Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-30
CHAMBER REPORTS AS.
TO NEW AMENDMENT
GETS ADVICE FROM SPECIAL
COMMITTEES
Reports Oppose Nos. 1, and "a, but
Favor No. 81, Providing for
Corporation Charter
Extensions


Directors of the chamber of COM
merce have received and adopted the
reports of committees to which had
| been referred certain of the proposed
| amendments to be voted upon next
| Tuesday, and have submitted the con-
| illusions arrived at for the Information
OF the members of the chamber.
Concerning senate constitutional
amendment No. 1, providing for a re-
| form in the methods of taxation:
The consideration of this amendment,
by far the most important to be sub
mitted TO the popular vote, was as
signed to q special committee consist
! ing of II. Il. Lee, chairman; Judge
Waldo M. York and G. ]. Lang, Joseph
Sartori. Mark G. Jones and I. 5.
| Wadsworth.
The conclusions arrived at by the
committee and adopted by the board
are as follows:
1.-THE proposed changes in our scheme
/ of taxation are so radical in character
and so sweeping and far-reacning In
their effect that the committee feels
no hesitation in admitting at the out
set that it has by no means exhausted
the subject in all it's innumerabe de-
tails. The committee, however, has ar
| rived ut certain general Conclusions,
which it begS leave to submit:
I'm the first place, the committee is
unanimous in its conviction that our
present principles ar ! methods of taxa
| tion are unScientific, unequal and in
| adequate, and are sadly in need of
reform, and agrees with the state COM
| mission on revenue and taxation that
a basic principle of this reform should
| be a separation of the state from local
| taxation.
One Members Disagrees
Out of the six members participating
81 the final conference and vote, five
are of the opinion that these defects
are so important as to warrant the de-
feat by the popular vote of the amend
ments as presented; not, however, with
any idea of abandoning the general
scheme of reform but with the purpose
of removing as far as possible the OBJ
! jectionable features, educating the vot-
ers at large upon the subject, and
again submitting the question to the
popular vote at some future time.
1.-The remaining member of the COM
mittee, while as -enting to the existence
of Objectionable features. believes that
nevertheless the amendment should
| be adopted as it stands, rather than
run the risk of delaying its adoption.
1.-The committee is again unanimous
! in recommending, if the amendment
should be defeated, that a representa-
tive committee of citizens should be
appointed by the chamber and other
kindred civic bodies in the city, to in
vestigate more fully the scheme, sug-
gest alterations thereof and further in
all proper ways the accomplishment
of the much needed reform.
Respectfully submitted,
| (Signed) III. T. LEE,
chairman for
| HON. w. NJ. YORK,
| &c. J. LANG,
| JOSEPH SARTORI,
MARK G. JONES,
T. S. WADSWORT.4,
Members of the Committee"
Concerning assembly constitutional
amendments and "a, affecting the
school system of the state.
The committee on laws reported
against these two amendments for
these reasons:
Amendment No. seeks to throw
the support of the city kindergartens
on the state, instead of requiring the
cities to support them. as at present.
This change would be unjust to the
rural counties, which have no kinder
garten system. and would tax unduly
the state school fund, which is already
too small to provide for the primary
i and grammar schools.
Amendment No. "a
1.-THE more important amendment,
No. "a, seeks to reorganize the state
board of education. AS at present or
gained it consists of the following
persons: The governor, the state SUI
perintendent of public instruction. the
president and the professor of educa-
ton of the State university and the
presidents of the five state normal
schools. These persons represent the
educational leadership of the state,
are ex-officio members of the board
onQnf fpnIIrp of nf-
flee, altogether removed from politics.
The proposed amendment substitutes
for seven members of the board per-
sons to be selected at will by the gov
ernor the presidents of the State and
Stanford universities. or to be chosen
at conventions of educational bodies.
"The effect of this would be that
we would have a board, the majority
of which would hold for comparatively
brief terms. and be subject to every
political change, thus making it i'm
possible to carry out permanent, con-
sistent educational policies
1.-THE chief argument advanced IN
/ favor of the change is that under the
present system the board becomes a
congregation of fossils. while the pro-
posed amendment would constantly in
| fuse new blood. The conclusive answer
to this is that the present ex-officio
| members of the board are all holders
lions in which live men are essential,
and in which fossils would not be toll
Grated"
Concerning senate constitutional
amendment No. 81, providing for the
extension of the terms of existence OF
certain corporations:
The report of the committee on laws
is in favor of this amendment.
Tt expressly excludes all quasi-public
corporations and also carefully guards
against any extension of any franchise.
IF Is made to relate exclusively to the
extension of the terms of existence of
corporations of a private character
An act of the last Legislature at
tempted to give this right of extension.
but our supreme court held 1t to be
unconstitutional. Hence the necessity
of this amendment, which appears to
be demanded by the business interests
| of the state.