The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-04-08
TAKE RISKS 0N,CROPS
Senate Passes the Sundberg
Insurance Bill.
ON MEASURE is CLOSE
Received Just Enough Votes for Its
Passage-House Passes the Legis-
iative Salary Bill in Committee Of
the Whole Without Opposition.

81. raul, April b.-Ine senate passed
Senator Sundberg's bill, S. F. No. 105,
proposing constitutional amendment
to authorize the state auditor to levy
an acreage tax on lands insured
against loss by hail, for the purpose Of
creating an insurance fund against
damage to crops by hail storms. The
bill received just enough votes for it's
passage without one to spare, there
being 80 for and IL against the bill.
The bill authorizes the state auditor
to levy an acreage tax on the land of
their willingness to pay this tax by
listing their lands for this purpose
with the county auditor of the county
in which the farms are located This
money Is to be used as a fund for the
payment of losses to crops by reason
Of hail storms. The constitutional
amendment to authorize the state au-
ditor to take such action is to be sub
mitteG to the people at the general
election in 1908,
A bill raising the rate of interest on
local improvement certificates to -
per cent was passed by the senate I'M
der suspension of rules. The bill has
already passed the house.
The bill repeating the corrupt prac-
tees act, amended by the special COM
mittee to which it was referred so as
to repeal only that section which
limits the expenditures of the candi-
dates, was passed by the senate by
80 to 7.
Repeats Only One Section.
The bill as originally introduced
provided for the repeal of the sections
requiring the filing of expense ac-
counts by candidates and fixing the
limit of the expenses. When the bill
was before the committee of the whole
it was amended so as to include all Of
the sections of the corrupt practices,
but later it was referred to the special
committee on motion Of the author,
Senator D. S. Hall of Buffalo Lake..
This committee reported an amend
ment simply repeating one section.
The law as amended would enable
man who wanted to file true state
ment of his expenses to put as much
money into the campaign as necessary
and still not be under the necessity Of
committing perjury in making his
statement.
The house passed the two state
drainage bills prepared by the drain
age committee. The general bill was
amended so as to cut out the appro-
| priation and leave the amount to be
| fixed in the omnibus bill; otherwise
they we're not changed materially. The
house and the senate committees have
been working together during the
greater part of the winter drawing UP
the details of the bills and their policy
has been pretty we'll agreed upon since
early in the session.
| The general bill provides compre-
hensive system of draining state lands
and leaves the work in charge of the
present commission, composed of the
governor, the state auditor and the
of procedure for the establishment of
bitches is provided. The owners of
| private lands may start the proceed
| ings by petition or they may be started
| by the state commission, but in all
| cases the private landowners are to
be assessed for benefits the same as
| under the county or judicial drainage
| system.
The second bill provides that the
| cost of drainage Of state lands shall
| be added to the minimum price for
| which state lands may be sold and
also that per cent interest shall be
| charged upon this amount until it is
paid.
Legislative Salary Bill Passed.
The legislative salary bill was
| passed out by the house committee of
the whole without opposition.
When the bill came up last week
the question was raised as to whether
the passage of the bill would disqual-
ify any of the members of the present
legislature from being candidates
again. R. J. Wells of Breckenridge,
author of the bill, produced an opinion
from the attorney general stating that
the bill would not prevent any mem
Der from being a candidate. The only
limitation made by the constitution
was that any salary increase should
not take effect until the following ses-
sion and also that no one should be
eligible to an Office created by the leg
islature of which he was member.
The bill recommended gives each
member of the legislature $500 for
each year for which he is elected, and
IS per day additional for the speaker
of the house and the president of the
senate.
Under the present law the members
of the legislature are paid SIS day
for every day from the time the ses-
sion opens until it closes, whether
meetings are held or not
The house committee on state fair
made favorable report on the state
fail bills. One of the bills provides
for an appropriation Of S15O,OO0 and
the other a loan Of $250,O00 for i'm
provements at the state fair grounds,
both being necessary on account of the
failure of the semi-centennial bill.
The house passed the senate bill
providing for summer sessions at the
state normal schools.
STERNBURG GOING HOME.