The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-03-29
HARRISBURG NEWS
1900 Bills Offered; No
Date Yet For Closing
SCHOOL CODE FAILS TO PLEASE;
BIG SALARY INCREASE;
OTHER BILLS.

OTHER BILLS.
The Legislative mill grinds slow
ly. More time seems to be devoted
by the members to the preparation
and introduction of new bills than
to getting through those which are
before the lawmakers for action. So
far upward of 1900 bills have been
offered, and if the past is any cri-
terion, at least half of these will fall
by the wayside. To enact this lot of
stuff into laws, and this means
amending, cutting out, changing and
classifying, would require two ses-
sions a day for at least three months
and this will not be possible. Speak
er Cox intimated this week that the
Rules Committee might arrange to
forbid the introduction of new bills
after April 4, and fix a date for ad
journment in May, but that has not
been definitely decided. So many
members have pet measures that
they wish put through that they hes
itate about fixing an early date for
adjournment, and on the other hand
the country members don't want to
stay here later than May, so that
the date of adjournment is likely to
become a bone of contention. To
man up tree it looks as though the
Legislature would hardly get away
before June first for, to parapbrase,
"Of making many laws there is no
end" One member remarked that
it would be a good thing for the
state if the Legislature met quad
rennially instead of bi-ennially, and
another voiced his belief that it
would be we'll to repeal all existing
statutes and start in with clean
sheet.
SCHOOL CODE.
The school code still fails to
please. Not only must it be whip
ped into shape to please the Phila-
delphia delegation, and the Allie
gheny delegation, but lots of the
country members are prepared with
amendments when it gets before the
House, and it seems possible that it's
parents will fail to recognize it when
the House has done it's worst. What
suits one section displeases another,
and the outcome must of necessity
be a compromise, for measure of
some sort will be put through this
year.
REVENUE BILLS.
A whole raft of revenue bills, in
tended to eQualize taxation and pro-
duce the necessary funds to meet the
growing expense of the state and it's
institutions, has been prepared by
the committee appointed by the last
Legislature on Taxation, and placed
before the lawmakers. In addition
to these individual members have
placed large number under way
for action. AS a sample there are
no less than four bills before the
House amending the act taxing the
gross receipts of transportation and
lighting companies, whereas all
should have been combined in one.
There are duplicates in other direc-
tions which will of course be elimi-
mated in the wedding out process.
Most of the revenue bills are aimed
at corporations, and if they all be-
came laws stockholders would have
to be content with lesser dividends,
while the rule would be no divid-
ends, most likely. Companies en-
gagged in the manufacture of gas are
asked to pay tax of five mills on
their capital stock and a tax of eight
mills on their gross receipts, the
same as electric light companies do.
All corporations have another mill
added to their capital stock tax. In
surance companies are asked to pay
a three per cent. tax on their gross
premiums received from business
done within the state, instead of two
per cent as at present; an increase
of fifty per cent. in the tax. These
are samples.
AUTO OWNERS GROWL.
Automobilists are doing consider
able growing over the increased tax
or license required of them. They
think S75 is a big fee, considering
how many poor roads we have, even
though the money is all to be used
in the construction and maintenance
of roads. We shall however, have a
lot of good roads, if the Sproul bill
is enacted into law, and the Consti-
tuition may be amended so as to per-
nit of the issuing of S50,000,000 of
bonds. But, as Kipling says, that is
another story.
SALARY RAISES.
The state will need a big increase
in revenue to meet all the salary
TdlS6S now DelOT6 In6 Legislature.
A local paper summarized these bills
some time ago, showing that it
would require at least $2,50O,0O0 to
pay the increase, to say nothing of
the former salaries, and there have
been lot of bills to increase salar-
les put in since then. Certainly
some of the States employees are
not adequately compensated, and this
condition the Legislature should
correct, but the lawmakers are like
ly to do lot of hard thinking before
all these bills are passed and the
question put up to the Governor.
The Judges salary bill is still before
the Senate, waiting for nice day,
And there are a whole lot of i'm
portant bills, remedial, reorganizing
departments, providing revenue, taxi
ing care of the charitable and bene-
VIOLENT institutions, that deserve and
should receive the most careful con-
sideration, which may be lost in the
final shuttle, or put upon the books
in imperfect form. This Legislature
has some very important work ahead