Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-03-17
The Work of The Legislature.

The Work of The Legislature.
The work of the Virginia Legisla-
ture 1906 is at an end. A great many
important bills were passed and num-
bers of others of perhaps equal pubic
interest and importance were elIher
killed in committee or upon the moor
of one or the other of the two houses.
The appropriation measures are
naturally first in the eyes OF the peo.e
nle They largely exceed those OF
former wears. the total amount reach
inc up to about S5,0OO,0OO go,
The general appropriation bill car
r;e1 ob0ut $1,000, 900 and there was a
snnnIemental one of about S416,OOO.
There were appropriations for pen
sions and. primary schools and otner
objects which will carry the amount
nearly to $4,000
sMr. Cation, of Alexandra, got
through two of the heavy increases.
lie offered the bill increasing the
appropriation for primary schools
from 5000, 900 to 100000 annually and
the amount for pensions from S3OO'OoO
to S36O,OOO.
There were other increases-for eX-
annie, the Office of assistant attorney
general was created at salary Of 81
5l0 per year, and the bill to pay the
members of the Legislature $500 per
session was passed.
There are still other charges upon
the treasury. Five new judicial CIR
ouits were created, and the Office OF
Insurance Commissioner was for the
first time introduced in Virginia. The
salaries of the judges are S2,oOO
each, and that of the Insurance COM
missioner the same. The salaries OF
the Supreme Court judges were IN
creased from $4,000 to $4,000, and
there were some minor increases OF
salaries elsewhere.
But the Finance Committees did
more than to increase salaries. They
! leave jamestown 500, 600 for buildings
| and entertainment and increased the
concentrations to nearly all the educa-
| i0nal and elemosynary institutions OF
,be State. The Finance Committees
are responsible for another thing,
which is not only of interest, but OF
benefit to the people of Virginia, and
hat is the passage of a bill beginning
the retirement of State bonds four
years in advance of the time stlpula-
| foI II, The contract with the bond
Ihelders. The measure was recon-
mcn led by Governor Swanson, and
earnestly advocated in both houses.
Nlr. Fuller got through what is
Snown as the "snake bill'' preventing
| he re-districting of cities into wards
EXCEPT once in five years, unless or
Iered by a four-ffths majority of the
councils. The State Hot congressional
reapportionment bill was passed, the
main feature of which is the separa-
ton of Norfolk and Newport News,
and putting them into different dis
| tricts. Only one slight change was
made i'm the districts for the House OF
DELEGATES. This was to give Roanoke
city and county one Delegate each,
they being now in the same district,
and sending two delegates together.
The Cation general insurance bill
was one the feature of the session. The
measure passed and Colonel Joseph
Button has been elected commissioner
at a salary of $500 per year. The
Byrd bill, regulating the speed OF auto
mobiles was passed.
Another measure of interest which
was passed is the Jim Crow car law,
APPLYING to all street railways in the
/ State.
Senator Machen got through both
houses a resolution amending the Con-
stitution so as to allow commissioners
of the revenue to succeed themselves,
if elected by the people.
Both houses passed the bill provld-
ing for the appointment of commits
sioners Of the revenue by the courts,
as they did the two-cent passenger
rate bills and the bill known as the
anti-scalper's measure.
The bill to enforce the Gull law in
the Potomac River was passed, as
were a good many other measures af-
fecting the oyster industry.
A bill became law providing for the
establishment of district high schools
iii the country sections, and it was
fathered by Mr.. Ould, of Campbell,
and vigorously pressed.
DID NOT PASS.
Here are some of the bills that did
not pass:
| The Rev crab bill.
The Richmond, Fredericksburg and
Potomac merger bills.
The amendments to the Mann liquor
laws.
The Cation rolling stock bill.
The Williams anti-compact insur'
ance bill.
The bill relieving the doctors of the
| payment of license.
The Glenn travelling auditors bill.
The general primary bill.
The general dispensary bill.
The bill changing the method o.
the appointment of the Board of Fish
cries.
The Fuller bill removing the $4,000
liability upon cases where there Is