St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-11-11

commission may summon witness before
them and any person swearing falsely
before the commission shall be punished
for perjury.
Mr.. Williams of Newport has intro
duced bill which fits in nicely with
the tax commission bill. The Williams
bill provides for FIVE mill tax on in
tangible property like stocks, bonds and
other evidence of debt. This intangible
property includes property sometimes
called paper property" This bill is in
keeping with the report and recommends
tions of the tax commission and is an
administrative measure which was
recommended by Governor Prouty in his
message Several bills abolishng offsets
have been introduced but none of them
have yet come up for consideration.
There was a largely attended public
hearing on tax matters Monday evening
and the subject of tax commission was
thoroughly discussed.
The bill calling for a $125,000 appro-
priation for building a state normal
school is getting its share of attention
from the members and sentiment seems
divided. There is however a unanimous
opinion that state schools and state
highways are of much importance and
nearly every member favors liberal treat
ment for them A bill is in establishing
a course of pedagogy at Middlebury Col
lege for the practical training of teachers
for our high schools and academies.
Some think this measure which calls for
an appropriation of only $2500 will an
swer the purpose of another normal
school and will save the state a large
expenditure The primary election law
which was mentioned last week has not
yet come from the committee room and
neither has the bill appropriating $780,
600 for trunk line highways.
The appropriation bill providing for
the celebration of the discovery of Lake
Champlain had quite a stormy passage
but it finally came through both branches
intact. The committee reported in favor
of cutting the appropriation to $4,000
and tying up SIS, 900 of that so that it
could be used for no other purpose than
erecting a monument to commemorate
the event The House stuck to the orig
inal bill and gave $4,000 without
strings of any kind. The Senate con-
Cured
The agricultural bill abolishing the
Board of Agriculture and creating the
office of Commissioner has had a serious
time. The bill provided for one com.
missioner and was to carry salary of
only $780, This commissioner was to
hold meetings throughout the state.
gather statistics relating to the farming
interests of the state, advertise the scenic
attractions, natural resources, etc. The
sum of $4,000 was to be appropriated
for him to carry on the work. The
bill did not suit che Governor and many
of the leading members of the House and
altho it had once passed that body it
was reconsidered and sent back to the
committee for amendment. 1t is still in
the committees hands
Besides the bills which have passed
both branches and gone to the Governor
there are many bills which have passed
one or the other and their future destiny
is unknown. The work of the eek has
progressed finely.
LEGISLATIVE NoTEs.
If the state could honorably avoid the
$3.50 Lake Champlain appropriation
it would do so. The commission APP
pointed at the last legislature had prac-
tically promised New York and Canada
that Vermont would do her share
Montpelier rises to remark that in the
celebration of her centenary she raised
$4,000 within her own limits and had
a fine celebration without state aid.
The people of the Lake Champlain Val
ley should have done the same.