The Oskaloosa herald., 1915-01-21
BILL INTRODUCED BY II. c. RING
is OF BENEFIT TO CITIES.
DO AWAY WITH CONTRACTORS
A Short Ballot Law Being Fostered
by Republicans by Doing Away
With Many Smaller Elective
Officers of the State.

recess since Thursday last. Inc
reading of the list of committees
(these may be found in another col
umn) occupied the greater share of
the forenoon session.
The Fight is On.
With the appointment of commit
tees the war on the saloons started in
earnest The house committees are
said to stand 7 dry, wet and non
commital; senate, five dry, three wet
and four noncommital.
George Crozier in the house offord-
ed bill to repeal the mulct law. In
the senate six temperance bills we're
introduced Joint resolutions for a
constitutional amendments prohibit
ing the sale of liquor were offered by
Senators Thomas and Wilson. Sena-
tor Francis offered a bill requiring pc.
titons of consent must have Do pei
cent of the voters of the last general
election and saloons must close at
seven instead of nine o'clock as at
, present.
Loan Sharks Hit.
Bills were introduced in the senate
to establish municipal courts to sup
ervise the loan sharks, to give city
councils power to regulate telephone
> and telegraph companies and permit
savings banks to join the federal re-
serve system.
Some of the important bills in the
, house were:
Bill authorizing certain loans above
eight per cent interest putting loan
I.I., Natn
Jamson of Des Moines:
y Bill by Ball of Jefferson permitting
savings banks to join federal reserve
banks.
II Cities and Improvements.
il To grant cities the right to built
their own public improvements b!
: direct purchase OF material and EN-
I ployment of labor is the purpose O
y a bill introduced in the house Of the
d Iowa Legislature today by Herbert {
h Ring, OF Cedar Rapids.
y The public improvements are now
made in cities by the employment OF
private contractors, the work being
<, Civen to the lowest bidder after plans
=, have been published. The measure
- Offered by Mr.. Ring provides that the
- city engineer shall draw plans and
n specifications of all improvements tc
~ be made, including paving, curblng
~ sewers, etc, and to make an estimate
~ CT the cost. 1t is then provided by
II the PROPOSED law that where the en-
=. 9ireers estimate is lower than the
- Lowest bid submitted by contractors
a the city may proceed to do the work
II Under the direction of the city en-
v gneer, buying material and hiring
help and assessing the cost against
If The abutting property owners.
Is This proposed innovation in the
a. matter of municipal improvement
d promises to provoke one of the live
n lest discussions of the session. One
y weakness in the bill as offered, which
d will probably be rectified by an early
e amendment either in the committee
d or on the floor is that there is no pro
j. vision restricting the city not tt
T. spend money to exceed the engineers
IL estimate.
II II is understood the Dill is offered
at the request of the Cedar Rapid:
city commissioners. In cities under
r, the commission form of government
X such improvement, should the bill be
Ii come a law, would be under the di
rection of the department of streets
n and public improvements. The in
PRODUCTION of the bill caused fiurr!
of comment which seemed to be quit
favorable on the democratic side o
the house.
it More To Be Appointed.
n The proposition to do away will
- many of the minor elective officers il
- Iowa by the adoption of what Il
p known as the short ballot law, beinj
~ fostered by the republicans in tn
y legislature, is going to meet strenu
~ GUS opposition by the democrats
\ While defendants of the short ballo
10 are insisting better government Cal
be secured by the election of onl
q state officers and appointment of al
~ other officers and boards, the demo
- - Gratis are contending there are a
- ready too many appointiye officer
% beyond the direct control of the pee
) pie. One contra-attack to be mad
10 against the short ballot system viii
~ be promoted by Chas. Miller, of Way
Is erly, who desires to put the election
: of the county superintendent bacl
i. with the people. The last Legislature
q passed a law making the county ST.
~ lperintendent appointive by the schoo
board. There seems to have deyel
oped among the democrats at thi
session a policy TO oppose all move
!, ments which have as their object tn
= taking away from the people tn
4, election of officials and the dictatlo
: OF governmental policies
u The Non-Partisan judiciary.
Another proposed repeal of interes
in political way is that OF abolish
Ing the bipartisan judiciary law
% While there are those who insist tn
u non-partisan Judiciary law has nc
n worked out satisfactorily, there al
others in the general assembly VII