The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-08
FOR new TAX LAW
House Agrees Upon One With
Little Difficulty.
Provides for the appointment of
a Commission.
TAKE UP THE BURDENS
Do Work of Railroad Assessors
and Board of Equalization.
Harvester Trust Worried About
Contracts" Bill.
FAKE UP THE BURDENS

sas will have a new assessment and
taxation law on July 1, 1907.
The house of representatives, after
one of the most harmonious and good
natured debates of the session on Thurs
day afternoon, voted to recommend fol
passage the new assessment law which
has been proposed by the committee on
L assessment and taxation. 1t seems to
4 be good law, and the members of the
house were practically unanimous in
I saying SO. There was no opposition to
the bill The only opposition was to
| certain minor features and methods of
| enforcement, and these were all ironed
out without difficulty.
| There was quite a strong sentiment
in favor of changing the proposed law
\ so that the members of the state COM
mission might be elected like the state
board of railroad commissioners, instead
| of being appointed, but the majority of
| the house thought that the chances
would be better for getting Compel
ent board by leaving it to the governor
J to appoint.
! One important provision which was
! inserted in the bill was that giving the
commission the right to investigate the
value of franchises, with view to taxing
those franchises.
The tax commission, if organized on
the lines provided in the bill, will be
| one of the most important boards of
the state. 1t will have headquarters
secretary at $4,000 a year, and two
clerks a $500 per year each. 1t is also
allowed to hire such other experts and
assistants as may be necessary to per-
form the work of the office. The board
shall have power to conduct investiga-
lions, summon and swear witnesses,
and If necessary, go to any part of the
state desired to conduct Investigations
All of the work now done by the state
board of equalization and the state
board of railroad assessment is to be
transferred to the new tax commits
sion, and it will be the duty of the
board to see to it that all property in
the state. both personal, real, railroad
and corporation, is assessed at it's full
cash value.
Mr.. Hendricks tried to insert a pro-
vision that the state central committee
of the minority party should recon-
mend the minority member of the com
termined by the house that politics
should be kept out of the question of
taxation and the commission much
as possible. That is one reason the
commissioners are to serve four years.
1t is said that a resolution will be
presented to the house calling on the
judiciary committee to report back, in
some shape, the bill presented by Fred
Dumont Smith and passed by the SEN
ate, prohibiting the making of lex
elusive contracts in the state of Kan
sas.
This bill was introduced in the senate
by F. Dumont Smith on January 16
referred to the Judiciary committee the
following day and reported back to the
senate and recommended for passage
January %. 1t was discussed by the
senate committee of the whole January
"a and passed four days later. January
% the bill was messaged to the house
and the next day sent to the house
committee on judiciary and has been
there ever since. No one appears to
know what condition it is in or what
the committee is going to do with it,
The bill hits especially the Interna-
tional Harvester company and the COM
pany is now busy trying to defeat the
measure. The bill provides that no
firm or corporation can make a contract
in Kansas which prohibits anyone from
selling the same line of goods or trans
acting the same business for another
firm. The contracts of the Information
al Harvester company provide that
when a man or a firm in any town is
given the agency for Its goods this
firm or person must not sell the same
line of goods of any other company.
The bill slipped through the senate
without any particular notice. 1t seems |
that the International Harvester COM
pany did not know of its existence I'M |
til it got into the house. Two strangers !
appeared in the state house today and |
began talking about it being ruinous |
to any business to prohibit the making
of exclusive contracts. They did not |
give any names and seemed to start a |
conversation casually with members of !
the house judiciary committee. No one |
could be found who could say positive |
ly who the men were or who they rep |
resented. 1t was reported also that T. |
t. Kelly and David Mulvane are work. |
ing to have the bill killed.
John ]. Miller of the Gray-HaskellI
district. has introduced a bill in the |
mouse to prohibit by law the organiza- |
ton of the Infant" secret societies in /
high sch ools.
The bill provides that no fraterni-
ties or sororities shall be permitted to |
exist in any high schools in cities of |
the first or second class, and provides |
that boards of education may deny the |
privileges of the school to any pupil !
being a member of such an organiza-
ton.
The Morgan bill, giving the state
board of railroad commissioners the
power to order the railroads of the |
state to establish stations and agents |
at any point in the state, was recon- |
mended for passage by the house while |
in committee of the whole Thursday
afternoon. This bill is intended espe- |
clally to secure stations and agents in |
Kansas City. Kansas. so that ship |
mentS OF stock and grain from Kansas |
points to Kansas City can be billed to |
a point in Kansas instead of to Kansas
City, Mo, and thus give the Kansas
DOaTQ OF rallrOad commissioners the |
control over the freight rates and ser
vice.
At present none of the railroads
maintain stations on the Kansas side
and every thing is billed to Kansas
City, Mo-. making the business inter-
state traffic and out of reach of the
Kansas board. The bill requires that
the stations be maintained and when
a shipper demands it his goods are to
be billed to Kansas City. West side.
and the shipment will then come un-
der the Kansas railroad Ia w