The Prescott daily news., 1915-03-02
SENATE CUTS $42,-
 602 FROM GENERAL
 APPROPRIATION BILL
Near Fight in Upper House Averted Discharge Deputy Land Commits sioner. Appropriation Medical
 College Goes Through

Little Rock, March Whittling here and there almost all day. the Senate cut $42,692 from the general appropriation bill Monday, then eith- CT put back items or made other changes until the appropriation ex- ceeded the bill originally introduced by $1,lS8. The appropriation recom- mended by the Budget Committee ex- ceeded that of 1913 for all depart ments of the state government by S2O0,OO0, it calling for an expenditure of $S14,360.
 In the forenoon session, by remov- ing clerk from the office of the State Auditor, another from the office of the Secretary of State, cutting S3,3 ,322 from the Auditors printing fund, $9,0OO from the printing fund of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, as well as $500 from the postage fund, and $1,500 from two travelling ex. pense fund, the appropriation had been reduced by $21,047
 The afternoon session began by talk ing a typewriter appropriation of $S5 and 5000 from the printing fund of the Tax Commission. No change was made in the Treasurer's appropriation and the travelling expense fund of the Railroad Commission was increased 5000 because the bill pending to pre- vent them from accepting free rail road transportation is expected to be- come law. The History Commission items were all adopted, and an addi- tional allowance of $250 for travelling expenses as well.
 Then came the big item of the after noon, or of the week, ending in the discharge of M. J. McMahon as De- putty Labor Commissioner and the re- duction of the $200 maintenance item of this department from $2000 to $500 The first item in this appro- priation was for $2400 salary for the deputy commissioner. Senator Great house asked what were the duties of this official, and Deputy McMahon, who happened to be in the Senate Chamber, walked up in from of Sen ator Greenhouses seat and said some thing to him. Senator Greenhouse called for the Sergeant at Arms, de- claring that the official had insulted him. A minute later Deputy McMa- hon was on the stand beside Senator Bush, who was in the chair presiding over the Senate as a committee of the whole, and started to make an address to the Senate. Senator Moore of Phillips stopped him and ordered Me Mahon down. A motion was then made to strike from the appropria- tion the salary of the deputy, but as it was admitted that the motion was aimed at the man and not at the office it was defeated. The maintenance of the office was then reduced from the $2000 asked, to $500.
 Instead of general reduction in the State Highways department as was anticipated, the salary of the assistant engineer was boosted from S24O0 to $3000, and though the salary of four clerks was cut out, two of these were later replaced, and the only reduction was in cutting off 5000 from the postage fund.
 From the State Board of Health ap- propriation $960 for a recording clerk in the Bureau of Vital Statistics and $750 for travelling expenses of the State Board of Health were taken. The mileage and per diem for the trustees of the Charitable institutions was reduced from $10,000 to $6,000.
 By oversight the Blue Sky depart ment of the State Banking office was left out, and $6300 was added for this purpose, as we'll as S27, ,2S0 for inter- est on the sinking fund.
 Commissioner J. (. Clary of the La bor Department came into the Senate chamber and announced to several Senators that he had summarily dis charged his deputy and asked that $2O00 be placed in his maintenance fund for stenographer hire. This was not done but he was allowed 5000. The Tax Commission was also given back the amount taken from its print ing fund.