The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-09-08
LITTLE WORK
 BY SOLONS Recess Day Almost Barren
 of Results. THREE COMMITTEES MET Walker Municipal Bill to Get
 Favorable Report. Edwards Local Taxation Measure Favored by Ways and Means Committee-Delegations op- pose Proposed Stock Law. 
THREE COMMITTEES MET


 was accomplished in the work of ths
 Alabama Legislature. Practically all the members who could get home in time to spend Sunday and return to the Capitol in time for to-days session were out of Montgomery.
 The members who remained in the
 city were those who live in remote parts
 of the State. Both the Senate cham
 bers and the hall of the House of Rep
 resentatives were practically deserted. The few lawmakers in the city spent their time in answering correspondence or in preparing bills for introduction. Two of the House Committees held meetings during the day and unsuccess- full efforts were made to have two or three other committees meet. Protracted meetings of the Ways and Means and the Municipal Corporation Committees were held. The proposed meeting of the Committee on Corporations was called off because of the lack of quorum. Ways and Means. The Ways and Means Committee of the House met at the Court House. The meeting was presided over by Represent tative R. T. Simpson, of Lauderdaie. The meeting extended through the greater part of the day. There were a number of taxation bills of minor importance. but the greater part of the time was spent in the discussion of a bill author izing counties to levy special taxes for l roads.
 The new constitution empowers the Legislature to add the word roads to the small list for which special taxes may be levied. Three bills covering this authority of thesconstitution were before the committee. *One of the bills pro vided that the taxes should be authorized only by a vote of the qualified electors. Two of them provided that the Court of County Commissioners could order the special road tax.
 | The bill of Mir. Edwards of Pike met the favor of the committed This bill | provides that the County commissioners may vote the special tax. The Edwards 1 bill will be favorably reported by the committee at to-day's session of the House,
 Municipal Corporations. The Committee on Municipal Corpora tions held an all-day session presided
 over by Representative R. w. Walker of Madison. Two bills of great impor-
 tance, both on the same general sub
 ject, were under consideration. The General Municipal Corporation bill pre-
 scented by Judge Walker and the general | bill on the same subject prepared by | the Senate Recess Committee were under consideration. The meetirds of the conn
 mittee was held in the Supreme Court room morning and afternoon session | of the committee was held | There are a number of important diff
 ferences between the two municipal bills
 and they were gone over carefully. The main difference is that the Walker bill | divides cities into three classes, while l the Senate Recess Committee bill pro vides for five classes. The remainder of | the two bills contains legislation for the
 classes of cities as outlined in the bills.
 Mir. Walkers bill was prepared by him.
 during the summer recess. The commit | tee decided upon a favorable report on the Walker bill.
 One of the most important bills on the
 calendar, the Arnold educational bill. | will be considered at to-day's or to- morrow's session. The bill carries an
 appropriation of s55O,OOO for the next fis-
 cal year for the support of the public
 school system.
 No provision whatever has been made for the schools for the coming year. The funds from the special school tax of three mills will not be available unCf next year. This special tax of 30 cents
 on the hundred dollars has been assessed | this year. but will not be collected until
 next year. Unless the Legislature passes
 the Arnold bill or a similar measure. | there will be no funds for schools. Stock Law Considered. I Etowah and Butler counties appeared
 before joint meeting of the Senate and
 House Committees on Local Legislation l last night in opposition to the stock law l bill. framed by the Senate Recess Com mittee.
 Senator Oliver of Chiffon presided and numbers of speeches against the bill
 were made by the visiting delegations. No action was taken by the committee. A meeting will probably be held tonight at which time the committees will de- eide on the report to be returned. Among those who appeared against the bill were ex-Senator S. c. Jenkins of ! Baldwin, Judge Charles Hall of Bald win. Frank Stone of Baldwin. ex-Repre- | sentative Henley of Escambia, and George D. Motley of Gadsden. Representative Hammer, Representative Kelley. and Senators Rogers and Hau | also spoke.
 The visiting delegations were confident | that the passing of the stock law would mean the ruin of the newly developed
 stock and sheep industry of South Ala bama.
 Quite a number of the visitors will TO. main in Montgomery for 8 subsequens committee meeting.