The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-03-02
LEGISLATIVE WORK
fIfTY.EIGHT BILLS have PASSED
BOTH HOUSES.
OF this Number Thirty-Nine
Have Been Signed By the Gov
ernor - Direct Primary and
Railroad Measures Are Still
Pending.

OlympAds roU. Af.-1OV. MEAD mas
signed thirty nine of the fifty eight
bills passed by both houses of the
Tenth legislature up to the time of
adjournment on Thursday afternoon,
when adjournment was taken for the
Wasington's birthday recess. The
house has passed eighty six house bills
and the senate eighty.seven senate
bills. Many others have met the fate
OF indefinite postponement. Among
those still pending are the direct pri-
mary and the reciprocal demurrage
measures. No group of measures
passed by both houses has aroused
more widespread interest that those
relating to the A-Y-P exposition, pro-
viding money for the fair and for ad-
ditional university buildings, which
will be used by the exposition, and
providing for the sale of Lake Wash
ington and Lake Union shore lands
to secure the funds needed for these
purposes.
Among the appropriation measures
passed are: Providing 500, 1000 to pur-
chase jute for the jute mill at the pen
itentiary; $4,000 to meet the expen-
ses of the Tenth legislature; $35, 900
to be used in erecting a residence for
the governor; 1000 for printing for
the legislature, and $1,000 to repair
and beautify the capitol.
Measures on Taxation
All the measures carrying radical
changes in regard to revenues and tax
alton were framed by the tax commits
sion. Of those passed Senator Pol
sons amends the public highway fund
act to provide for tax levy of one
and one-half mills for the fiscal year
beginning March 1, 1907; Senator
Gum amends the law relating to the
fling of plats and their assessment;
Representative Dickson's provides for
the assessment of operating property
of railroads, and Bassett's fixes 5
per cent excise tax on express compa-
MES. Others place Z per cent tax on
private car companies, relate to the
assessment of railroad operating prop
erty and provide for the equalization
of property in counties of the second,
third and fourth classes
Hours of Work for Engineers
Representative Beebe's bill provides
for the limitation of the working hours
of men employed in railway train
work to sixteen. Fancher's bill 1873
provides for the employment of county
convicts on public roads. Ramsey's
bill 1i6 empowers county commission
ers to purchase stone quarries and ma
chinery for the operation of the same.
Halterman's bill 70 authorizes county
commissioners to lease mining claims
acquired for nonDayment of taxes.
Among the bills passed by both houses
relating to educational work is senate
bill II, by Reed. providing that dis
tricts employing more than 40 teach
ers shall be entitled to five directors
and q clerk.
On Public Moneys
House bill II, by Carlyon, of Thurs
ton, places all public moneys in gen.
eral fund, except such as are levied
for specific purposes or permanent or
irreducible funds of the state institu-
tions; Kayser's house bill rs provides
fort he keeping of moneys in cities of
less than $4,000, empowering the
councils of such cities to name as de-
positories banks where the treasurer
shall deposit the funds; Knickerbock-
er's senate bill 46 provides state de-
pnsitaries and regulates the keeping
of public moneys therein, specifying
interest of 21a per cent until changed.
One of Bassett's bills provides that
banks shall not be responsible in the
case of forged or raised checks unless
notified by the depositors within sixty
days.
The congressional districting bills
passed in both houses differ only in
slight details. and there will probably
be little difficulty in reconciling the