Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1917-03-17
The SENATE KILLS
The BUDGET PLAN
Upper House Members Preferred
the Old Way of Making
Appropriations
ANOTHER UTILITY BILL DEAD
Cities Denied Power to Collect Share
of Gross Receipts-House Passed
Flood Measure.

Topeka-The senate has finally |
killed the budget system for Kansas.
The original senate constitutional
amendment failed earlier in the week
and the house resolution adopted
some days ago failed recently. The
resolution directed the governor to
make up a budget just before the
legislature convened and this budget
was to be presented to the legislature
as soon as the session opened The
proposition was intended to fix re-
sponsibilfty for the appropriations.
The senate killed a bill that had
some elements of good in it, but in
which there was a doubtful provision.
The bill provided for changing the
existing franchises so that the cities
could collect a share of the gross re-
ceipts of public utilities. The propo-
sition had the united opposition of
the utilities Hobbies in the legislature
until they made a discovery which
provided that the utilities and cities
might agree than free service might
be given the city in exchange for the
gross receipts share. Then the seri-
JUS opposition stopped, as this opened
the way for continuing to let the
cities hold most of the sack as under
the present arrangements.
The house passed the flood proven
ton commission bill. 1t creates a
commission of engineers to invesd-
gate the food and drainage conditions
along the watersheds of the state and
also investigate the possibilities of
irrigation. The commission is to CO.
operate with the federal authorities
in rlIa
and. suggesting remedies for prevent
ing the overfiows along the larger
streams of the state. The law does
not affect the standing of any drain
ing district now organized or any spe-
cial drainage district to be organized,
except that the commission may be
called upon for advice or cooperation
in working out the problem at hand.
r r r
Divorce Proctors to Stay
The present legislature is not going
to abolish the divorce proctors in Kan
sas. The house passed a bill to abolish
divorce proctors, but the senate
passed measure which provides that
the judges of the district courts are
to name the divorce proctors, instead
of the county attorney acting as the
proctor by virtue of his office. The
senate bill reduces the fee from SO
to So for each case.
r r r
Home Rule for Cities Killed
The Kansas house has finally killed
the home rule amendment for the
| cities of the state. Nearly every COM
mittee TO which the proposition was
submitted killed the resolution, but it
| finally got out on the calendar. The
G.
rule was to strike from the bill the
| municipal ownership provisions. When
| this was done, thus destroying one of
! the most important provisions, the
| resolving clause, was stricken out and
| the bill was dead.
r + r
Let Near Beer Be Drunk
The lower house of the state legis-
| lature has killed the bill which was
| designed to prohibit the sale of so
| called near beer beverages in the
tate
| Want Fewer Dividends
The senate has passed bill making
| it crime for the officers of any cor
| poration to declare a dividend when
| the corporation is insolyent or de-
clare a dividend which would render
| it insolvent. The directors are also
held jointly liable for all the debt of
a corporation where dividends have
been declared unlawfully.
r r r.
New Dry Weather Record.
For more than thirty-six days To-
| peka has had no measurable precipita-
| ton, thus establishing a dry weather
record, according to the local weather
bureau. Not since the government
| station was established here, thirty
years ago, has such a period passed
without precipitation, not even in sum-
mer. Records show that from Novem-
| Der Is to December %, 1890, the long
est previous period without moisture
r r r
Keep a State Accountant.
The efforts of the Kansas state audi
| tor to st three more jobs in his of
| flee and practically abolish the state
accountants office has failed in the
| house of representatives
r r T.
Pass the Workmea's Bill
The new Workmen's Compensation
Bill has passed the house and is now
pending in the senate 1t is believed