Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-25
FIGHT OVER INSURANCE TAX
Big Dubuque Company Threatens to Leave
State If Measure is Passed.
SIGNS OF AOIOURNntNTs ARE IN SIGHT
House Moves for sitting Committee
ana Indications session win
End the First Week
In April.
CFrom a star Corresnondent.N

CFrom a staf Correspondent
DIES MONIES, March 4-Csnecial)-
Three successive sessions OF the legislature
while a member of the house Senator
Frudden Of Dubuque got through bill to
keep the Dubuque Fire and Marine Insur-
ance company from moving out of the
state. At every session the bill was killed
in the senate, so this year Frudden came
TO the legislature as a senator and got the
bill through that body. 1t went to the
house and passed and all looked we'll till
the next day, when the journal showed
that there had been a motion filed to re-
consider the vote, and fight is yet to be
made to have the bill killed.
The Dubuque Fire and Marine is one
of the biggest fire insurance companies in
the state. II became big by absorbing the
German Of FreepOrt ILL., When II took
over the German IT took on n great bulk
Of insurance that is outside the state of
Iowa, but the insurance laws of Iowa pro-
vide that insurance companies shall he
taxed on all their business. The Dubuque
Fire and Marine thinks this is an injustice
and II wants a bill through providing that
It shall be taxed onlyson its Iowa business.
If the bill is finally killed in the house the
Dubuque company will in all probability
move to Freeport, H., the home of the old
German OF Freeport. There is, however
yet an opportunity for the house to refuse
to reconsider the vote. II it does 1t will
go to the governor for his signature.
Sitting Committee Soon.
Sitting committees will be created some
time early this week. The senate has
resolution before It providing for such
committee and will act on It within a day
ar tuvn he of n sff r.
tee is a sign that the end is near. Debate
now on the day Of final adjournment has
narrowed down to within a few days The
adjournment will not be earlier than Fri
day, April 5, nor later than Saturday.
April 10. The latter date, however, is an
extreme date and very few are expecting
that the legislature will hold on that long.
It is much more likely that adjournment
will be April or else early the next week,
April to TO-
wnEe Exemption Bill Dead.
The wage exemption bill is dead again.
1t has failed to get~out of committee in
either house and the predictions on the
part Of the union labor men is that it will
not be out in either house on any kind Of
a report. Every year the attempts by the
Iowa Grocers' association are renewed to
get the wage exemption cut down. Every
session the union labor men fight It, and
so far have been successful. This year
Weeks, chairman of the. judiciary commit
tee of the house, was the author of a wage
exemption bill which went to his COM
mittee and 1t looked for a time as though
something might be reported out. Now
It is admitted that the proposition Is dead
for another session.
For Permanent Highways.
bae fol nm he
of getting through a bill to permit the
building of permanent highways in the
state. Under his bill on petition of prop
erty owners a district will be set apart
through which a permanent roadway IS to
be built by contract, the board of super
visors to have charge of all details and
payment is to be made from the county
and township road funds and One-third by
the property adjacent and within a three
mile limit 1t is the plan to build good
macadamized roads by contract, and TO
enable counties to enter upon this work
systematically, as in some other states.
state support of Schools.
Every effort will be made at this session
to pass a bill introduced in the house by
Miller of Bremen, providing for state levy
of one-half mill for the benefit Of the pub
lie schools of the state The proposition is
to divide the money among the public
schools on the ratio of the attendance of
pupils, but the bill provides that no school
shall have any of the funds unless 1t has
an average attendance Of at least six and
unless it's school year is at least eight
months. 1t is believed that the operation
of the bill would result In many Of the
small country schools consolidating and
thus saving great expense and resulting in
better schools. The idea is also entertained
by the friends of the measure that when
the state educational institutions have no.
further need of the special millage taxes
for their building purposes that millage tax
should be continued and also given TO the
public schools, thus making a total Of
mill. The half-mill levy will raise about
$4,000.
Corporation Tax Bill Dead.
The senate committee on judiciary killed
off a bill that was expected and intended TO
add $4,000 to the revenue of the state. The
bill was introduced by Ericsson of Boone
and provided that corporations should be
taxed on their capital stock annually in
such a manner that the revenue of the state
would be increased by $4,000 year The
bill provided for annual reports to the sec
rotary Of state, with the payment of the
tax at the time of the report. The judiciary
committee cut out the tax, but left the re-
port.
Municipal Legislation Monday.
Municipal legislation will have its innings
in the house Monday and Tuesday. The
bills fathered by the League Of Iowa Mu-
nicipalties and changing the law as to
cities In many respects. and the Galveston
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