The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-01-20
Standing Committees APP
pointed and Bills Be-
gin to Arrive. ~
BURROWS REELECTED SENATOR
Primary Reform Measures At.
tract Attention of the
State Lawmakers.
Proposed Amendment to the Banking
Law-Opposition to the Secre-
tary Of the State Board
of Health.

Lansing, Mich, Jan. lI.-Bott
branches of the legislature are now
fairly under way, last week having
witnessed the appointment of standing
committees, employees, etc, and the in.
PRODUCTION of fifty or more bills. These
measures have all been referred &c
committees which will commence theiI
sittings at once. Thus far no very i'm.
portant general bills have been in
troduced, most Of those in the hands OF
the committees being local in theiI
application.
Today in compliance with the
mandate of the constitution, the two
houses in separate session voted for
United States senator, and at high
noon tomorrow the senator's and rep.
resentatives will meet in joint conven.
ton to ratify and confirm the vote
cast today. Senator Julius Caesar
Burrows received every vote cast in
the two houses and was, therefore, re-
elected for the full term of six years
commencing March next.
Primary Reform.
Now that the committees have been
appointed, the legislators are COM
mencing to discuss primary reform
measures to some extent. 1t is yet too
early to predict exactly what shape
the legislation to be enacted on this
important subject will take, but it is
evident that, as in former years, there
is likely to be a sharp disagreement
ftrn fn no
terms of the bill. AS the matter
stands at present, the senators, or a
majority of them at least, seem In
clined to stand on the party platform
declaration in favor of local option
law, while many members of the
house show disposition to. go sled
length and stand for primary meas
ure that will be general for the entire
state. There is little doubt that be-
fore the matter comes up for final
action an amicable understanding will
be reached by the two houses.
The recommendations made by Gov
ernor Warner in his inaugural that
provisions be made for fostering and
extending the dairy interests of the
state will probably be acted upon at
an early day so that the dairy and
food commissioner may enter upon the
work as soon as possible.
Bill of Representative Stone.
A bill drafted along the lines of the
governors suggestions has been i'm
troduced by Representative Stone Of
Lenawee. The measure provides for
Af,,fy, of 10;
tors to be alta ched to the dairy and
food commissioners staff, whose duty
it shall be to attend farmers Institutes
and kindred gatherings throughout the
state and give instruction in butter
and cheese making and kindred
branches. The bill seeks to provide
for the collecting of more authentic
dairy statistics, to regulate the sale
Of milk and cream in cities and vii
lagos having a population in excess of
1000, and provides severe penalties
for keeping cows in filthy stables,
selling milk from diseased cows, etc.
Governor Warner is q cheese manu-
facturer and he proposes to make every
effort to put Michigan in the front
rank as q dairy state.
Detroit legislators and other citi-
Eens have started little agitation in
favor of establishing certain Of the
state departments in Detroit in lieu of
providing additional quarters for these
departments in Lansing. The need
for more room is very great, but the
present administrations program of
economy is likely to prevent an ap-
preparation being made for this pur-
pose at this session. The people Of the
state have never taken kindly to the
removal of any branch of the states
business from the seat of government,
so there is small probability that the
Detroit idea will meet with much
favor among the legislators.
Opposition to DIR. Baker.
1t appears that another attempt will
be made this winter to dispose Of DR..
III. b. Baker, who has been. secretary
of the state board Of health ever since
Its organization. There is consider
able opposition to DIR. Baker, and al
ways has been for that matter, ON the
part Of physicians throughout the state
whom he has vigorously prodded from
time to time for failure to comply with
the laws relative to the reporting and
treatment of dangerous communicable
diseases. There, are others who OBJ
ject to the secretary because he wears
n somewha. diiapidated pair of slippers
during office hours and does not keep
his desk in ST2le pie order. The leg.
islature vii! doubtless dispose of this
matter as its wisdom suggests, but II
may not be amiss to observe that the
slipper and desk counts in the indict
ment are not altogether worthy Of con.
sideration, and furthermore that the
complaints Of derelict physicians are
not always the best grounds on which
to base action. 1t IL not always policy