Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-03-27

chase under this act? The same is
| true in scores Of other cities in the
state, where the utilities have been To-
Gated Just outside the city limits in or
der to avoid taxes. The house bill
takes care of this situation.
"The senate bill permits foreign cor
porations to take out future fran
chises, thereby coming under the fatal
guardianship of the federal courts. The
house bill confines future grants to cor
! porations organized under the Iowa
laws only.
House Favors Non-partisan.
"The senate bill delays the non
partisan feature of the board until two
years from now, presumably to ward
off the possible effect of democratic
victory. The house bill makes the COM
mission non-partisan this year, the two
new members will have to be demo-
Gratis. If it is wise to have a non
partisan board, why not have it now as
we'll as later?
''The senate bill creates an unnec-
essary and costly duplication in the
work of different departments of the
state. The utilities commission is
empowered to make valuations of rail
roads, and other utilities, for rate max
ing but not for taxation purposes. The
executive council, or the tax commits
sion, will make the valuations for taxa
ton purposes. There is no justification
for this costly duplication of work. The
house bill provides that the public
service commission shall make valua-
tons for both rate making and taxa
ton purposes.
to the municipality to fix rates. 1t is
understood the subcommittee in the
house is going to recommend provis-
ion granting home rule to the mu-
nicipality in their bill.
Senate Forces Mergers.
The senate bill has extensive pro-
visions for forcing mergers covering
pages of printed matter, which even.
authorizes the condemnation of the
stock held by a party protesting
against merger or consolidation. 1t
is quite doubtful if this is constitu
tional. 1t is certainly contrary to pub
lie policy. The house bill has no such
provision.
There are about dozen other i'm
portant differences between the two
bills. But it must be remembered that
there are complicated problems con-
nected with such a piece of legislation.
I have the utmost confidence in the in
tegrity and the sincerity of Senator
Crist and his associates. The differ
ences in opinion l believe are honest
differences"
,xy:1I 49, - 49,
working over utilities bill first but it
is promised the house will not be long
after it, provided the first of the high
way bills is got out Of the way early.
Want Woman's, Building.
A committee in charge of the work
" sterday laid upon the desks of the
Legislators. an earnest appeal for an
Of $4,000 for women's
and children's building at the state
fair. The building would have hall
for lectures, rest rooms, nursery, rooms
women and children and also would
contest, which has become a great
feature. The women have great hopes
that the legislature will make provi-
SIGN for this building.
The bill to divide Kossuth county
and create the new county of LARA
bee is to be disposed of in the house
next Tuesday. Representative Hutch
ms objected to an earlier considera-
ton, as he states that a great many
people in the county object to the divi-
sion and desire chance to appear and
state their views. They have not yet
had opportunity for hearing.
The house made a bad case of pre-
tending to try to establish censorship
over the moving picture business In