The Somerset reporter., 1909-07-08
New Laws Now In Effect

New Laws Now In Effect
The 265 public laws enacted by the
last Legislature, with few exceptions,
are now in effect. A period of 30 days
was allowed by the new constitutional
amendment, the initiative and REFER
endum. Efforts were made to invoke
the referendum on five of the laws,
petitions having been circulated on
the proposed $4,000 addition to
the state house, the Bar Harbor auto
mobile exclusion act, the Portland
bridge BILL the 1-per cent beer bill and
the act to divide the town of York, the
necessary 10000 signatures for a speci-
al election having been secured on
only the last three.
A number of new statutes are now
official. Supreme and superior court
judges hereafter may be retired after
10 years service aud pensioned on
half pay. State prison officials will
also receive pensions on retirement.
Henceforth the counties into which
deputies are sent for the enforcement
of the Sturgis law will have to bear
TIE extra expense, INSTEAD of the state.
The governor now has power to
remove the county attorney for de-
linquency. Agents of liquor houses
are forbidden longer to solicit orders
in Maine. Possessions of Intoxicating
liquors with intent of sale is to be
punished by fine and imprisonment.
The increased taxes on wild lands
and public service corporations and
the direct inheritance tax now come
4 into NAV. yanhta md nthnr nj q
vessels, as well as barges, are added
to the list of taxable property. The
hours of labor for women and minors
are reduced from so to So per week,
and employers become liable for the
injury of employees. Provision is made
for state board of arbitration. The
duties, responsibilities and authority
of the commissioner of labor are en-
larged. The law forbidding the use of
free passes to public officials is en-
larged to include county and munich
pal officers.
Other acts of consequence authorize
the probation system, encourage the
propagation of shellfish, require the
licensing of lunch wagons, change the
title of the bank examiner to bank
commissioner, provide for better col
lection of statistics of marriage, pro-
vide for the better protection of trees
and shrubs, require milk dealers to
register with the commissioner of ag-
riculture, regulate the use of cinema
! tographs in places of public assemb-
lage, provide for the better sanitary
protection OF school children, punish
the sale of impure milk by stiff fine
and regulate the measuring OF milk,
and exempt public bonds from taxa
ton.
The new laws further direct that
power boats be provided with mufflers,
allow the appointment of school ply
sicians, raise the standard of free high
schools, modify and improve the law
for the state aid to state roads, make
punishable by fine splitting on side
walks or the floors of places of public
assemblage, provide for the better
berculosis, increase the safeguards
of schools against fire, encourage
manual training and the teaching of
domestic science and create the office
of deputy superintendent of schools,
enlarge the powers OF the board of
prison and Jail inspectors, greatly
strengthen the provisions for protec-
ton against forest fires, regulate the
practice OF optometry, provide for a
state farm for orcharding, amend the
statute i'll relation to savings bank
investments, provide for the uniform
packing of apples, provide for the ap-
| pointment of the board of state asses
sors by the governor and council
instead of election by the Legislature,
and make an entirely new draft of the
militia law.
People who live in glass houses