The San Francisco call., 1905-01-26
PROPOSES AN AMENDMENT
TO. STATE CONSTITUTION
Manufacturers File
Protest With the
- Senate.
oseGivingM More
Power to Inter
state Body.
Special Dispatch to The Call.


SACRAMENTO, Jan 25.-Surprise
was created in the Senate this morning
when a resolution from the Manufac-
tiirers' and Producers Association Of
California was received protesting
against any action on the part Of the
Legislature te4ding to vest the Inter
state Commerce Commission with the
arbitrary right to make rates. The as
. sociation, in its communication, says
that such action would not be to the
advantage of business and that the in
terests of the coast will be best sub
served by leaving the authority to
make rates where it now stands.
The association suggests, however,
that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission be increased to seven MEM
berS, one new member to come from
the East, the other from the West. The
law under which the commission is now
operating, the communication con-
cludes, is proper If proper measures be
taken to expedite appeals, which would
contemplate the establishment of
court of transportation, whose DEGREES
would be final except in cases In which
constitutional questions were involved.
The. communication was ordered on file
to be printed in the journal.
A resolution was offered by Senator
. Keane this morning to amend section
of article IL of the State constitution
relating to city charters, providing
that it shall be mandatory upon Boards
''of Supervisors to submit to the voters
any proposed charter amendments
when the same have been presented by
a petition signed by fifteen (15) PEI cent
of the qualified electors of the munich
palities wherein they reside, nd pre-
scrfbing that charters may be amended
at intervals of not less than twenty
three months instead of two years as
under the present law. This will obviate
the objection raised in recent SUI
preme Court decision, which held that
two complete years must elapse before
amendments can be voted for at sue
ceed1ng periods, as the days Of gen.
eral elections occur on the first Tues
day after the first Monday in Novem-
Der. which frequently does not allow
the full expiration of the two-year
terms.
further advantage Is gained in this
respect, that charter amendments do
not become operative until ratification
oy the Legislature and these changes
permit amendments to be approved by
the people on the same days that can
dldates for the Legislature are elected,
thereby allowing the amendments to be
acted upon at the session immediately
succeeding the election.
Senator Keane also introduced a bill
providing for the increase of salaries
of guards at the State prisons from
$500 to $500 a year.
Another bill relating to the prisons
was presented by Belshaw It is an
amendment of the bill presented in
'1sO3 by Grove l.. Johnson providing
for the establishment of a California
. Relief Committee, the duty of which
employment for men that have been
discharged from the prisons of the
State after the expiration of their
terms. The bill was referred to the
committee on Prisons and Reforma-
tories.
:: The bill providing for the granting
by California to the Federal Govern
ment OF the right to drain the klamath
Basin Lakes, in connection with it's
reclamation work, and to cede to the
Government the beds of such lakes for
storage and irrigation purposes was
finally passed, but not until after
Senator Emmons had filed a petition
signed by some scores of citizens of
Hauford and Los Angeles asking that
the bill be defeated as they are pre-
pairing to reclaim the lake beds at their
own expense After the passage of the
bill Emmons moved for a reconsidera-
ton, which was granted, the bill re-
tanning it's place on the file Before
the bill is again taken up the purposes
of the petitioners will be looked into.
novel scheme to pay for the work
of correcting the channels of the Sacra-
mento and San Joaquin rivers and
reclaiming the inundated lands of
their basins is advanced in a communi-
cation received this morning from the
California Miners Association. The
association asks that the Legislature
enact a law providing for the volun-
tary conveyance to the State by pres
ent owners or the requirement by the
State by process of eminent domain
of all the inundated lands the same.
after their reclamation, to be leased by
the State, the accruing rents to be
utilized for the payment of the work
of reclamation. The communication
was referred to the Committee on
Swamp and Overf1owed Lands. The ac-
ton thus proposed is but a new appli-
cation of the Federal irrigation law,
which is operating with cuccess.
RELIEF FOR GAS CONSUMERS.
In compliance with a resolution
introduced by Senator Carter. the