Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-21
PROPOSAL TO AMEND IOWA COR.
PoRATIoN LAWS ATTRACTS
ATTENTION.
MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
TO TAKE UP QUESTION
Considerable Doubt as to Wisdom of
Permitting Outside Concerns to Com.
pete With Iowa Observation-Disclosures
Cases Worrying the Supreme Court
State Capital Gossip.
Special to Times-Republican.


Des Moines, Dec. 21.-The proposal
OF Des Moines people to have Iowa
laws amended so as to give foreign
corporations some advantage over Iowa
corporations in the matter of the fees
Tor corporation is attracting a great
deal of attention.
L am not SO sure as to the PROPOSE
ton, said Secretary Wrightman Of the
Iowa Manufacturers Association. One
lining is certain, however, that it would
not be fair TO permit the big outside
corporation to locate alongside Of our
Iowa concerns, without paving aov fee
OF paying simply on the investment
MADE. But have no doubt the asso-
cation will take it up in due time and
see what there is in it,"
Senator Maytag was asked as to his
Views There's nothing to it, he said.
The whole thing has been gone over
before. Of course there are individual
instances where exacting of the fee fix
Cd py law would work a hardship, and
there ought to be some way of avoid
ing TINS, but nobody ever presented to
me legislature any plan for doing So"
Henry Saberson, chief clerk in the
Office of secretary of state, himself a
former member of the legislature, and
having had to do with the administra-
ton of the Incorporation law for years,
has been MISGUIDED in regard to the
matter. His position, briefly stated, is
That as TAR as the penalties are con-
cerned, about which there has been
complaint, they could have been avoid
ed, also that subsidiary companies
could be organized, but that inevitably
there will be some modification of the
law to make it easier for the outside
corporations to become legalized Take,
for instance, the Santa Fe railroad
With its twenty-eight miles OF track
and one station in Iowa. 1t would be
unfair TO require it 10 pay fee on it's
entire capitalization, and equally unfair
TO require it TO pay only on the in
vestment in Iowa. But efforts have
been made in the past to secure
amendments TO the Iowa corporation
law and the corporations have stood
in the way. At every session many
ion and only slight changes have been
possible.
The movement. so far as it has force
here, is almost solely in the interest of
the asphalt oanpany which is engaged
in fighting the matter in the courts
But others interested are the harvester
company, the tin can company, the
glucose manufacturers, the cracker
companies and some of the railroads.
The fact is that the laws have not been
enforced against all these various COM
panies and this solely for the reason
that TO do so would involve an injus-
tice. But some of them are unwilling
to pay anything for the privilege of
doing business in Iowa.
Drainage cases have given the Iowa
supreme court much cause for long
hours of narl labor. The court has
just rendered thee drainage case de-
cisions, each one involving different
point. In case from Fremont county
involving the proposed Nishnabotna
improvement with drainage ten
miles long - reclaim S,446 acres, the
court held that the cost of $50, 900
would be more than the ditch would
be worth to the land. In fact, the aues-
ton was raised as to whether or not
the ditch would be effective at all and
the court decides that al best it is q
doubtful scheme. The proposed ditch
would cross the river thirty times in
the ten miles, and would depend to
some extent On proposed ditch for
fourteen mites in Missouri. In a case
from Hardtd county the court found
that the plea that the $4,000 acres do
not all nesi drainage was not good,
neither was the plea that a better ami
cheaper plan could be devised Hence
this ditch will stand. In case eron
Greene county Judge Church had
Knocked out drainage proposition on
technicalities only. and the higher
court reverses him. For one thing it
was claimed that publication in a
Of the notice, was illegal; but the SUI
preme court finds nothing in this claim
The work thus far done by the op-
:omesry board thus far would indicate
saat there are great many persons
who would like to come in under the
protection of the law. Over so per-
sons have mada appli. for exemp-
ton from examination on account Of
being established. This plan was fol-
lowed when the law in regard to phy-
sicians went into effect and also in
regard to pharmacists. But it will sur
prise some persons to know there are
an average of five to each county who
have been engaged in eptometry or the
fitting Of glasses with a view to curing
eye defects. At the first examination by
the board there were eighty-nine who
tried and of these thirty-tt1ree faiIe1.
which would indicate that the board
intends to be pretty rigid in require
ments. At later examination forty
nine tried 1t, but the report has not
been made. The next examination will
be in February.
Superintendent Eaton o, the college
for the blind at Vinton reports that
there has as yet been no increase Of
the attent ance at the college on ac.
count of the law of the last assembly
making attendance compulsory. In time
1t is expected that this law will ma
terially Increase the attendance at the
college.