The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-02-03

hours each day. and that the employees
| did not object to the long hours as
long as they were paid for Sunday.
He also cites the long established pre-
cedest and claims that during the leg
islature OF 1907, when Speaker Baker
was member of the house. he did not
object to drawing his pay for seven
days OF the week.
The speaker must now got alon"
without the promptings of the cleik
who used to help the speaker OF this
and former houses in sowing the In
tricate problems of parliamert airy pro
| ceedings. The committee on judiciary
attempted to compromise the situa
ton, but the speaker states that he
will not sign any vouchers for any
clerk calling for more pay than six
days a week.
Will Reduce Number Of Employees.
In response to Governor Osborn's
special message to the senate, COM
mittee of that body headed by Sen
ator Kingman recommended reduc'
ton of four janitors and four commit
tee clerks. This reduction will still
leave the senate with forty-eight en-
ployees, twenty more than the govern
or deems necessary. The senate has
not yet acted on the recommendation
Of the committee. The question of
patronage is a hard one, and each
senator stands ready to concede re
duction in the number of employees
as long as his own personal appointees
remain in position, but there is no
question that the reduction will be
made during the coming week.
Abolish State Boards.
Representative Warner will prob
ably introduce during the coming week
the administration measure abolish
ing eighteen state boards who now
have control of the various state in.
stitutions and substituting therefor a
central board, composed of three mem.
bers, who will be salaried officers and
must give their entire time and at.
tention to the management CT the safe
Institutions.
This bill has the hearty endorsement
Of Governor Osborn and is modelled
after similar laws now in force govern.
ing the state institutions of Illinois,
Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri. This
measure is very drastic and radical
1t is aimed to do away with the in
efficiency and extravaganza which has
existed in some of the state institu-
tons.
Considerable opposition can be ex-
pected towards this bill. The mem
bers of the various boards, contractors
and others, who have profitted bv the
operation of the present law will not
miss chance to attack and influence
the members of the legislature against
the measure.
Revision of Tax Laws.
No one can forecast at this time how
far the legislature will go in revamp
Ing the tax laws. Rep: esentative Lo,d
who was secretary of the tax commits
sion until he became a member of the
legislature, is looked upon as author
ity on tax matters by his colleagues.
Their confidence in him, however,
was somewhat shaken when the men,
Der from Wayne county introduced a
resolution which admitted that the
property of the state was undervalued.
This section, the members maintained,
was an admission which would be
eagerly taken up and made use of by
the railroad companies, who are con-
templating attacking the tax laws of
the state on the grounds that the prop.
erty of the state Is not assessed at its
true cash value and that the railroads
are being assessed in excess of their
true cash value.
Nothing hiss yet been done towards
the introduction of the corporation in
come tax hill favored by Governor Os-
born, although the attorney generals
department is now busy drafting bill
along these lines. The sentiment in
the house is divided as TO the advis.
Utility and constitutionality of the
proposition, and this is encouraged by
the corporation lobbyists.
The tax commission has been re-
organized, with Commissioner Thomp
son as president Commissioner George
B. Horton of Fruitridge. Lenawee
county. former master of the State
Grange, has succeeded Commissioner
Hoyt of Oakland county as member Of
the commission.
Women Suffrage.
A number Of good looking women
lobbyists have been playing on the |
tender feelings of the representatives |