The Brinkley argus., 1915-03-12

some cOunCleS 10 aDOllSn n C Board of Equalization, but the did not have time in to spread. Two years from now it will no doubt be prevalent, and special school districts will follow the example of the Little Rock and Pine
 Bluff district and ask f o r treasurers, thus saving much of the fees now paid to county treasurers. The fee system was abolished in a few more counties and the next few legislatures will see salary bills all around, and it would not be surprising
 to see the officials take the iniative on this and prepare a salary bill graduated according
 to the population or the wealth
 of the county. As some of the
 hardest fought bills now before
 the Assembly are county salary
 bills, this would save much time
 and it would also save county
 officials much worry. T h e
 local legislation has run much to
 special school districts, tick
 eradication, drainage, road and
 levee districts. General road
 and stock law acts were passed,
 giving counties local option with
 reference to them. Many coun-
 ties though asked and received
 stock laws, showing a marked
 change from a few years ago.
 when four wire fence laws were
 always fercely contested. The
 state has reached the period in
 these matters where it is only a question of one or two General Assemblies before the people of each county will be permitted to
 vote on such without appealing
 to the legislature.
 Railroads or corporations of any kind, was not affected to any extent by the Assembly. The railroads were denied their plea to have the Arkansas Rail- roa d Commission investigate their condition and be given the power to increase passenger rates if they saw it was necess- ary in order to operate the rail- roads with profit but o n the other hand no additional burden was placed upon them. The Senate never took to the Public Service Commission bills any more than it did to the bank guaranty or telephone regulation bills. The 1915 session of the legislature was not corpora tion batter, a marked change in past few years. If this keeps on improving, in a few years the legislature will be actually en- couraging capital and inviting it to come to Arkansas to seek in- vestment. A bill was passed to require all railroads operating in to repair their equip ment which becomes damaged within the state in shops locat- ed within the state. This bill was one of those sponsored by the labor unions and one which they will be more than willing to back away from before the next legislature. It is well known that the largest shops of the Iron Mountain, Rock Island and Cotton Belt are located in Ark ansas. All the little roads oper- ating within the state have their only shops in Arkansas. The Frisco and Kansas City South ern already have shops within the state of sufficient size to re- pair their Arkansas damaged goods, but it will be rather in- convenient in some cases to reach them. Other states are passing similar laws, Kansas. Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas either having them or pending in their legislatures. If they pass much of the repair work now being brought to the main shops in Arkansas will go to other states. This will re- duce the work to be done by the Pine Bluff, Little Rock and Tex shops by about one-third, and instead of causing an addi- tion of force, as the labor lead
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