The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-04-01
STATE MAY HAVE
FEWER DISTRICTS.
JUDGES TO BE CUT FROM FIFTY.
THREE TO FoRTY-THREE.
APPROPRIATIONS MADE UP
Nearly One Million Dollars to be Dis
misunderstanding law is Far
reaching - Other Assem-
bly, Measures.

Des Moines, March 29.--In the
house this morning the special COM
mittee appointed to investigate the
feasibility Of reducing the number OF
judicial districts in the state report
ed in favor of cutting the number of
districts down to Is and reducing
the number of judges from SO to 43.
The house accepted the report and the
committee was instructed to draft
bill in accordance with their report
and return it to the house for passage.
The House also passed the bill re-
quiring deaf and blind children to at
tend state institutions for deaf and
blind from the age of IL to 10 years.
The senate bill prohibiting the
creamery trusts from fixing prices
and the bill fixing the salary of dep
uty county auditors were passed. The
senate passed bill for the appoint
ment of committees TO visit the state
institutions and also TO investigate the
actions of state officers, boards and
commissioners prior to each session
of the legislature and report at the
opening OF the session. Also the
house bill prohibiting the marriage of
cousins.
At 1880 joint convention was
held to listen to an address by Supt.
Pinchot of the board of Forestry, on
the conservation of our natural re-
sources. This afternoon discussion
of the public utilities bill is in pro-
gress in he senate.
Big Appropriations Fixed.
Appropriations which total almost
81, 100000 are provided for in bills
which will be introduced by the appro-
priations committee of the senate this
week as the result of the work of that
committee, the house committee and
the conference committee represents
ing both, during the last several weeks.
The state university will receive
$4,000 additional to it's present appro-
priations during the coming two years
and in addition the bin calls for $780,
900 for special purposes and an annual
addition of s29, 500. The agricultural
college at Ames gets $4,000 extra dur
ing the coming two years, together
with $4,000 annually additional to the
present appropriation and $1O7 500 for
special uses. The state normal school
will receive $4,000 additional appro-
priation annually and $4,000 for spe-
cial purposes.
The board of control institutions
will receive a total of s515,700, accord
ing to the bill. and $4,000 of this
amount is to be used by the board of
control for the purchase of additional
lands for institutions as the board
sees fit.
Church Rattle is Gambling.
Deacon Appleby's wifes canvass for
the sale Of tickets on rattle to get
money for outstanding the heather
will be as much a felony in Iowa as
are the smooth manipulations of a
brace faro box by slippery fingered
gentry of the green cloth, when the
house acts upon the Hammill bill
which yesterday passed the senate.
In addition to calling all the gambling
games by name and prohibiting them
all and 'severally, the bill carries an
framed by Senator Adams,
which provides that anyone who buys
or sells chance on anything of value
shall be guilty under the law. the
same as the keeper OF a gambling
house or the dealer who stands be-
hind a roulette wheel and calls off
with monotonous, droning
voice. Senator Hammill's original
idea in framing this bill was to re-
enact the present gambling laws in
Iowa to include bunco games such as
the Council Bluffs swindlers' assoeia-
ton is alleged to have perpetrated up
On guileless victims. Senator Adams
discovered that the bill didn't go far
enough to suit him, and he offered an
which included within the
provisions of the bill the transactions
by which church treasures are en-
riched and politicians pockets are
smptied. 1t looked innocent enough
and was passed by viva yoce vote.