Weekly journal-miner., 1915-02-03
WEEKS RESUME OF THE
 DO|NGS AT THE CAPITAL

PHOENIX, Jan. 26.-lf the con tention raised by T. I. Powers, (Maricopa) in the house yesterday and continued today is correct large percentage Of the laws passed since Arizona became a state are null, void and of no effect.
 Powers claims that the standard emergency clause which is attached to most of the bills removing them from the realm of referendum attack and hastening their operation IS not constitutiona1ly sufficient He said on the floor of the house this morning that, according to his interpretation, each bill must carry paragraph Spe- officially pointing out the particular emergency which exists.
 The point was first raised in con nection with the bill to permit coun- ties to legislate, on their own hook, the removal of county seats, and again this morning when senate bill No. 24, repeating the act creating school marshals and providing for taking of a school census, was under consideration before the committee of the whole.
 These bills carry the customary emergency clause which provides that Whereas, it is necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety for the proper administration of the government that the provisions of this act shall go into effect immediately, an cmcr- gency is hereby declared to exist and this act shall be in full force and cf- feet from and after its passage and approval by the governor, and IS hereby exempted from the rcfercn- dunn provisions of the constitution"
 It was argued by Loren Vaughn (Maricopa) chairman of the judiciary committee; w. J. Graham, (Cochise) and others that the fact that an emergency is declared is all that ia necessary and that the courts can not go back of such legislative decla- ration.
 Senate leaders say that Powers point is not well taken and cite the fact that this clause is practically the one used since the achievement ol statehood, and that although numer ous laws have been before the courts for constitutional determination the sufficiency of the emergency section has never been raised.
 The house, however, agreed with the Maricopa representative, and the school census bill was referred to the judiciary committee with instructions to make the necessary amplifications. If this policy is followed on all of the emergency measures further com plcations may ensue. Incidentally, il is said the section follows closely the California and Oklahoma re quircments, for which there is ample judicial review.
 PHOENIX, Jan. 26.-Housc bill No 37, introduced by A. A. Johns, (YavapaD was read for the first time today by number and title.
 This act provides that county boards of supervisors may borrow money for the purpose of carrying on or completing any public work, and may pay interest thereon not ex- cceding 6 per cent per annum, pro vided the sum so borrowed shall not exceed in any one year 10 per cent of the total amount of taxes collect cd in such county for the preceding year.
 If the proposed law becomes ef- fcctive it will enable supervisorial boards to proceed with contemplated good road improvements which have been held up because there appear ed 10 be no way under the existing law to secure the funds for such work. In Maricopa and Yavapai counties especially it is expected that much needed road work will be un- dcrtaken in the event of the passage of the bill, which will receive con siderable opposition on the ground that it gives to boards of supervisors too great power to impose additional tax burdens.
 The house, sitting as a committee of the whole, w. D. Claypool (Gila) in the chair, then debated senate bill No. 24 and the Powers contention of emergency clause suficiency.
 Special to the Journal Miner.
 PHOENIX. Jan. 2-Sensational was the meeting this morning when a majority of the finance committee damned through the senate their re port on the mine tax bill.
 This measure was framed by the big mining companies and provides for the valuation of mines for assess mcnt purposes on a basis of four times the net proceeds plus one eighth the gross. Ii does not en- courage the investment of capital in