Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1915-04-14
Lawmakers Endeavoring to Clear
the Calendars.
GIVEN CONTROL over RATES
Insurance DEPARTMENT. Powers Enor.
mousIy Increased by LeolsIa-
ton Just Enacted.

st. Paul--(Special)- another
week the thirty-ninth Minnesota leg
islature will be history and the lead
ers Of both houses, aware of the near
approach of the hour of final ad-
journment, have begun to speed up
things a bit. Last week large num-
Der Of bills, few of them of statewide
Importance, were rushed through the
house, and the senate bill hopper is
choked in consequence. To date $50
laws have been placed on the statute
books. The chief matter of concern just
now is the omnibus appropriation bill,
recently turned out by the house ap,
preparation committee. It carries de-
partmental appropriations of $5,213,-
3s7, which is $113,S90 less than the
amount granted by the legislature
two years ago. It exceeds the figure
agreed upon by the senate finance
committee, which cut the demands OF
the state university over 100000 and
reduced the forestry department to
| mere running expenses. The house
| cut made by the senate committee.
One thing is assured by both commit
| tees and that is the total appropria-
tons this year will be considerably
under two years ago and the state
tax levy for revenue purposes will
be less. TO those who gauge the
average legislative body by the num-
Der of laws it places on the statute
books the present gathering is pos
sibly looked upon as failure, but
there is one thing to it's credit and
that is the determination of ma
jority of the two bodies to keep down
! to the minimum the biennial raid on
the state treasury. The cut has been
all down the line
+ !. +
Governor Hammond has signed
Senate File No. 55S and it is now a
law. This bill gives the state insur.
ance department supervision over and
control of all fire insurance rates in
1.-The state and as "a result Minnesota
lis the first state in the Union to be
SO equipped. Now if a rate is unsat
isfactory or the state insurance com
missioner believes that combina
ton exists he can revise the rate and
the only appeal is to the courts. The
department under the terms of the
act, which is the work of Senator
Ward of Fairmont, is placed on the
same basis as the railroad and ware
house commission. S. D. Works, state
insurance commissioner, regards the
law as one Of the best ever enacted
in Minnesota His department has
absolute control of all fire insurance
rates under its terms
i j. +
There is an alleged bridge combine
: in Minnesota and Representative War
ner, chairman of the house commit
tee appointed to investigate it's ex
)istence, is of the opinion that the leg
islature should pass some law tina
would curb it's activities. Writing tt
county auditors throughout the stat
Representative Warmer learned tina
the combine has its home in Minneap
oils and that through the medium @
straw bids the counties generally ar,
compelled to pay "a high figure 70
their bridge work. He so reporte,
to the house in lengthy letter an,
! supplemented his charges with muc]
in the line of data showing the opera
tons of the alleged combination. Al
Mr.. Warner explains it the state i
divided into districts and each dis
t trict is apportioned to some bridg
7 concern. OF course the. others partit
!. ipated, but their bids are general
3 high enough to permit the award t,
the favored party.
!. + :.
7 The Minnette telephone control bill
{ placing all wire talking companies il
the state under the state railwa,
) jcommission and compelling physica
, connection when demanded, contin
hes to hang fire. For week now tn
disputed points between the hous
and senate have been in the hands o
conference committee, but up t
date the committee has failed to &c
together. Some delay was occasione,
by the illness of Representative Min
nette, who is confined to his room Ii
the Merchants hotel. Mr.. Minnett
: insists on the Incorporation of
referendum provision in the act an,
: this the telephone companies do no
want. There is a possibility that tn
whole thing will go by the boards a
a result of the disagreement, but Sen
, ator Rockne and others insist that al
agreement will be reached before th
| close of the session.
,, \ !. J.
!! The Rustad- Gordon convention bill
designed to permit political parties t
.. name candidates for state offices a
legally organized public meetings, ha
q chance to pass. The senate gave
favorable consideration in committe
of the whole and later passed tn
NIL TN1,o h~,,cx ,,,}11 Z, :, -