Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-29
Senate DiscussesP Plan for Tax.
ing Insurance Companies.
AGAINST FREE LUNCHES
House Committee Reports Bill to Abol-
ish Them-LittIe is Now Heard of
lhe Five NIile Limit Bill
Pure Food Measure.

Des Moines, March 29.-( Especial Cor
respodence.) .)-The senate spent all of
yesterday discussing the bill to provide
new and constitutional system for
taxing insurance companies. Senator
Cheshire. of Des Moines, made hard
fight to secure as large share as pos
slble Tor local taxation at the head
quarters of the company. Represent
ing the city in which most of the in
surance business of the state is done,he
declared than the committee bill would
surely be declared unconstitutional un-
less it were amended to give the tax
mainly to the city of Des Moines, in
stead of putting it into the state trea-
sury The present law has been held
| unconstitutional because it puts the
money into the state treasury. The
committee bill proposed to do the same
| thing. but to do it in another way; it
| imposes the tax, not Sin lieu of all
other taxes, as the old law reads, but
simply as license fee, occupation tax
i or franchise tax. The bill provides
that this shall be collected by the
state; the company can also be assess
ed on its capital stock, if it be stock
4 company; it mutual, then on it's
moneys and credits; and those latter
taxes are to go to the local taxing dis
trict. But the law makes such excep-
tions, in determining the amount of
moneys and credits, that it is practi-
cally equal to eAempting these. In
4 short, the state tax of one per cent of
gross premium collections is left prac-
/ tically the sole tax, just as it was un-
4 der the old law; but the new law
doesn't plainly state that this is to be
the only tax, and therefore the new
one is expected to be held constitu-
tional, while the old one was declared
by The supreme court to be utterly
worthless.
HaxeIton Bill 6eportetl.
The Hazleton bill, relating to mayors
4 and councils of cities has passed the
senate, and today was reported for
passage by the committee on munich
pal corporations in the house The
lsbill makes the mayor a member of the
city council, but depriyes him of a vote
except in case of a tie. 1t also pro-
vides that in questions requiring
a ,hree-fourths or two-thirds vote the
| .NOI Shall il0t SOlS. Iue measure is
intended to correct the code provisions
for the mayor and council. The code
Estates that in all except special char
ter cities the council shall be composed
! of a mayor, two aldermen at large, and
one alderman from each ward. For
special charter cities there is no provi-
sion for the mayor being a member
of the council. In several cases city
solicitors have held that in cities Of
4 the first class the mayor is not mem-
Der of the council. The Hazelton bill
. makes all mayors members of councils,
j but limits their votes.
To Abolish Lunches.
The house committee on suppression
of intemperance has reported the Prem
tbs free lunch bill for passage. The
( measure prohibits free lunches or re-
freshments in saloons. At present sa-
looms in nearly all parts of the state
operate free lunch stands. 1t is ex-
pected the bill will meet with some op-
position on the floor of the house, al
tho there is not much doubt but it will
pass. There is a strong sentiment in
Z favor of allowing saloons to run free
lunches, as we'll as to have tables and
4 sell more extensive refreshments, but
il is not expected it will be voiced at
the present session.
Pure Food Measure.
\ The third bill reported by the public
health committee is one of the most
important measures of the session. 1t
is the Hawk pure food bill. The bill
provides that the state dairy commits
sioner shall be given charge of the food
interests of the state, and shall be
known as the state dairy and
food commissioner. He shall
be charged with the duty
OF carrying the pure food law into ef-
J feet, and shall receive a salary of $500
annually in addition TO his salary as
dairy commissioners.
The bill provides that no person, by
, himself. servant or agent, or rs the
servant or agent of any Other person
shall introduce into the state or sell
exchange, deliver or have in his pos
session with intent ito sell, exchange OF
expose or offer for sale OF exchange
any article of food which is adulterat-
ed or misbranded." The bill describes
authorizations as follows:
IF any substances have been mixed
or packed with it so as to reduce OIL
lower or iniuriously effect its quality
or strength, so that when such pro
duct, when offered for sale, shall de-
ceive or tend to deceive the purchaser.
IF any substance has been substi-
tuted wholly or in part for the article
so that the product, when sold. shall
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