Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-02-19

Anuhy uOPdI tIut1IS dn1 f.DfnmlS
SlonS that could be consolidate
and thsu lessen the cost of run
ming our state. 1t is more than
likely that before the legislature
adloLrns, there will be consider.
able shaking up along this line.
AT a hearing last Wednesday
evening before the JOINT commit.
tees on banking, a large number
OF people were present and maaI
Of them took part in the DIS
euSslOn. ! regret very much tha
| could not be present at the
meeting but commlites work d.
tanned me. There were some very
able arguments both pro al
con on the banking bills and Co
ernor Stubs who undertook to
defend his ideas was on the wit
ness stand for a good long time.
The banking bill has finally been
introduced and will come up as
a special order on Thursday or
this week. 1t provides that ev-
cry bank must have been in busl.
ness a year before participating
in the funds and banks whose
capital stock is less than $780,
l0OO must pay the same rate into
the guaranty fund as those pay
whose capital stock is 100000.
The efforts of the bankers IN
the state are being centered on
the proposition that interest
bearing deposits should be eliml-
mated from the bill, their strong
est argument being that an In
terest bearing deposit is an in
westment on the part of the de-
pOsltOr and not a deposit, that
it is therefore contract and tina,
no bank should be compelled to
guarantee any investment made
with it or through it. The bill
will probably be threshed over
at considerable length and it IS
more than likely that it will
pass in practically its present
shape. Personally / believe that
the people of Kansas want a com
pulsOry law. This is not such
"a law neither is it made Oblga-
tory on a bank which joins in tht
guaranty proposition to continue.
On a certain length of time they
are permitted to withdraw. The
public utilities bill will come up
for consideration this week.
The good roads bill came up to-
day and the House spent the en-
tire day working on a bill which
concerns the buildinng of dirt
roads only. This bill originally
provided that in Ounties OF
10000 or more the county COM
missioners should appoint a cOun.
ty engineer. Believing that the
people of Barton County did not
want this proposition | made the
fight, aided by several of the
leading ones of the House and
tried to get the question Of an en-
gineer made optional IN all cOun-
tiles but a number of those who
favored the engineer question,
thought that the county comms-
sioner would not care to as
sumo the responsibility without
some direct authority of law, so
after several hours discussion we
finally succeeded in making the
limit 10000. Counties under zO,'
900 may have an engineer if the
commissioners or people interest
ed see fit. In all cases the en-
glneer shall be the county Sur
veyor and he shall be allowed for
his services the sum Of $4.OO per
day, not to exceed in a county
the size of Barton $4,000 a year,
The township levy for road worl
is one mill. The township. board
is constituted a roads and high
ways commission with author
ity to divide the township into
one or more road districts and to
appoint a road overseer or as
many assistants as necessary. The
road tax limitations have been
removed and under this new law
the road tax is due from every
person between q and So who is
not a public charge. What the
Senate will do with the bill, no
one can tell, but the House has
passed it. The bill providing for
a state engineer and the taxing
of automobiles will be taken up
now. The salary of the state en-
glneer is to be taken out of the
receipts of the automobile taxi.
1t is estimated that the tax
will produce revenue Of SAL, wv
and as the hackers of the state
anoinoor COW thav want 5000 of