutions. They have been very care
full to ask no more than was actually
needed, and the appropriations COM
mittees, after having made a most
searching investigation, find very lit
tie that can be cut out without serious
ly injuring the institutions. So it is
almost certain that the state tax levy
will be 81 mills (the present rate), De-
sides the two-tenths of a mill that
have already been voted to the Agricul-
tural college and State university It
is possible that the levy may reach
three mills, all told, and if it does it
will be much lower than state taxes OF
any surrounding state, and the differ.
ence will be imperceptible to any tax.
payer.
To Protect the People.
1t is becoming more and more Ger.
tain. that some legislation will be en-.
acted bearing upon building and loan
associations, to protect the people
from the alleged extortions practiced
BY these concerns. Members are re-
ceiving scores of letters from people
in all parts of the state telling of losses
they have sustained and frauds that
have been practiced by building and
loan associations. Several bills have
been introduced in the senate curtaii-
ing the privileges now enjoyed by
and loan associations. One
bill is by Healy, prohibiting them
from making Il fixed charge for ex-
pcnses and providing that the expenses
must come out of the earnings, also
that salaries of officers shall be limited
to $4,000 and that not more than two
shall be employed at such salary, and
that salaries must be for services ac-
tually rendered. Two other bills are
by Lewis, of Poweshiels, repeating the
law which allows building and loan
associations to charge usurious inter-
est, and limiting such interest to eight
per cent.
Sensational Resolutions.
Two sensational resolutions were in
troduced in the house last week by
Representative Head, of Greene coun-
ty. One of them recites the rumors
that state officers are connected with
building and loan and insurance COM
panies, proposes an investigation into
these reports and suggests bill pro-
hibiting members of the executive
council from holding Offices in these
concerns. This resolution was amend
ed to apply only to building and loan
associations, and passed without oppo-
sition. Gov. Shaw, Secretary Dobson
and Treasurer Herriott are directors in
two life insurance companies in Des
Moines. Auditor Merriam is not con-
nected with any building and loan or
insurance company. The executive
council passes upon the articles of
building and loan associations, but has
nothing to do with insurance com
panies They are under the supervision
of the auditor of state exclusively. No
member Of the executive council is
connected with, or interested in, any
building and loan association.
Says He Holds Two Offices.
The other resolution by Mr.. Head is
In regard to John Cownie, member of
the board of control, and states that
he holds the position of state crop re-
porter for the department of agricul-
ture at Washington. The resolution
alleges that this is in violation of the
law which requires members of the
board of control to give up other bust
ness and prohibits them from holding
other state Offices. The resolution
calls upon Mr.. Cownie to resign one OF