The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-02-23
STATE LEGISLATURE
FINISHES BUSINESS

The state legislature adjourned
Saturday night after having ran up
budget of approximately $4,000, 900.
With the exception of the four good
road bills, but little real constructive
lawmaking was carried on. However,
if the start made under this Legislation
leads to an awakening all over the
state to the Importance of road build
ing, as its friends predict, the road
bills may mark important year and
cause the Legislature of 1911 to be
gratefully remembered for what it
grudgingly gave.
Of bills of political phase, Speaker
Rusk's second choice primary bill,
passed in the last hours of the session,
will perhaps take a leading place. 1t is
copied partly from the Washington and
partly from the Idaho law, and requires
every voter to name his second rs we'll
as first choice for every Office for which
there are more than two candidate s.
If no candidate wins a majority of
first choice votes, the one having the
greatest number of first and second
choice will become the nominee.
In order that the public institutions
of the state may be better provided
for, a purchasing board, composed of
the governor, secretary of state and
treasurer, was created. This board
will employ state purchasing agent
who will keep in close touch with the
needs of the public institutions and the
markets from which they are supplied
and be ready to advise with the board
at any time.
The state board of health was cared
for by giving it $4,000 annually to
combat disease and look after the
health of the state. An additional
$4,000 was voted for protection against
the Bubonic plague.
An immigration bureau was estab-
lished in accordance with the urgent
recommendation of Louis W. Hill and
the publicity interests of the state. 1t
will have $25, 900 to boost Oregon in
the east.
Since fruit raising is one of the
states chief resources, it came in for
good share of appropriations. Two
more experimental stations were es-
tablished, one each in Harvey and
Jackson counties. The stations al
ready existing received nice slice of
the budget and $4,000 was voted for
the investigation of fruit and plant
pests.
Livestock interests received atten-
tion by the passage of the Burgess and
Hawley Bill, which provides for the
appropriation of $500 for the pur-
pose of conducting state wide tuber-
culosis test.
The university receives $753, 900, the
agricultural college $4,000, providing
two new buildings for the university
and one for o. A. c. The Monmouth
normal school, sole survivor of the
normal school fight of former sessions,
was voted S50,000 for a girls dormi-
tory. County school supervisors are
provided for in all counties of the state
where there are more than 60 school
districts. Standardization of normal
schools, colleges and teachers certifi-
Gates is made by another bill.
All circuit judges of the state were
placed on $4,000 per year, and with'one
new Judge in Multnomah county, the
total increase in salaries for the judges
will be S48, 900. Circuit judges are now
paid $4,000 by the state, but Multno-
nah and many other counties pay $1,000
more from county funds, so the bill
does not mean an actual increase of