The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-15
BILL IS /
NOT FOR DETROIT
Rep. Straight's Measure, Providing
for Selection and Bids Through Com
mission, Exempts Our Fsr City.
(From a STAFF correspondent.)

| kFFoUl stan OOrFcopOuucUt.l
LANSING. Mich. April 15.-Rep
Straight, who helped lead the fight
for the minority Marquette prison re
port in the house. Thursday night
fought and won another stiff battle
yesterday for his bill creating a state
commission on uniform textbooks.
The bill provides for commission
of eight, together with the superin
tendent of public schools ex-officio. to
secure bids for suitable textbooks al
the lowest prices obtainable. The
commission, under the bill, would en-
ter into contract with the lowest
bidder on suitable books, the books
to be adopted by districts not tied VI
under contracts, and TO be sold at the
price agreed upon In the state cob
tract. A Wholesale and retail price
Is provided for, and school districts
wishing to have free textbooks are
to have the benefit OF the wholesale
price. Tho system OF textbooks, once
established, is TO remain fixed fol
five years.
The bill gives Detroit no relief, az
| II was amended to exempt cities VI
more than 100000 population.
L Whb thN Anol haJ AOH shN
passage OF bills by the house IN
which they originated. The senate
had its own bills out OF the way. and
the house had only one house bill on
committee of the whole, the Straight
bill, which was advanced to third
reading and passed.
Four or five bills were tabled
among them one by Rep. Yaple, re-
lative to the condemnation of fiownge
rights by public utility companies
Rep. Browns bill correcting some de-
fects in the law relative to special as.
sessments In Highland Park, Ham
tramck and ST Clair Heights villages,
was held one day too long by the com
mittee and Is dead.
With little or no discussion, sew
eral important bills went through the
senate committee of the whole. The
Flowers bill, generally amending the
primary law; the Woodruff bill, per-
hitting the state to tax the stocks
and bonds OF the ID. G.. II. a. M. rail-
road; the Leonard bill, abolishing the
state weather bureau; the Woodwork
purity OF elections bill; the Giles bill,
bringing telegraph and telephone com.
road commission, and requiring inter
change Of service, and the Willough'
by bill, permitting boards OF super
visors to change township boundaries
created by act Of the legislature, were
among those which passed. The
Copley loan shark bill passed, after
1t had been amended so that the
sharks could not charge more than
seven per cent on real estate secur
ity.
After letter signed by six alder
men had been read, the senate com
mittee of the whole agreed on the
passage of the bill introduced by
Senator Miller, increasing the salary
of the aldermen OF Detroit from
$1,000 to $4,000 a year. The letter
which was signed by Aid. Brozo. Bur
ton, Ellis, Mason, Merritt and Keat
ing stated that they saw no harm In
the measure, inasmuch as referen-
DUN clause was attached to 1t.
The senate judiciary has prepared
a substitute for the Lord and Collins
public accounting bills. The substi-
tute places the work of auditing the
accounts of public institutions under
the supervision of the auditor-general.
Glass legislation was the reason ad'
vanced for killing two bills In the
senate committee of the whole. The
first, Senator Carter's, providing Cor
a firemen's relief fund, was opposed
by the members from the farming
districts, who objected to paying
taxes for city firemen. The second
measure laid to rest was the Collins
bill, requiring all state institutions &c
buy Michigan coal when they can get
it as cheaply as outside coal. Senator
Lee raised the cry of class legislation
here, and although Collins and Leid-
lein grated vehemently, Lees motion
to kill II prevailed On the accept
ance Of the report of the committee,
the senators changed their minds.
Carter succeeded in having the sena-
tors vote against the report and place
his measure on third reading. Leid-
lein and Collins also prevailed on the
members to turn down the report
and table the bill until Monday.
At the last moment, the Martz-Stev-
enson- X emmerling bill, the main pro-
vision of which Is to allow saloons to
be open on several holidays now dry,
was passed through the senate com
mittee of the whole. There was no
objection to the bill. which looks as
II II would pass third reading. Sena-
tor Taylor tried to attach an amend
ment defining the meaning of the
word wholesaler" in the bill. AT
present, he said, wholesalers pay IL
cense of $50, the only provision being
that the liquor shall not be consumed
on the place. Since Kalamazoo went
wet, Taylor declared. applications had
been made for wholesalers licenses,
the purpose being to sell under the
license and permit the drinking In
another room. Senator Miller op-
posed the amendment, saying that
any amendment at this late day would
defeat the bill. So the amendment
was not adopted.
Speaker Baker appointed Reps
Woodruff, Straight and Raudabaugh
10 cooperate with two senators ap
pointed yesterday morning in the
judgeship recount asked by James
Tucker in Macomb county.