The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-12
Senate Committees Are in a
 Negative Mood
THE MUNICIPAL CODE BILL
City Attorney Smith Finds Some ob. jections to Measure From Bir- mingham Standpoint-WIl
 Reduce Aldermen.
BY HERVEY w. LAIRD.

BY HERVEY w. LAIRD.
 Montgomery. July I.-(special. )-Four distinct propositions, about which there has ben much interest in legislative and other circles this week. were given black eyes by senate committees today in the shape of adverse reports, or agreemnts to so report.
 They are the prohibition of Sunday freight trains, state aid for good roads, decrease of the tax rate and abolition of the tax commission. Every one of the bills to these ends was disapproved by the committees. The senate committees also opposed bill to force railroads to print schedules in newspapers.
 The measures approved by committees include measures for county high schools, increasing power of the railroad commis- sion so it can raise as well as lower rates, prohibition of sale of hopjack and sale of whisky by druggists on doctors prescriptions ih quantities above four ounces in one day. The bill to prevent drinking on railroad coaches except in as was the repeal of the sS tobacco tax recently levied.
 Municipal Code.
 City Attorney Ed Smith of Birming- ham, who is making a study of the bill to be submitted by the municipal code committee. is well pleased with the gen eral provisions so far as he has gone. though he is fearful that as a whole it may not meet the situation of his city. He will be able, after full review Of the measure, to say just what he thinks Of it, however, the bill only came to hin, this afternoon and he is immersed in it's provisions.
 The bill would decrease the number of aldermen of Birmingham from eighteen to fourteen, with a president of the council. leaving the mayor an executive officer with the veto power.
 It provides boards of public works edu cation and police commission. Its pow CTS are very full, but to what extent cam tonow be determined, as the exam ination has not been full enough to make definite conclusions.
 Greater Birmingham.
 Captain Smith thinks the bill has DOS abilities of Greater Birmingham propo- stion Its consolidation feature Is very similar to that of the Smyer bill, without exemptions with annexation on territory like the Miller measure Out of 1t may grow, Captain Smith thinks, expansion of Birmingham if none of the special bills are successful. So far the main objection of Captain Smith is to the methods of tax assessments. October, the date set, seems too late to take up delinquents. with the additional objection that all de- linquent foreclosures must be in the chan cery court.
 Will Not Offer Bill.
 Lieutenant Governor Henry B. Gray will not present the bill providing that foreign life insurance companies invest half their reserve earned in Alabama in the state Ills Idea was to provide in this a means by which life companies might loan money in the state without paying tha foreign loan tax.
 The loan tax bill will be repealed and the necessity for the insurance bill will not then exist, so MT. Gray will not present it at all. MT. Gray said that many of the big companies loaned heavily in the state and he wanted to protect them if the loan bill held
 A Dog Fall.
 A pretty fight was fought to a stand still in the house committee on ways and means, dog fall being the result. A. M. Tunstall had a bill to make the tax assessment 40 per cent of the market value of property.
 MT. Maner wanted to make 1t 60 per cent in line with the views of the governor, but the committee refused to do so. Tn the end 50 per cent was agreed upon, though it Is expected minority report will be made.
 The governor insis ed on the amount be- ing left at 50 per cent as the tax commits sion is now holding out for, but the conl- mittee would not agree with him.
 Loan Tax Bill.
 The house committee on ways and means has the bill to repeal the foreign loan tax as a substitute for the measure to that effect already presented. The pill is the one made up in accord with the wishes of the governor, and will be passed at once.
 The failure of the senate committee to indorse the Sunday freight train bill came as a surprise, as 1t is given com fort in the message of the governor sent to the legislature this week. Though he did not actually say the bill should be en- acted, he intimated his desiro for some such action. The house calendar has d bill of like characetr with a favorable report from the committee.
 The blow given the good roads move ment was unexpected but evidently of the solar pleXuS Kind. It does not seem to be able to get by the constitutional pro- vision prohibiting the state from entering into any sort of internal improvements The two bills were presented by Senators Overton and Reynolds, and while the lat ter thinks the point made by the commits tee is good, MT. Overton will make a fight for his on the floor of the senate.
 All of the measures before the house seeking rights to close streets of Birmine- ham for the Illinois Central and the A B. & A. road will be favorably reported tomorrow as agreements have been reached.
 New State Mine Bill.
 The house committee on mining and manufac turing has agreed to report se- vorably the new state mine bill in sucn way as to give the operators heart fail- ure. They say to pass 1t in it's present form would be to put every mine in the mineral district out of business. Of tne objectionable features the operators polnt out these prospects,: Employers liability act, which amounts to insurance of the miner One member of the board of in- spectors may close a mine at will, therc being no recourse. Possibility of graft