The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-01-04

Convict Labor.
In discussing the subject OF convict
labor the governor recommends the es-
tablshment of n binder twine plant at
Jackson prison.
Primary School Fund.
Michigan's educational system Is the
just pride of all the people OF the state.
They have guarded it with Jealous
care and contributed to its support
willingly and literally. They desire
that 1t be maintained unmpaired In
Its usefulness. The constitution and
the laws of the state provide that all
revenue from specific taxes shall be
credited to the primary school interest
fund, now that the state debt has been
extenguished, and used solely for the
! payment of teachers salaries.
Until the recent change in the meth
do of taxing railroad corporations was
made, greatly increasing the revenue
from this source this provision of the
constitution worked few inequalities.
Now, however. the amount of specific
taxes annually collected is so great
that it exceeds the needs of the OBJ
ject TO which it must necessarily be APP
piled.
| would not In the slightest degree
cripple our primary schools or curtail
the scope of their operations and use
fulness. They are the peoples colleges
and should have our most fostering
care. l do not, however. believe it TO
be for their best good TO relieve the
people of all share i'm the cost Of their
maintenance. All persons are more in
terested in the welfare of that which
costs them money or effort than in
those objects to which maintenance
they make no contribution.
/, therefore, command TO your care
full consideration the ACCESSIBILITY of
submitting to the electors of the state,
at the forthcoming general election in
April, proposition to amend the con-
stitution so as to provide that from
the primary school interest fund all in
excess of three dollars and half annu-
ally for each child of school age in the
state shall be appOrtioned on a just
basis among the University, Agricul-
tural college, College Of Mines, the
three normal colleges and the several
! county normal schools.
Taxation of Corporations.
l concur in the recommendation Of
the state tax commission that the law
governing the taxation Of express COM
panies be amended so as to eliminate
from the computation on which the
tax is based the ocean mileage Of these
companies. The inclusion of this mile
age renders the result little is than
farcical.
The satisfactory operation Of the aN
valorem system of assessing railroad
property suggests the desirability of
extending this system so as to include
the property Of telegraph and tele-
phone companies. The present method
of taxing the latter corporations is I'M
certain and unsatisfactory. These OBJ
jections can be overcome and greater
justice attained by the application Of
the nd valorem system TO these cOrpor-
atoms. The governor here submits q
brief statement of the result Of the Inn
portant railroad and express corpora
ton litigation in which the state has
been involved and the present status
Of important railroad cases now pend
ing.
Common Carriers of Live Stock.
In nearly every state in the union
railroad companies are made common
carriers Of live stock. The failure Of
icbf 70 H..
its laws governing the operations of
railroad companies places the live
stock owners and shippers of this state
at a decided disadvantage and very
frequently occasions them heavy losses
through their inability to place stock
on the market so as 10 profit by the
best prices. Under existing conditions
the railroad companies need accept live
stock for shipment only when they de-
sire to do so. Michigan breeders and
shippers should not be required to suf-
fer this discrimination. / hope that
the present legislature will be prompt
to afford the shippers of Michigan the
relief to which they are justly entitled.
Supervision of Electric Roads.
Ht tAltISlOll VI titCtTlC runway
lines throughout the state emphasizes
the desirability Of enacting a law ex-
acting official reports from electric rail-
way companies and placing them un-
der the supervision of the commission
er Of railroads. | cannot appreciate
any reason why this class of companies
should not be subject TO practically
the same supervision as steam road
companies. ] trust that this omission
In the law Will be supplied by the pres
ent legislature.
Freight Car Shortage.
a most serious question confronting
the manufacturing interests and the
shippers Of farm products of our state
is the shortage in the supply of ears
furnished by the railroad companies.
This handicap can no longer be CON
sidered a temporary one. During the
past three years there has been just
cause for complaint along this line SO
serious has the existing condition of
affairs become that | believe the time