Omaha daily bee., 1909-02-05
LEGISLATIVE WORK LIGHT
Senate Passes Water Works Bill
Desired by Council Bluffs.
RAILROAD TERMINAL TAXATION
senate Has n Bill to Compel Connec-
tion Between Rival Telephone
Companies in Places where
There Are Two or More.
tFrOm a staff Correspondents

DIES MONIES, Feb. 4.-(Special.)-B BIT
little real legislation has been done this
week and today the bills passed were Of
minor Importance. A bill passed by the
senate is Of interest chiefly in Council
Bluffs. This Is a bill by Senator Saunders
to slightly amend the law in relation to
cities Of the first class purchasing or build
Ing water works, 20 changing the law that
the city council can pay out of the funds
raised for the purpose all the preliminary
expenses OF survey, plans. etc. This affects
all cities, but Is just now especially in aid
OF Council Bluffs where the funds arc
short.
The senate passed a bill to require that
the doors Of all public buildings open out
ward. also a bill to extend the time until
November. 1910. for getting rid of old and
unlabeled stocks of paint.
The house passed a bill which has al
ready passed the senate limiting to six
months the time for appealing criminal
cases. This will now become a law and 1t
will hav the effect Of Fastening final &C
ton in criminal matters.
Taxation of Railroad Terminals.
Senator Saunders introduced a bill in
tended to radically change the rule as to
assessment OF the terminals of railroads.
making 1t so that the stations and terminals
are assessable locally and not To be con-
sldered in the entire estimate of value Of
the. roads. This will add greatly to the
taxes paid in the cities and reduce the
total of taxes paid in rural districts by the
railroads. 1t is backed especially by the
commercial organizations of Council Bluffs
and other cities of the state where the rail-
road terminals are valuable.
Representative Meredith Of Cass intro
duced today a bill to effect Sunday OBJ
servance by shutting off practically all
Sunday amusement.
Did Not Care for the Navy.
The house today refused by an en-
phatic vote to take steps looking to the
sending OF a committee, at the head Of
which should be the governor to New York
to participate in ceremonies attending the
reception to the fleet. 1t also provided in
the resolution, which was offered by Rep
resentative Schee OF O'B1en, that tokens of
some kind should be presented to every
Iowan on the fleet.
A committee to draft drainage legislation
was named by Speaker Feeley, consisting
of stillman. Ripley. Hacklet. Harding, Nc
Donald, Kellogg, Lee, Jacobs and David
son.
Merger of Telephones.
A bill was introduced by Senators Moon
and Adams to effect a practical merger
of the telephone companies in Iowa by re-
quiring of them that they shall make
actual connections where there are two
or more companies operating in any town
or city and to make joint rates the same
as IL all were owned by one company.
Other bills:
Nichols, road drag law.
Clark fa increase the ma IF the secretary
OF the state health board to s., 400 a year.
Maytag, pay inaugural expenses, S+40.2S
Wilson, amend collateral inheritance
kirkpatrick to appropriate sl2.5co TO
finish soldier roster.
Savage to require assessors to collect
statistics of agriculture.
Meredith, requiring Sunday observance.
Kimball, bounty on ~groundhogs.
Crozier, public utilities measure.
Committed at Work.
The pardons committees of the two
houses met in joint session this afternoon
and agreed upon a plan for public hear
ings in the various pardon cases submitted
to the legislature by the governor. There
are twelve life prisoners asking the legis-
lature to give approval of pardons from
the governor. These are VIII Adams,
W. Z. Alexander, w. P. Glyndon, l.. W.
Haley, w. M. H. Jones, H. L. Robbard,
4. c. Robinson, Albert Parnitzka, John
Penny, L. r. Van Tassel, T. w. Watson
and C. II. Woodward.
Consolidation of Departments.
Consolidation of departments and expan-
sion Of business is to be the rule with re-
gard TO the minor affairs of state II leg
~islators can only arrange the matter to
suit them. A first step In this direction
IL to be a provision for the location OF
what will be in effect a state office build
ing, or as suggested in the message, an
Agricultural and Military hall, for the pur-
pose OF properly housing all the various SUI
bordinate departments OF the state. In this
building would be located the following
The Agricultural department, including the
pure food and dairy department, the vet
Urinary department, the horticultural de-
partment, the headquarters of stock breed
Ing associations. the agricultural extension
work, the short course extensions, the
farmers Institutes, and the collection and
dissemination of statistics relating to ag-
riculture. Also the military department, or
the headquarters OF the national guard,
with arsenal and armory and drill hall.
The health department. combined into one
by consolidation OF the board of health, the
medical examiners, the osteopaths. the de-
partment OF undertakers, the pharmacy
board, the dental board, etc. The indus
trial department, including the collection
OF labor statistics, factory inspection, en-
forcement OF. labor laws, mine inspection,
the geological survey, etc. The insurance
department, and possibly some others
which cannot be properly housed in the
storage rooms of the capitol; possibly,
also, the board OF control with It's varied
activities, and in case of the creation OF
a state highway commission and a board to
manage the state educational institutions
these would also go into the business build
ing.