The Topeka state journal., 1909-02-01
Says the Legislation Is Drifting
Toward Socialism.
OVER BOILER BILL.
Debate Started by Cranston's
Provision for Inspection.
Three New Tax Bills Make Their
Appearance.

InS mouse VIII soon be holding
sunrise" sessions If it keeps up its
present lick II commenced this morn
ing at O'Clock instead OF 10. the
usual hour And this after working all
day Saturday.
Only about one-third OF the MEM
bers were present this morning SO the
house laid over the passage of bills as
the order of business and went into
committee of the whole to consider
bills on general orders
The feature of the morning session
was the debate over the bill by Gran
ston of Labette providing for the in
spection of steam boilers and heaters.
Neatch of Washington blocked the
wheels of the bill when he declared
that the house was drifting toward So
ciaIism in its everlasting wrok of
creating new boards and commissions
Fence in State House.
I am opposed to this BILL said
Veatch. "and all others like it. If you
keep on introducing and passing such
the state house grounds and covering
the entire site with buildings in which
to house these new commissions and
the army of attaches that accompany
them Why not have an inspector OF
drivers of vehicles and autos. an in
spector of cream separators and sew
ing machiues2 You are running into
socia ism You talk a lot about 'ex-
them jobs by the score. 1 Will admit
that they are experts at drawing their
salary. but will admit nothing further
concerning them 1t was practical,
hard sense that placed this state where
ii IS today, and not experts
Flanagan of Decatur, speaking
against the bill declared that a similar
measure had been before this house at
previous sessions and been defeated,
as II deserved to be- Why. remern-
ber.'- he said "the last time we con-
1eT r1y- "a a
estate man and good politician was
waiting in the lobby for the bill to
pass so he could get the job OF boiler
inspector already promised him
4 dozen other members spoke for
and against the bill After wrangling
over the measure until IL CLOCK
v ithout accom- pIishing anything, the
house let the matter go over for con-
sideration at some other time and ad-
iourred as committee of the whole to
Convene in regular session to consider
the San Jose scale appropriation Dill
as a special order for this hour.
Three important tax bills were in
troduced in the house today by the
committee on assessment. fhe hrsr
one provides for regulating of ex-
press companies of the state and the
assessment of an excise tax of four
per cent on their gross receipts IN
addition to the regulation tax pro-
vf,ied by law The bill provides fur
tI1ar that every express company do
ing business in the state shall file a
statement with the tax commission OF
all their receipts from all state bust
ness. If this statement is not filed
and ali questions on the blanks
provided by the commission
answered by May 81 of each
year and failure to do invokes
a penalty in the shape of a fine of
$500 and s1oO per day for each day
thereafter that the report is not on
file. The tax commission is author
lied to require the officers OF ex-
urass- companies to appear before the
commission and also 10 bring in such
books and papers as the commission
NAV require The state auditor is
authorized to charge and collect this
additional excise tax in the usual way
and the receipts therefrom go into
the state general fund
The other tax bill provides that the
tax commission shall resolve itself
into a board OF railway assessors for
the purpose of the assessment of all
railway car companies of the state
The officers Of the car company con-
Germs are required to furnish the
commission with a statement Of all
their receipts and capital invested,
and, as in the case of the express
board with such books and papers
as may be required
The third bill provides for the as
sessmeut of all telephone, telegraph
ana pipe IIne pdufeS VI the SNdlc
in the same way as above provided
for the car companies. except that
such of these companies as operate
only in a single county shall be as
sessed by the assessor of the county
thereof
Foley of Rice introduced bill to-
dav which provides that whenever ten
or more residents of any county ac-
tuaIIv engaged in the business of bee
Leeniue shall petition the county
commissioners of that county to ap-
point a county inspector of bees the
commission shall grant the prayer of
the petition The inspector thus
created shall receive a salary of SO
per day for each days engaged in the
business of his Office