Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-03-19
PUSH CONSOLIDATION BILLS
House Adopts Policy to Combine
Boards and Put More Work
on Some Officers.
LAN1GAN AND NORTON HAVE TILT
(From a STAFF Correspondents

tFrom Staff Correspondent)
LINCOLN. March 1s.-(Special. Econ
omy was discussed In the house today
in the consideration OF three bills re-
ported by the finance committee. The
first one. consolidating the stallion regis
tration board with the office of the state
veterinarian, went through with little OF
no opposition, but when II came TO lop-
| ping OFT the Jobs of several good demo-
Gratis by consolidating the fire commits
sion with the labor commission and the
hotel commission with the food commits
| Sion. the fireworks started and Lanigan'
OF Greedy charged Norton with trying
20 put Ia policy. Of economy for no
other reason than that he was trying TO
help himself politically st the expense of
the state and efficiency in departments.
When the house took up II. r. 65s. to
merge the fire commission with the labor
commissioner office. Mr.. Broome moved
TO postpone II indefinitely. Messrs
Broome. Lanigan. Hostetler and Mockett
made speeches against the bill. They
claimed that the fire commission IL now
on a sufficient basis and that II placed
under the labor commission, II would
not receive proper attention. They also
pointed out that the fire commission is
supported by a tax on fire insurance COM
panIes and does not require an appro-
pristion from the state treasury TO sup
port u. -,
Lanigan says No Reason,
Mr. f.anglan asserted that there is no
demand for such consolidation and chal-
tenEed the finance committee TO show
where n would save the state any money.
Mr. IIostetler added that It would not
be through economy6to cripple the fire
commission, by making II branch OF
some other bureau.
Replying to these criticisms. Mr., Trum
BILE said that even n the fire commission
Ia supported by tax ON insurance COM
panles. the money would come indi-
reclly out of their policy holders. II Is
question. he said. Of saving the peo-
plots money or saving somebody's job.
MIR. Hoffmeister. member OF the IL
nance committee. told the house there
are too many inspectors running around
over the state. He wanted TO know who
pays their salaries, railroad fare and
hotel bills. and also the stenographers'
salaries and office expenses at the cap
ital
MIR. Norton, chairman OF the commit
tee, answered Lanigan's charge Of pea
nut economy by saying that nobody now
finds fault with what was done two
years ago In consolidating the oil inspec-
ton bureau with the food commission
The results OF this merger, he stated.
have been 10 promote both economy ana
efficiency.
Too Many Commissions.
Norton said that the state had seventy
or eighty commissions OF one sort or
another now. and one reason for calling
an Unconstitutional convention was TO
get rid OF some OF them aud thus sim
plify the state government. He called on
the members to remember their pledge
made TO the voters that they would help !
IN cutting out superfluous boards and |
commissions.
Mr.. Greenwalt. also a member OF the |
finance committee. said all Of these com |
missions have been. created by a pres
sure exerted at the capitol building and |
not because tho people wanted them
lie declared that inspectors are getting |
so thick In Nebraska that even little 1
one-horse towns are much pestered with |
them.
Messrs. Norton and Dafoe said Il was /
nothing uncommon for an inspector OF |
the fire commission 70 visit the town |
one day, looking over buildings and fire /
escapes and then leave. 70 be followed !
the next by an Inspector for the labor |
commissioners office who would do the |
work all over again, They believed that |
by consolidating the two one set OF in-'
spectors could do the work without
treading on each others heels,
A. 90 TraSsIiaR Men.
When the bill consolidating the hotel |
commission with the food commission !
was taken, UP the principal argument
made BY its opponents was that the
travelling men want a separate commits
sion 80 that hotel accommodations win
be held up 10 the proper STANDARD Mr.
Tihbets said he had heard from q good
many travelling men on this and he
moved 10 postpone indefinitely.
Messrs Fuller, GreenWait and Scott
all said that they had heard from many
travelling men who did not oppose the
bin.
The senate viii XIII ali these bills
inteI,jected Mr. Lanigan They are
brought out HERE just 70 make record |
for economy But 20 ahead n you want
to- the senate viii XIII them"
mo bills have been brought out By the
finanee, committee to ~ passed by the
house with the desire that the senate
would kri them replied Chairman Nor |
ton. n want these bills 10 pass the
houss. and / hope the senate VIII also
pass them ana the governor sign' them
and they5Nill become Ihas.'' a..
BiIIs Are ReeOmneaded.
In each sinstance the motion 10 iinaef-