The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1915-02-19
UTILITIES MEASURE
|. UNDER DISCUSSION
SENATOR ROCKWELL DEFENDS
THE COMMISSION IN COMMIT
TEE OF THE WHOLE.
Statewide Prohibition Bill Reported
Favorably and There Seems
Little Doubt That Idaho
Will be Dry.

idaho legislature in defense of the
public utilities commission and in op to
position to senate bill No. IL, by g
Thomas. which seeks to repeal from
that act section 49, clothing the com
mission with power to exclude compe n
tition among public utilities in any d
given field of the state. The bill came
up in the committee of the whole. II
was ably defended by Senator Thomas |.
of Bingham county, author Of the act Il
The debate was unmarked by bitter :
ness. but punctuated with statesman
ship on the part of both champion OF
the bill and defender of the commits
sion. Its passage went over to Mon
day. The vote will be close in both
houses. Commission advocates declare
that if the section is removed the com.
mission is useless.
The privileges and elections com
mittee of the senate decided on Febru
airy Is to report the house state-Wloe
prohibition bill Monday morning with
the recommendation OF majority OF
the committee that 1t do pass. one
member of the committee will PROB
ably submit minority report that II
| do not pass.
/
| and the bill will either pass under sus
pension of the rules or on its regular
course be passed with 25 of the 80
votes in the senate behind it. This
means that Idaho will go dry on Janu-
ary /. 1916, with Oregon and Washing
ton.
The house discussed the fish and
game commission bill at length and
made it a special order for Z O'Clock |
Monday night Among the more i'm
portant bills passed was one permit
ting county commissioners to purchase
fair ground sites. A bill was intro
duced creating the office of state pur-
chasing agent
The sectional educational contest
was raised in the senate again in an
: attempt to pass senate bill No. 81, to
: establish the Idaho technical institute
2 at Pocatello with two years college
t course. Senator Day of Latah county
r challenged the southeast to definitely
f state It was not the intention to make
the institution a second university OF
S Idaho. in competition to Moscow. Sen
; ator Hart in reply declared the south
l. east stood for the Moscow university
e and had always and would continue to
l. work for its support.
e Senator Thomas attacked northern
y Idaho senators for raising the sectional
-e question as between north and south
" Idaho. and declared for abandonment
Of of the present educational system OF
this state in its entirety. Sweet OF
Idaho and Frazier of Kootenai came to
y the defense of Day and stated the1I
re opposition to the creation of any Jun
Of Tor college that would injure the ami
tie versity.
as Senator Thomas sprang sensation
is when he moved to defer further con
he sideration of the bill, permitting it t.
M retain it's place on the calendar, sayln,
RS he would introduce an act which VII
have for its purpose consolidation o
ne the state normal at Lewiston with tn
es university at Moscow and the norma
mt at Albion with the Academy of Idah
wv at Pocatello. The purpose of this &C
nd is to test out the senate on consolids
ro- ton plan The academy bill, there
tn, fore, did not go to final vote.
lst
Idaho is nearer statewide proh1b
on ton than it has ever been before, fc
led by an overwhelming vote the house
lat representatives on February 10 passe
the statutory prohibition bill to max
the this state dry on and after Januar
the 1, 1916 The measure is known
in house bill No. 142, by Kiger, Thra'
ub- kill, McGowen, Bohman, Allard, A
the derson, York, Hunt, Anderson OF Bo
ted neville, Evans. Carratt, Lau, Taylo
Holland, woodward, Hunter, Edelblut
ich Miles, Shattuck and Hull. 1t WI
rae. passed by a vote of forty-six for al
and but twelve against.
reg, The prohibitionists claim there a
enough votes in the present senate
late pass the bill and it will be signed
bill Governor Alexander. By sidetrackil
ern, the local option amendatory b
passed by the senate, prohibitions
ICED in the house were able to get t
Sci statewide prohibition measure over
and the senate to force a vote, and
Hill lieve they have won remarkat
any victory.
The opposing votes in the hou
urn, against the bill were cast by Alberts
.ddi- of Blaine, Cannon of Elmore, Davis
dis Shoshone, Dis of Boise, Grice OF s.
oun- shone, Kribs of Shoshone, Meyer
Idaho, Nichols of Lemhi, Northrop
Ada Trotter of Owyhee, Sweet
omy Ada and Harchelrode of Idaho.
fhen The house also cleared away
re salary reduction bill, cutting down
st to salaries in the auditors departm'
was s2,50O; treasurer's department, $2,4
and attorney generals departing
$500 per annum, by passing 1t.
the house resolution to increase the Of
ridge of county commissioner from two
0 for six years was killed. together with
cross act seeking to reduce the salary OF
state chemist.
lreau Charges that Anderson of Can
lator was not acting in good faith "
4 are made on the floor of the house by
the Gowan of Latah. The attack came
tenn the course of the debate on II.
iouse N 26. by Hunter of Latah, to APP
d by priate s7,427.75 for the relief of
First National Bank of Moscow.
osing BY an adverse report from
eddie house judiciary committee, S. B.