The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-18
SENSATIONAL BILLS
IN HOUSE TODAY
Tax Assessments from Hands
Board to Railroad Commission
OFFERED BY KlNG-GLOVER
To Force All Public Service Corpora
tions to Make Annual Reports ofs
Business and to Fix Rates.
other Measures.

Business and to Fix Rates.
other Measures.
Montgomery January 17.-tSpeeial0-
Jefferson county members will present
new and sensational measures to the
house tomorrow. Mr.. King Will offer a
bill taking the tax assessments of railroads.
telegraph and telephone properties from
the present board made up of the COVER
nor secretary of state, auditor and
treasurer and give 1t to the railroad com
mission. Mr. Glover will have two bills,
one to force all public service corpora
tons to make annual report of business,
earnings, etc, and the other to provide
for fixing rates which such corporations
may charge for service. Mr. King in
sists that the railroad commission is best
qualified to do this work, as the members
make frequent inspections of the proper
ties, and keep posted on its valuations In
case the bill passes the assessment this fall
will be made by Charles Henderson, w.
D. Nesbitt, c. j. G. Harris, instead of
Governor Conner, Frank Julian, w. w.
Brandon and W. d. Seed, as under the
present law Mr. Glovers bill provides
that cities may file complaints with the
chancery courts of charges made by pub
liy service bodies, which court, after full
hearing, may fix a schedule of rates to
he charged. The law applies to gas and
electric lighting, street railways and
water works.
The Alabama Wholesale Grocers were
in session here tonight and will continue
tomorrow. The members are interested
in measures pending before the legis!a-
ture. but the meeting is regular one.
City Attorney e. d. Smith of Birmin5-
ham and City Attorney c. 2. Mcintyre
are at work an a general municipal
corporation bill which will be presented
to the legislature Montgomery and Mo-
bile will join Birmingham in the bill pre-
pared by Mr.. Smith, with certain minor
changes to fit the case. Besides MI.
Smith, Aldermen Forney, O'Neill and
Cooper were here for the conference to-
DAY.
With the present legislature education
has the call. 1t has been decided that
those bills i'm both houses carrying apprc-
priations for betterment of the schools
are to have the first grab from the
treasury plethory, after which others III
terests desiring the filthy lucre will be
looked after. There have bee dozens of
measures presented for this cause. almost
all the fellows acting as If they de-
sired on get on the band wagon made so
popular by the great stress laid on schools
in the message of the new governor The
John bill to prevent lobbying will be re-
ported from the Judiciary committee Of
the house tomorrow so badly emasculated
its "Fadder will not know him. from the
sweeping measure of initial presentation
with provisions cutting out "A Legislators
own wife from talking to him, it will
emerge a proposition to reach only the
really dangerous lobbyist. 1t is we'll
known that the committee held a stormy
session and that at least one member re-
fused to vote either way, reserving the
right to fight it out in the house The.
temperance committee of the house has
endorsed a bill to prevent one county
or city from selling liquors in another, If
the latter is a prohibition section. 1t has
also made 1t penalty for any one to sell
whislSey without a license. The question
of one state selling into probition terri
tory of another state, has not yet bee !"
reached. A public discussion of the raie
road measures now pending in the SEN
ate will be held in the senate chamber
next Tuesday afternoon under the aus
pieces of the committee on commerce and
common carriers of which John w. Over
ton Is chairman.
Two hours will be allowed each side
for discussion, speakers to be selected
by both. Mr.. Overton will spend Satur-
day in Birmingham, discussing with Gov
ernor Conner and w. ID. Nesbltt the pro-
visions of the measure. j. Lee Long
chairman of the common carriers COM
mittee of the house, will likely also at
tend the conference. A red-hot dispensary
fight is on from Sheffield, where Repre-
sentative Carmichael rs trying to estab-
lish this form of sale of whisky The
city is fighting it to ,ne teeth, Judge
Joseph Nathan, representing the city, is
though the representative is working for
it, Sheffield is so cut off from the bal
anee of the county that no interests are
not with it specially. hence the fight
Jerre King will present a bill tomorrow
prepared by Alderman John Forney of
Birmingham providing for taxing fran
chises the same other property. Mr.
Forney said tonight that he had been
assured of large support by the men,
bers of the two houses. 1t is reported
tonight that the Lusk bill in the senate
and the Block bill in the house to de-
crease the legal rate of interest, will
meet defeat certain 1t is the senate COM
mittee is against 1t. 1t is understood that
the senate committee will recommend
passage of the bill to prevent corpora.
tons contributing to political parties