The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-06
Special Committee Gets Liquor
Problem After Joint Body
Gives Up Task.
STATE PLATFORM PLANK
TO BE CLOSELY FOLLOWED
Favorable Report on Capitol
Proposition Is Most Import
ant Action of Session.

| Interest in the proceedings Of the
Legislature for the past week was large
ly centered in what the joint commit
tee would do, or rather in what 1t
would not do. with the liquor legisla-
tion before it. However, by far the
most important thing accomplished by
the legislature in the week, OF In fact
in the entire session thus far. was the
decision Of the committees on capitol
building and grounds and public in
stitutions to recommend for passage
bill authorizing a bond issue of 81 ,000,-
600 for the erection of tho new state
the passage of the bill by the senate
and makes its passage by the house
very probable.
The liquor committee worked two
weeks on the proposed liquor legisla-
tion and at the end of fortnight of
work reported to both houses that it
had accomplished nothing and begged
TO be excused from further cmsidera
ton of the measures. Pursuant to The
recommendation of the joint committee
the presiding officers of the two houses
each selected two members and the four
stitute committee which will draft
measure for presentation in the two
houses, the bill to follow the lines of
the liquor plank in the Republican
state platform.
Personnel of Committee
On the committee were named Sena-
tors Rudolph Kuchler of Weber and
Carl A. Badger OF Salt Lake and Rep
resentatives Rock NJ. Pope of Wasatch
and John n. Wootton of Utah county.
The four named Senator Benner X
Smith OF Salt Lake as the fifth mem
Der. The committee will hold its first
meeting this morning at $3.50 o'clock
in Senator Smith IS Office.
OF prime Importance arc bills intro
duced simultaneously in the senate and
house providing for material reductions
in the railroad rates for the transpor
tation of coal between points within
the state The bills specify the rates
to be charged for coal for various dis
tances in the state. The bills are an
outcome Of the high prices charged
for coal.
The senate committee on education
decided on an important recommends
tlon last Friday when it voted to re-
port favorably Senator Stookey's meas
ure providing for permanent main
tenance fund for state educational in
stitutlons based on the amount Of rev.
enue received each year by the state.
Saves Hatchtown Project.
The signature of the governor on a
bill last Tuesday saved the Hatchtown
irrigation project from losing its water
rights. Under the statute of limita,
tions for the completion of irrigation
projects in force last week, the time
for the completion of this enterprise
by the state would have expired We'd
nesday. February l.
One of the most important bills of
the session, by Benner Y. Smith, made
material amendments in the present ir
rigation law and extended the time for
completion of the work on irrigation
projects five more years. The bill was
passed by the senate a week ago Fri
dav, and by the house last Monday. 1t
was transmitted to the governor Tues
day and Immediately signed by him.
I AS the bill contained an emergency
clause, making it effective on appro-
val. it became a law at once and FIVE
more, years are, now allowed for the
completion of the Hatchtown project.
The new law will also materially ben
eft the Weber river project
Representative Russell s bill, making
highway robbery punishable by life
imprisonment, has passed both houses
and requires only the governor S sig
nature TO make 1T law. The senate
anu uUuSe nave DObn passed q meas
ure increasing the state aid for schools
In districts where the revenue is in
sufficient from $4,000 to $4,000.
Two house bills which have passed
both bodies provide for an increase
in witness fees and provide further
that tho service of a subpoena is not
necessary to the collection of witness
fees. The senate has approved Of an
appropriation of $4,000 for the Or
phans' Home and Day Nursery and
the indications are that the house also
will approve of the measure.
Creates Stir In Washington
Senator Kuchler stirred up consider
able interest both here and in Wash
ington by resolution calling for an
investigation into the means whereby
entrymen in Utah secured advance in
formation from Washington relative to
the date of the opening OF the federal
lands in Tooele county. The resolution
failed of passage In the Utah senate
but it had the effect in Washington
of causing an investigation by the de-
partment of the interior, as a result
Of which ten days public notice will
probably be given of government land
openings hereafter.
The bill repeating the portion Of the
statute of frauds requiring agreements
between real estate dealers and clients
to be in writing caused n sharp debate
in the senate. After the question was
discussed at length the bill was killed.
The senate passed two important edu-
cational bills by Williams OF Salt Lake
One provides for degree Of engineer
ing in agriculture for the graduates OF
the Utah Agricultural college and the
other adds n course in elementary agri-
culture to the courses of study in the
normal department of the University
of Utah. Another measure. by VIII
liams, which passed the senate, pro-
vides emergency appropriations for the
deficits of 1910 and the maintenance of
state institutions for the first three
months of 1911.
Kill Several Bills
The most important bill killed in
the week was house bill 10 by Stack,
a measure repeating the fellow ser
want liability law. 1t was quickly
killed in the house by an overwh elming
vote and the author of the bill was