The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-04-04
FARE BILL IS PASSED.
BOTH HOUSES OF THE LEGIsLA.
TuRE PASS THE sTWo-cENTi
#. FARE MEASURE. He S5
ONLY FOUR VOTES REGISTERED
AGAINST THE BILL IN
EACH HOUSE. .a.t

lature by the conference co1nmlCtee,
together with 2-cent passenger fare
bill. The report was received with
ont comment and the 2-cent bill passed
without argument, only four votes be-
ing cast against the bill In each
branch of the legislature. In each
house it was simply case of calling
the roll on the passage Of the bill. p.
: The report reviewed the work Of the
committee, the various meetings held
and the action taken at each, included
the offer Of a compromise received
from the railroads. It wound up by
recommending the 2-cent BILL The
report contained the proposals which
the committee had been given to I'M
derstand would be made and the writ
ten proposal received Monday. AS
the proposal received was not what
was expected the committee reported
that It could not recommend accept
ance and in the same sentence recon-.
mended the passage of the 2-cent rate
bill .zgg ..z 's'
The provisions of the bill as passed
are as follows: y, ..... -
Section 1. No railroad company
owning, operating or using line Of
railroad within, or partly within, the
state Of Minnesota, shall charge or col
lect more than 2 cents per mile for
carrying, over it's road on any trip,
wholly within this state, any passen.
ger of twelve years of age or over, to-
gether with baggage not exceeding
$50 pounds in weight, or more than l
cent per mile for any such passenger
under twelve years Of age, together
with baggage not exceeding seventy
five pounds in weight.
T Penalty for Violating the Law.
Section 2. Any railroad company,
or any officer, agent or representative
thereof, who shall violate any pro-
vision Of this act, shall be guilty of a
felony, and upon conviction thereof
shall be punished by fine of not ex
ceeding $4,000 or by Imprisonment in
the state prison for a period not ex-
ceeding five years, or by both such
fine and Imprisonment.
"Section 8. This act shall take ef-
feet and be in force from and after the
first day of May, 1907"
The senate passed under suspension
Of rules H. f.. No. 776, which autho-
rizes county boards to bury old SOL
diers and sailors, veterans Of the Civil
or Spanish-American wars, at an ex-
pense of not to exceed $50, the coun-
ties to be reimbursed by the state. III,
Senator Patrick Fitzpatrick's initfa-
tive and referendum bill, which was
the special order Of business in the
senate, failed Of passage by two
votes, the vote being 80 ayes and
Is nays. A majority vote being neces-
sary for it's passage, and as 80 consti-
tutes majority it failed to pass.
The senate in committee of the
whole, with Senator B. e. Sundberg of
Kennedy presiding, reported only one
bill for passage. This was Senator E.
H. Canfeld's bill, s. F. No. 929, which
provides for an appropriation Of $780,
900 for each of the next two years to
aid in building and repairing bridges
and constructing and repairing high
ways in the state, the money to be ex-
pended under the supervision Of the
county boards Of the counties In which
the improvements are made. ". r.
.s Tonnage Tax Bill Killed. 49,
The tonnage tax bill was killed in
the house. The arguments against
the injustice of placing special tax
on one community and one industry
won out against the argument for get,
ting something for the state and the
appeals to 'thit the steel trust" The
vote was close, there being ifty-one
for the bill and f1fty-eight against; il
The bill was probably the most i'm.
portant before the 3 legislature, not
only because Of the amount directly
involved, this being probably $780,
900 per year on the present output,
but because it affected the develop
ment of the whole northern part of
the state. z s ,..., -,
The agitation for tonnage tax was
started Immediately after the adoption
Of the wide-open tax amendment last
fall A tonnage tax bill providing a
25-cent tax was introduced by R. H.
Jefferson of Bingham Lake and an
other providing a 10-cent tax was in
troduced- by H. 0. .Bjorge of Lake
Park. Later they combined on 10
cent tax bill, then a scent tax bill and
lastly in bill classifying the ores,
those below 40 per cent OF iron being
taxed as at present and those above
being subjected to a graduated tax
ranging from 2 to Z cents. This bill
was amended to insert a fiat scent
rate on ore above 40 per cent and re-
ported out by the committee on taxes
and tax laws and this was the bill be-
fore the hUuse. s. s.
The house passed the bill prohibit
ing. shooting of firearms within three
miles Of the corporate limits of ST..
Paul or Minneapolis. The bill was in.
ttroduced by Swan Nelson of Minneap.
oils and was intended to protect resi-
dents outside, the city limits where
there Is considerable shooting.
HEADS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
u r tlIiII SAIiil# O%fIl 5niraa& DaE>,,R .e