The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-01-27

SS'"'S TIC ohiouIl Oh any mortgage Oh
such property. State Tax Commission
er Mclaughlin favors the exemption
from taxation Of credits of. every ma
ture under certain conditions. Other
bills are In sight and the subject will
be gone into thoroughly.
A bill of great interest to farmers
and shippers of live stock throughout
the state is In charge Of Representa-
tive Simpson who proposes to push it
vigorously. The measure seeks to
make railroad companies comm0e ,ar-
riers Of live stock, thus making them
accept for immediate shipment all live
stock offered for transportation. Under
existing conditions the companies are
privileged to take this class Of freight
OF leave 1t alone. just as the spirit
moves, and 1t Is claimed that in some
sections Of the state the spirit has
moved the companies to refuse to
handle live stock for months at time,
thus greatly handicapping the raiser
and buyer and practically running the
industry in those sections.
Both the liquor dealers and the anti
saloon people appear to be rather slow
In gestingamendments to the liquor
laws this year. Representatives Of
both organizations have been on the
ground since the session commenced,
but thus far the only bill introduced
affecting the liquor interests is one by
Mr.. Hudson, Of Kalamazoo. who
would fix the law so that intoxica ting
liquors could not be sold In conjunc-
tons with groceries, dry goods and
other merchandise, or, in other words,
in stores where such wares are Of
fered for sale &E
Runishment for Wife Beaters.
The increase in the number of wife
beaters throughout the state during re-
cent years has inspired Representative
Ming to take steps to provide adequate
punishment for this class Of domestic
pastime. He has offered a bill which
provides that for the first conviction
of assault and battery on ones wife,
the offender shall be confined in Jail
for ten days with no food or drink, ex-
cept bread and water. A second Of
Tense will insure the prisoner whip
ping on his bare back at the hands of
the sheriff or other competent person.
This whipping is to consist Of not less
then ten nor more than thirty blows
with q leather strap lone inch wide,
twenty-four inches long and thrcesiX-
teenth of an inch thick" This bill
provides that each person convicted Of
a second offense shall be examined by
competent physician who shall de-
termine if he is physically able to
withstand the punishment In case
the physician should report that the
convicts physical condition is such as
to not warrant whipping, then the
usual penalty for assault and battery is
to be inflicted. The physician and the
man who lays on the strap are each. to
receive So for their services. n
Low Water Alarms, ,.se44sSs
~ The. auestioy.whether Low water
alarms on steam boilers are 70 safe
guard or menace will have to be'set-
tied by the legislature this year. The
present law requires that all such boil
ers be equipped with some type of low
water alarm approved by the commits
siOner of labor. Representative Beal,
who halls from Ann Arbor has intro
duced bill to. repeal this law. In all
probability this measure is the out
come of controversy between the au-
thorities Of the Michigan university
and the commissioner of labor Act
ing on the advice Of Professor NJ. Il.
Cooley, the 'welkknown engineering
authority OF the university the regents
have declined to equip certain boilers
with safety devices. 1t is Professor
Cooley's contention that the presence
Of these devices leads to carelessness
or the part of engineers who, instead
Of making needed inspections, depend
upon the alarm to give notice Of low
water and consequent danger. Pro
fessor Cooley further contends that
these devices fill UP with scale, etc,
and are thus rendered imperative so
that the danger of explosion is in
creased rather than diminished by
their use. Deputy Labor Commission
er Mcleod, who will become the head
of the bureau. in q few weeks, insists,
or the other hand, that experience con-
clusively proves the value of the alarm,
many instances being cited where ex-
plosions have been avoided by theif
use. He will make stiff fight to re-
tain the present law, and the indica-
tons are that he will be successful.
Active and Painstaking.
Deputy Mcleod, by the way, prom
Uses to be very active and pains
taking chief Of the department, thus
grandly supplementing the excellent
work he has done in his present posi-
ton. He will ask the Legislature to
extend the jurisdiction Of his depart
ment so that Office buildings may be
included in the list of structures in
which the department may require the
establishment of devices designed to
protect the persons employed therein.
The state federation Of labor has
had representatives in Lansing during
the past week, and it Is understood
that this organization proposes to keep
very close tab on legislation this year.
In order to do this it will have its
legislative committee on the ground
most Of the session. AS in former
years, the labor interests are principal
1 L. s..AA - T. A -.