Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-02-20
Governor ANNOYED.
PASSES TWO BILLS.
Iowa House Thinks Treasurer's Books
Should Be Examined.


Des Moines. Feb. 1S.-(Special.)-
The house this morning passed the
Furry bill providing for the formation
of state board of examiners to ex-
anime the books of county treasurers.
The bill increasing the salary of
judges of the supreme court was re.
ferred back to committee. The SEN
ate considered without reaching vote
the bills allowing teachers to be en-
gagged for three years and providing
that building contracts shall protect
those furnishing the material. IL
Lieutenant Governor Herriott has
made an important statement to the
subcommittee of the senate ways and
means committee considering rail
road assessments. This matter is
guarded with jealous secrecy by the
members thus favored, and no hint Of
the matter has yet leaked out. | am in
formed however, by one who is close
to the lieutenant governor. and who
has been called in consultation with
him, that this plan is along the line Of
Mr.. Herriott's public utterances, and
that it will be found he advocates the
finding the net earnings of each road,
using these figures as interest from
which to compute the assessable CAPT
talization of the property.
Transfer Libraries to Commission.
In the house yesterday Barkley in
troduced bill to transfer the travel
ing libraries of the state from the Ii
brary board to the commission The
bill apparently carries an appropria-
ton of $4,000 but it also repeats stat
utes and sections of previous laws
which appropriated $4,000 to the sup
port of the state library Therefore its
effect is but to ask for 1900 additional.
That amount is for increased efficiency
of the library commission and of the
travelling library department of the
state. The bill, as mentioned above,
includes an important transfer, that of
the travelling library system from the
library board to the comission.
Like Finding It.
The news from Washington that
there is likely to be half million plac-
ed to the credit of the state from the
national treasury is like finding money
to those who were at their wits end to
figure out how their projects were to
be financed from the resources of the
state.
Increase Judges Salaries.
The house session yesterday after
noon was taken up with consideration
of the bill to increase the salaries of
the supreme court judges from 81 900
to $4,000, and also requiring in effect
that the sessions of that tribunal shall
be continuous. Cummings of Marshall
and Temple of Clarke presented the
reasons for this increase, pointing out
that the work of these jurists was CON
stantiy increasing, and that these men
were, by the very nature of their posi-
tions, barred from all the ordinary av-
enues of money-getting and money
making, and were shut out from the
practice of their professions. 1t was
pointed out also that the terms of the
bill were such as to require the JUS
tees to continuously reside in Des
Moines, and the estimate was made
that this would increase the ordinary
expenses of living to the amount of ST.
500 per year. Head of Green offered
an amendment providing that the sal
aries should be raised to the amount
of S. 900 year. but this was voted
down. Before the matter could be
| brought to vote the house adjourned
until this forenoon.
JOS. E. Morcombe.