The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1900-01-12
SPECIAL SESSION DOINoS.

Gov. Pingree fulfilled the prediction
| that more messages would be forth
coming, and the latest is recommen'
datIon that all special railroad charters
be amended so as TO bring them under
the provisions of the general railroad
laws of the state for the purposes of
taxation. Rep. Colby gave notice of
| bill in the house on the 3D., encompass
ing the governors ideas. 1t stands
show in the house, but will probably
not reach the senate.
The Bryan bill providing for spe-
cific tax on copper and iron ore was be-
| fore the house all day on the Sd, the
familiar discussion of last spring being
reproduced in a large measure. The
only amendment made to the bill was
one changing the rate of tax on iron ore
from three to two cents per ton. After
some warm arguments both for and
against the measure the bill finally
passed the house by a vote of rs to IL.
The tax commission appointments
was finally held up in the senate on the
3D. by that body turning them over to
| the taxation committee, which means
that the commission will now have to
serve under appointment of the gov
-ernor for the balance of their respective
term, thus holding the governor re-
sponsible for their actions during the
remainder of the term.
Late on the afternoon of the 4th Gov.
| Pingree sent the house three special
messages in bunch. They were all
brief and referred to local matters.
Ionia city had made mistake in issu-
| ing $50 900 worth of bonds and wanted
the legislature to pass an act legalizing
| the issue. At the regular session a bill
was passed changing the boundaries of
! certain school districts on the line be-
tween Wayne and Oakland counties,
the result being that two sections of
land were not placed in either district.
| A law to correct this state of affairs
was wanted. The township of Spring
wells asked for leave To borrow money
! to pay its share of the cost of construct
| ing a bridge and to take care of other
| indebtedness. Bills covering these
three cases were introduced at once
and passed.
The railroad committee had been
hanging on To Fleischhauer's bill to in
crease the specific tax rates so long
that Rep. Burch on the 4th moved that
| it be take from the committee and
placed on the general order. The mo-
ton to take it from the committee pre-
vailed. Later when the bill came up,
! Rep Lusli moved TO amend the rates
provided so as TO make the increase in
revenue as based on last years earnings
| $500, 900 a year, the increase provided
| for in the bill as introduced being only
! S124,000. The Lusk amendment was
| adopted, the new rate being as follows:
On earning under 81 900 per mile, 2I
per cent: between S., 900 and $4,000. 1
| per cent; between 81 900 and SIS 900, 6
per cent; between 1000 and IS 900, 8
per cent; in excess of IS 900 10 per cent.
| This will yield an annual revenue Of
! $500, O00 No new arguments devel-
oped and the bill finally passed by
vote of - to II
The special session of the legislature
was brought TO an uncercmonouS end
by the senate shortly after the noon
hour on the 5th Not a single law of
any benefit to the taxpayers was en-
acted The bills passed were One APP
propriating $40, 900 for the rcplenishing
of the Spanish war relief fund: one
strengthening out a techncality in the
laws of the regular session making APP
preparations for the Marquette Normal
school an the Soldiers home; joint
resolution authorizing the attorney
general to commence suits to recover
any money lost through the improper
expenditures of the military board; a
concurrent resolution urging the APP
pointment of Chief Clerk Miller of the
house as one of the commissioners to
revise the federal statutes, and four
purely local bills, which permits the
cities of Grand Rapids and Ionia and
the township of Springwclls, Wayne
county, to make loans. and one
Strengthening out a school district in
Wayne and Oakland counties