Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-03-04

troduce substitute for the proposed
public utilities bill. 1t will extend the
jurisdiction of the railroad commits
sion to telegraph and telephone lines,
make the commission appointive by
the governor and confirmed by the
|senate, and provide that no person
owning stock in corporations under
control of the board shall be eligible
to membership. The salary Of the
members of the commission Is fixed
at $4,000 year. The bill is said to
have the Endorsement of the present
railroad commission.
Senate Passes Many Bills.
The senate passed the Jameson
bill to authorize the railroads to make
the short haul rate at competing
points, also the Hammill bill to re-
quire that blanks for liquor permits
shall be furnished druggists by the
county auditor
The house passed the bill to permit
the assignment of insurance policies,
the bill to permit INDECENT persons TO
enter the school for the deaf, and a
bill relating to proof of death in in
surance cases.
the real work Of making the laws is
shifted to committees, and especially
how 1t is punched In two committees,
the record shows to date that the
judiciary committee of the senate has
received SO senate bills and has acted
on Sc Of them, at the same time acting
OH II of the IL house bills sent to it.
The house judiciary committee has
acted On so of the 81 house bills sent
to it, and has acted on % of the %
senate bills. 1t is thus seen that the
senate judiciary committee still has
in its control about 40 bills and the
house committee has about so. It
is safe to say that at least a
third of the work of the legislature is
put into these committees.
About IS appropriation bills, prac-
tically duplicates, have gone to the
appropriations committees of each
house and about a dozen have been
acted on by each committee. 1t is Gus
tomary to hold back all the big bills
and get the minor matters out of the
way, but it cannot be denied that there
must be great deal of hard work
done to get these bills hammered into
shape. Senator Maytag and Represen-
tative Moore have the matter we'll in
hand.
The ways and means committees
have gone slow. The senate commit
tee has reported out the Inheritance
tax bill and the bill to require payment
Of interest on county deposits, and
both have gone over to the north end.
| The house committee has not report
ed bill.
The agriculture committees, those
of highways and those on cities and
| towns and municipal corporations all
have had a great many bills under con-
| sideration and have reported out a
good many The committees on COM
pensation Of public officers have re-
ported out very little as compared
with what they have in hand. A num-
| Der of committees have made no re-
senate-telegraphs and telephones,
corporations, libraries, printing,
mines, districts, pharmacy, commerce
and retail trades, pardons, claims,
manufacturers, federal relations, fish
| and game and public buildings. In
| the house-commerce and trade,
schools, constitutional amendments,
telegraphs, telephones, food and dairy,
mines, lands, buildings, printing, pub
| lie accounting state university, private
corporations, domestic agriculture
pharmacy, woman suffrage, police reg
ulations, etc. There are a great many
committees in both houses that have
not a single bill referred to them.
On reconvening after the spring re.
cess the general assembly found itself
today with the session half gone and
in the estimation of veteran students
of legislation. larger proportion of
the really big business undone than
has been the rule in recent years.
With some 80 bills sent to the gov
ernor for his approval and a dozen
more substantially ready, the work OF
the two months does not show up
strong. 1t is found that quite large
number Of very important measures
have as yet not been acted on by any
committee of either house, among
them:
All leading appropriation measures
including institutions support in state
fair Improvement and capitol sur
roundings:
| All TAX DIS TAX COMMISSION, eXemp
ton of mortgages and terminal rail
way taxation.
| Law enforcement bills, such as
authority to attorney general and plan
| for removal of derelict officials.
Insurance matters, transfer of de-
partment, repeal of anti-compact law
state fire marshal, etc.
Educational matters, school bill
board of education, teaching agricul.
ture in rural schools.
Sabbath observance, Sunday the.
aters, etc.
| Corporation annual reports and fees
Safety of hotels and inspection.
Remarriage of divorced persons.
Make railroad commission elective
commerce counsel and the public util
tiles commission
All highway and drainage matters
| Wage exemption repeal
Sales of stock in bulk
Revision Of pardon and parole law
Authorization of trust companies.
Amendment of primary law to re.
move inequalities.
| InpreaSa In number re c,,propo q