The weekly soliphone., 1915-02-26
|NS|STENT RUMOR OF
AN EXTENDED SESSION
However, There is Ample Time Left
to Pass Necessary Bills-Legis-
lative Gossip.
(By A. w. Parke)

(By A. w. Parke)
Little Rock, Feb. 24-More in
sistent is the rumor of a special or
extended session of the legislature,
but why such should be necessary is
not apparent, for in the two weeks
which remain there is ample time in
which to attend to all appropriation
measures. The only possible excuse
for an extended session is the finan-
cial condition Of the treasury, and
it would take every bit of the re-
naming twelve days to reach a solu-
tion of this alone. That would be
rapid work in face of the fact that
financiers have been working on the
problem for years without arriving
at anything that will be accepted
There are quite a few revenue
measures before the legislature but
they can be only sparingly noticed
with appropriations for all state in
stitutions to be fought over The big
items in the appropriations are usual
ly the features least noticed, with
sometimes a half day being devoted
to a single clerkship in some depart
ment.
Under the amendment to the con-
stitution which limits extra sessions
to 10 days at half pay, and allows no
per diem for time consumed after
that. it is hardly reasonable to con-
template a very extended extra ses-
sion, finance or no finance.
Should the special call be made
with the condition of the treasury as
the foundation, it will probably in
clude a number of other matters of
Importance. Among these may be the
extension of time for paying taxes,
which is muchly discussed measure
in the house just at present, after
passing the senate. This is a pet
administration measure, and is look
ed upon with favor and disfavor in
nanciers claim it will disrupt the
school systems and so tumble taxa
tion that it can never be straighten-
ed. There are others who declare
that it is the salvation of the prop
erty owner The members of the
Legislature are just now hearing al
most as much about it as they did
on the rate increase for the railroads,
but it is hardly probable that the
house will deal with it as leniently
as did the senate.
Unless the general assembly gets
hasty in the last days of the session
there will be no public utility COM
mission, no bank guaranty bill, and
the change in methods of handling
the affairs of state institutions will
not take place. Substitute bills have
been introduced for the public util-
ity commission bills, the author of
each of the two measures substitute
ing a new one. Senator Jones, who
would extend the powers of the Ar
kansas railroad commission remov-
ed from his the Objectionable fea-
lures concerning railroad bonds and
exempted the local public utilities
from his bill. Senator Duty, whose
| bill abolishes the Arkansas railroad
commission, making the members ap-
pointiye bysthe governor, has done
likewise, but he declines to accept
the manner of selecting the members
Of the commission under the Jones
bill, or remove the section which
gives the commissioners the right to
repeal the full crew, and other SINH
lar bills. With two bills so near
alike, with the authors unwilling to
agree, there is little chance for it to
get far beyond committee, espe-
cially as neither of the bills has pass
ed either house, for the members are
not going to take the time to discuss
them.