The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-18
NEW LEGISLATION
 BENG PREPARED New Legislature Will Have More Than It Can Do MEASURES PENDING Some SpO or 400 General Measures Left Over From Last Session
 to Consider Besides the
 New Bills

lation are becoming more frequent.
 Many ere busy drawing bills and the Legislature, as usual. is going to find itself with considerably more matter
 before 1t than it can possibly give att
 tention to.
 some 300 to 400 general measures are
 pending from last session; many of
 them are good ones and now occupy
 favorable position before house or sen-
 ate with recommendations from com mittees than may be passed. It Is prob- able from present outlook that nearly
 as many moro will be added to the list
 and if 10 per cent of the total gets | through the legislature will have done
 q good 90 days work,
 | As a rule 50 general measures Is a big sessions work for the general as-
 sembly; usually if is considerably be- | low that. The last session passed about
 s5 general bills. Several hundred local bills were put through. however. and
 the usual flood of these may be ex- pocted the coming session. There Is never session butt half the counties
 of the state want some change made in their plan of government and the
 other half generally follows suit.
 It is conceded that Georgla's insur-
 ance and banking laws arc badly in
 need of revision. Speclai committees appointed from the legislature to deal
 with these subjects have prepared plans
 CT revision and will present them in | the shape of bills. Notwithstanding
 this 1t is a question as to whether thees measures will get through. Unless they ,1rI. .Ia t4.4, ind or there is strong influence behind them
 they will be in danger of dying the usual death.
 | A couple of years ago or so the sen ate passed new banking bill and 1t | got over to the house, which did not reach 1t for action until the close of the session. IL came up in the after l noon the legislature was getting ready to adjourn that night. 1t was con- ceded to be good bill, but when ono member saw the clerk begin to read 1t and took in that it was voluminous measure likely to require an hour or more in reading he said
 That bilps too long. MT. Speaker; let's table it." and table t they did. That ended 1t for that day brought final ad- journment to that particular legislature. As usual there will be efforts this sum- mer to increase certain salaries. Already notice has been given of bill that pro poses to increase the salary of the att 1 torney general from $30o0 to 5000 a year. upon the theory that good lawyer who dsvotastval his tirnez- --- s. The legislature, however, is not much inclined to the salary increase idea Two or three years ago effort was made l to put over a little stunt in this drec- l tion, but 1t finally failed. A bill was passed fixing the salaries of the pudgee l of one of the appellate courts, but the house refused an increase though it passed the bill with the same figure these judges were then and are now reeeiy- ing. In this shape it went over to the senate where the plan was to have the senate amend 1t by increasing the sal- arles, and then send it back to the house where 1t could be put through by a ma- jority of quorum, instead of requiring a constitutional majority. For some reason however. the plan failed to work. and the judges are still receiving the old salaries, though many are of the opin- ion they are entitled to more.
 It is hard matter to get through salary increase, though the legislature got liberal several years ago and raised the governors salary from 5000 to 5000. Firmerly almost every statehouse official received a salary of s20O0 but the legisla- tnre has since added 5000 in most cases, and the prevailing salary is now s300o with the exception of prison commissions CTS, who get $2o0O, and railroad commis- ,,n2pers. who get $3500. except the chair give s,ho is paid s4OOo and required to
 Among otnte'fge to the work.
 commerce Is preparine tianta chamber of duced this session providing f6r bs s.i intre- tr ulaton of stock and bond selling or brok- craze companies. It Is said Georgians have been made the victims of get-rich- quick schemes to the tune of several mill lion dollars as result of stocks and bonds that have proven worthless after their purchase. It is proposed to have every stock and bond company doing busi- ness in the s,ate. make showing as to its good standing, and to secure license fro mthe state. Comptroller general w. A. Wright has received many complaints from Georgians who have been made the victims of games of this sort, which 1t IS believed can be eliminated by proper regulation which will not interfere with legtimate companies.
 Georgia Secured good game law at the last sessloh of the legislature; this year there win be presented measures for the pfbtection of fish which have been killed out of many streams In the state by tf use of dynamite and other wholesale obstructive agencies
 Tho Georta Bar association has pre- pared ntnber of measures proposing to change tN methods of court procedure an dthe criNnal laws of the state with view to mfing punishment for unques- toned crimd more prompt as well as
 more certait These bills have been carefully pr9ared by some of the best legal talent q the state. An effort made to get through some similar measures a couple of tars or ago. failed and strangely enpgh the chief opposition F. came from l@yer members. That will be the fate ol the present bills. it is im- possible to Iedict, but that the stAss needs some dch legislation as this hof the better prection of society,2is un- questioned.
 The legislatte will not have to spend any of it's tiTt upon approximations and tax bills, as Iese wero/ practically all
 dealt with lad sessiof There will be a few special at tropria16ns bills and the fate of these MI dTend on the status of the treasuiy\4~1
 Unless sentAen. has very much changed the firN hing the house will do is to put thropi tlP famous Tippins bill which probability sale Of any bev- craze in Georgia ufs any circumstances containing more tE one-half Of one per cent of alcohol. ,.iis measlre is aimed at the so-called .bt beer emborums b,r
 1t also hits tilatdIgists who are prepar- ing for hxfd fis to secure an amend ment of tH meae whichswill take 1ut the sting Eo fari they are concerned
 Just vSs6H weiglthe complairt of ths drun6Hs will h, Is involved Nm some da A comnse from the etuggists
 sared before , house comnitee lac,
 r when the Tins bill was un4 con r
 ITerati ton. but received cold cmfoyt.
 )rhe druggists have another ,hs@nce with the senstin md after that. like tho near beer dealf they will have to put