St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-03-03

so as to provide that any woman over
2 L and under 70, if she should so de-
sire, could have the same right as
men to vote in town and municipal
meetings and hold municipal Office
provided she had her poll set in the
list at So. The amendment offered
by Mr.. Miller made the matter of the
right to cast a ballot optional.
An unsuccessful attempt was made
to reconsider the vote but it was de-
feated by a vote of 80 yea and 186
nay.
Retrenchment Proposed.
The move for retrenchment in
state expenses has found two more
victims upon which the house intends
to focus its attention. The abolish
ing of the factory inspector and the
commissioner of weights and meas
ures is contemplated by two bills
now before the house. One bill was
introduced by the committee on man
ufactures, the other by the commit
tee on agriculture. H All would
put into the hands of the commission
er of agriculture the duties of the
present commissioner of weights and
measures and would limit the eX-
penses of the work to $4,000. The
manufactures committee also thinks
it has found some good reasons for
doing without the service of the fac
tory inspector, who is at present Mr..
Calhoun of .Middlebury.
The house has ordered to a third
reading the bill repeating the So
called Estate House steaI' act of
1912. The act of 1912 appropriated
100000 for an addition to the state
house to provide for the supreme
court and the library. The question
was submitted to the people in the
usual form of referendum and was
voted down by small majority. The
house acting in accordance with the
report of the house committee on
public buildings will pass H 148, re-
pealing the act of 1912. At the same
time the need of more room is rec
ognized, and the recommendations
of a joint committee who are inves-
tigating the need, will later be con-
sidered by the legislature.
Tax Bill On Thursday.
The tax bill was explained by Mr..
Demeritt of Duxbury, chairman of
the special committee which drafted
it, on Thursday. Upon his motion
debate and action upon it was post
poned until next Thursday after
noon at $3.50, so that the members
could consult their constituents dur
ing that time. Fifteen hundred ex-
ira copies were ordered to be printed
and distributed. The fat rate of
seven mills on intangibles was just
provision, he explained, because of
the inflexibility of income from in
tangibles. Such income is limited by
law to SIX per cent and the present
taxation on intangibles is practically
confscatory. Offsets have been crit
icized because of their abuse, he said.
The proposed law tries to provide for
honest offsets and requires some ma
chinery to do so.
Senate bill 10, to repeal the law
requiring the supreme court to fur
nish the government opinions, was
laid on the table last Friday. The
house will probably kill this meas
ure and as it favOrs the Jones bill
to abolish the Office of attorney gen.
eral and could not consistently take
away all legal advice from the chief
executive.
Mr.. Black of Burlington has pre-
scented a memorial from graduates
of the University of Vermont, living
in and around New York, regarding
the educational policy of the state
toward that institution. The memo
rial asks that state recognize the
university as a state institution.
House bill 148, introduced by Mr..
Manchester of Hubbardton, to repeal
the social "state house STEAL" pass
ed in 1912, appropriating 100000
to erect a building for the use of
the state library, supreme court and
other purposes, has been ordered to
lie and be made a special order for
Thursday morning at IL O'Clock.
Friends of the bill desired the de-
lay and the motion for special or
der was made by Mr.. Proctor of Proc
tor.