Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-03-13
Blocks Street Paving in Cities
Of the Second, Third and
Fourth Class
INITIATIVE REFERENDUM
Law Has Its Teeth Filed.
Governor Hay Has Signed
49 Bills


priations budget passed by the legis-
1ature with its total of $6,126. .7SO11.
which total is practically $780, 900 less
than the general fund budget of two
years ago. The governor thinks that
his plea for economy was needed at
least in part. The supplemental bud
get, which has not yet been signed,
has total of but $346,957.17, and it
includes the military and naval militia
appropriations.
The governor has also signed the
new insurance code, the initiative and
referendum bills and the eight hour
day for women measure. The insur-
'ance code is the most volumnious law
ever passed in Washington by any
legislature. Secretary w. T. Laube
of the senate says that the sessions
laws of 1911 will be only about half
as thick as those of 1909 and about
the size Of 1907 session laws.
Up to last night the governor has
olSHCu tOtdI VI 10 UIilS--ol pelllS
house measures and IS originating in
the senate
Initiatives Teeth puIIed.
1t developed today that an amend.
ment to the initiative and referendum
act crept through in the closing hours
OF the legislative session, which de-
feats the friends of that measure ON
one of the points upon which most
vigorous fight was originally won.
Under this amendment the legisla.
ture may, at any time after two years.
repeal any law which has been enacted
by the voters by initiative or referer-
dunn.
When the bill was up in the house
an effort was made TO insert this
amendment. but the friends of the mea
sure fought it down, declaring that not
an | should be dotted nor a + crossed
This fight on the floor of the house
was led by Representative Teats and
Denham for the friends of the bill
They were unrelenting and refused tC
concede the point even in the face
of the hottest fight that the house, III
to that time, had seen.
In it's original form, and just as i
had been introduced the bill Went tt
the senate There it fingered till late
in the session, when, while the house
was engrossed in its own wrangles, the
senate inserted the amendment
Street Improvement Law
Unless the second, third and fourth
class towns of Washington wake ur
and at once bring to bear such pres
sure on Governor Hay as to induce him
to veto house bill No. 2S2, which was
passed by the recent session of the
legislature. there is likely to be little
or no paving or other public improve
ment in those cities or towns until
the proposed law is changed The act
referred to is entitled AN act relating
to local improvements in cities and
towns, and repeating certain acts and
parts of acts" Under the new law
which is now up to Governor Hay
there is provision in section 12 limit
ing the amount of the assessment that
may be made against abutting prop.
erty for any public improvement to
SO per cent. of the assessed valuation
as shown by the books of the county
assessor for the previous year. Such
q provision has been the law in the
first class cities of the state for years
but there has been no limit in the
lower class cities. If the amount pos
sible to be assessed is limited to so
per cent. of the real value, according
to the agreement of the assessors OF
the state, the limit is placed so low
that cities the size of Aberdeen and
others can not pave a street with hard
surface pavement of any kind, except
possibly in the most valuable business
centers, and in the suburban parts of
those towns it will be impossible to
even construct sidewalks.
Session Costs $95,0O0
To hold the 18th session of the leg