Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-03-27

session was that of the brilliant young
senator from Plymouth, delivered Fri
day afternoon in support of his motion
to substitute his public utilities bill
for the Smith bill which had received
a favorable report. Senator Sammis
consumed virtually the whole afternoon
in a set speech in which he went into
details of the measure he had prepared
for the state control and regulation of
all public utilities, and tho he was on
his feet for more than two hours the
senators gave him the highest possible
compliment of following his ar
gument with unfeigned interest
to the finish. He was at
the disadvantage of spe' !. for a
bill which had been report Q iverseiy,
but he made his colleagr stem and
consider we'll what he S He went
over the whole ground : owing the
benefits to be derived fl = state regu-
lation of all utilities, fr !. he advant
age cf having a centr; 8 thority, the
Importance of uniforr Z in handling
franchise and rate gu s. ms, the value
of publicity and the e eral tendency
to state regulation =: commissions
and boards of all tt matters which
affect the public. Senator Sammis con-
tended that the tendency is also toward
appointive commissions and toward
granting to such boards ample power
to investigate, to regulate, to fix rates
and to protect the public. There are
three separate utilities propositions be-
fore the senate-the Sammis bill for a
commission with wide powers. The
skt Iii f@ S{nfl to-
sion of three persons, and the Van
Law bill to authorize committees to Sc
cure information as to the affairs of
public service corporations.
When the house took a. half day of
yesterday for a little jaunt out to the
army post it left to be taken up as
unfinished business today the commits
tee bill on revision of the banking laws.
It was stated on the floor Of the house
that the bill was written by the attor-
ney general, but this proved ito be not
the case, as General Byers merely as
sisted Mr.. Roberts, of the state audi
tors office in perfecting the bill as to
its wording. The bill does several things
of much interest in the state. Some of
the important additions to present law
are:
A bank director must own five shares
of stock in a bank under $50.0OO capi-
tall and ten shares in larger banks.
The general provisions of the law as
to savings banks are made applicable
to state banks.
Limitation is placed on loans outside
the state by state banks.
Tho III o,1difor shall hava author.
ity to direct transfer of money from
one depository to another under GER
tain restrictions.
Directors shall get pay for attending
bank meetings only when present
Fine of SIS a day for officers RESPONSE
sible for failure to have examining
committee appointed at least once each
six months.
Modification of the rules as to pub
lication of reports of banks
The unifying of regulations as to
state and savings banks and the time
and manner of holding elections, etc. |
Another promising field for the
probers disappeared the other day. The |
head of the. detective bureau engaged
in looking for places to make trouble,
discovered that the report of the cap
itol commission filed several years ago
had not been printed. An alarm was
sent out and someone was importaned |
10 start an investigation. A senator |
ooked up the law and found that the
aw did not provide for printing the re-
port Then the story was started that
he report had been kidnapped and
couldn't be found, but a clerk looked It
Up and found it filed in its proper
place and all right to the cent. Then
he probers looked elsewhere.
The house passed bill that where
he enrolment of a country school falls
below 10 the school may be closed. The
,ill as prepared was for closing schools
where the average attendance fell be-
ow six. The latter would have closed
lbout 500 schools, and the former will
permit closing of possibly 800.
+
1t is expected that early in the week
he senate will receive the name Of the
lew man on the state board of con-
roll There is no doubt but that those
Who have been demanding a reversal
# policies as to the general manage
nent of state institutions have re-
eived assurances that leaves to them
10 doubt that a new man will go on
he board. The names most often
discussed are those of F. F. Jones and
}. o. Roe. Mr. Jones is a banker and
merchant at Villisca, and his public
raining consists of two sessions in the
Iouse Mr.. Roe was at the head Of the
insurance department. and is an ac-
omplished and skilled office man with
raining in the law. Representations
ave come that thruout the state there
will be regret if Chairman Cownie is
emoved from the board because of the
roubles at Fort Madison and Incl
entail to change in political tenden-
les at the state house. Members of
he legislature are not being consulted
n the matter at ALL
Ex-senator Trewin, ex-senator
ET,,plx and ,fh. |