The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-02-27
GAMUT OF LEGISLATIVE ACTION.
Bills in All Stages Before the House
i'm the Morning.

I'm the Morning.
The House ran the gamut of legislative
action during the forenoon session yester-
day, receiving new bills and committee
reports and considering bills on both sec
ond and third reading. Six bills. all of
them House measures. were passed, the
most important being the Kirkman bill
for the regulation OF the practice of OPP
tometry. creating a state board of examina
ton and providing that all opticians must
be licensed, and the Stechhan bill provid-
ing for commission to investigate the
problem of convict labor and report to the
next General Assembly.
The opticians bill met with opposition
from Representative Boyd and other men,
bers, who join with him in opposing all
profession creating measures, but it went
through by vote of IS to Is. The bill pro-
Xides that pTaeticng opticians must
already practicing the profession and does
not prohibit the selling of spectacles by
persons who do not pretend to examine the
eyes and prescribe.
The other bills passed were local In char
acter.
The following bills were reported from
committee for passage: Senate bills Nos:
House bills Nos. 20S go, 422, $50, Az, 43s
The following bills were recommended for
Indefinite postponement: Senate bill Nos
1fl, 142, 21S, and House bills Nos. 139, $751;
331, 1885, $50.
Senate bill No. S63. one of those recon-
mended for passage. is the electric RAILROAD
born. The bill was introduced Feb. 20.
advanced to engrossment Feb "a, passed by
the Senate the next day, handed down on
first reading in the House the same day 1t
passed the Senate and reported from the
House committee railroads yesterday
morning as the first business OF the session.
The following House bills were considered
$685. $50. 4O3 $780, 1884, 2s9 431, 3S9 4lo, 327 S. Al
All Of them were advanced to engrossment
except No. 3S9-Pepple-creating the Indiana
indefinitely postponed without discussion.
House bill No. 2-StansburyAchang
the law regulating the letting OF contracts
Tor county printing so as to provide for the
letting of the contracts in four classes in
stead of three, was taken up on second
reading just before noon. Representative
Slack offered an amendment striking out
ers might reject any and all bids. and then.
within ten days, without readvertising,
might let the contract to any person or
firm that submitted a bid lower than those
considered originally. Slack spoke In sup
port Of his amendment, charging that the
provision he sought to strike out one
that would result solely In the interests of
the large printers of the State.
Under this bill as it now stands" he
said, the large printing establishments
will not seek to secure the contracts on the
first bid. but will induce the commissioners
to reject the bids and will then submit a
bid shade lower than the lowest one orig
inally offered and secure the contract. The
commissioners should have the right to re-
ject any and all bids, but then they should
readvertise for proposals, and my amend
ment makes that provision. 1t should be
adopted, for the bill in its present shape
will work great injustice on the small
| printers of the State"
The House adjourned without taking final
action on the amendment. but ii was the
| first thing taken up at the afternoon ses-
| sion and was adopted. The bill was then
| advanced to engrossment