Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-02-01
PROPOSAL IN HOUSE TO RELIEVE
SMALL CITIES OF
EXPENSE.
WOULD ELIMINATE ALL
UNDER 5000 POPULATION
Present Elections Law Calls For Regis
tration of Voters in Towns Of $500
and over-Guaranty Of Bank De-
posts, Crop Experts and School
Holidays Discussed.

Des Moines, Feb. 1.-The house COM
mittee on elections reported out for
passage the bill by Taylor which would
receive many Iowa cities from the ne
cssity of registering voters prior to an
election.
The bill provides that only cities OF
more than 5000 inhabitants snail re-
quire registration OF voters. The pres
ent law requires all cities OF more than
$500 TO register the voters.
The subcommittee which had under
consideration bill 10 change the GATE
of the primary from the frst Monday
in June to the second Monday in Sep
TENDER reported with substitute
measure which would accomplish the
change but would make certain proNis-
ions for holding conventions which the
original bill did NOT provide for. on
account of the importane OF the matter
consideration was allowed to go for a
week.
The committee on railroads held it's
first meeting of the session. The bill by
Rogers to compel the railroads to pro-
vide underground or overhead crossings
at intersections wiki highways was
discussed briefly On account OF its
extreme Importance both 10 the rail-
roads and to the people, the commit
tee decided that a date ought TO be SET
for a public hearing on the bill at
which the railroads would be allowed
to present their objections and sus-
gestions. The chairman, Griffin OF
Woodbury., was Empowered to set the
date and notify interested parties.
The schools committee voted to rec
ommend the killing of the bill which
would prevent school sessions on
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Years. The commute agreed that the
bill was likely to cause tangle in the
law that would be worse than the pres
ent law The committee will also rec
ommend that the bill to allow payment
of interest on school bonds at the rate
of per cent be killd. The present linn
it is 5 per cent.
Most of the session of the committee
on banks and banking vas devoted to
hearing of arguments in favor OF the
law guaranteeing bank deposits. The
bill has been introduced in the senate
by Doran and in the house by Coch-
rane. Senator Doran and his brother,
T. H Doran, banker OF Berwell, Neb.,
appeared before the committee to re-
view the experience of Nebraska with
| the guarantee law and to present ar
guments in favor of its adoption in
Iowa.
Several members Of the committee
u "a
been found that the guarantee en-
couraged irresponsible men to enter
the banking business and put them on
an equal footing with established
bankers The reply Of the banker was
that the rigid examination and reports
required under the guarantee law
make it difficult for the incom petent
banker to get into the business or run
it loosely after ne gets in.
At joint meeting of the agricultural
committee of the house and senate
held yesterday afternoon in the office
of the department of agriculture, the
form of bill for the employment of
crop experts in every county Of the state
was agreed upon. Senator Perkins
probably will introduce the measure in
the senate To-Day.
The bill provides that whenever 300
persons in county sign petition and
perfect a crop improvement associa-
ton, it shall be the duty Of the board
OF supervisors to lexy q tax not to ex-
ced one-half mill for the employment
OF a crop expert
The committee discussed the meas
ure for nearly two hours. 1t was agreed
that the employmnt of crop experts is
a good plan but that the plan as pro-
vided by the Thirty fifth general as
sembly is not satisfactory. In Polk
county and in Woodbury. county, where
the question was submitted TO the peo-
pie a. the recent election. it was turned
down. It is claimed that the votes in
the country defeated the measure at the
election.
Reports Of progress made in those
counties where experts have been EN-.
ployed for the last year We're received.
They are to the effect that the plan is
paying big dividends in the way Of I'M
proved methods and a beginning to-
ward the growing of more and better
crops. Conservation ofthe soil is an
other matter which the expert en-
courages.
The drys will have much easier
time in contrasting saloon petitions of
consent if four bills introduced in the
senate yesterday are. enacted into
laws. Whitmore of Ottumwa proposes
that circulators Of saloon petitions be
forced to appear before boards Of
supervisors and district judges for
cross examination. This measure was
introduced as result Of ruling by
Judge Hubert Utterback Of the Polk
county district court in the present
contest on the Des Moines saloon petit
ton that he was without power to
summon the circulators to court.
The Ottumwa senator also is sponsor
for measure exenpting from crini-