The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-03
FINAL WEEK
Continued from Page One

Continued from Page One)
mas enacted 103 laws, nearly half of
which are appropriation measures. OF
the remaining enactments, less than a
score are of state wide importance.
Both houses are today clearing the
calendars. They will give final con-
slderat1on to original bills before adj
Journment tonight. During the three
working days of next week the house
will consider only senate bills, while
the senate will devote its entire atten-
ton to measures originating in the
west wing of the legislature. All bills
must be disposed of before Wednes-
day nights adjournment. Sine die
adjournment may come Saturday,
March 10, altho under the resolution
it may be postponed until Tuesday
March 49,
1t is probable that number of bills
will die on the calendars Of the house
and senate. Revision committees in
the two legislative bodies today made
final, desperate efforts to advance the
more important bills to places near the
top of the calendar. When the leg
islature adjourns tonight, however. a
number of members in both bodies
will bid a fond and affectionate fare
well to pet local measures which
failed to receive hearing.
Few Big Bills Left.
There are few bills of general con-
Germ to be considered. Constitutional
measures which passed the senate will
be given an inning in the house next
week. But every indication is for
brief, formal, unceremoniouS hearing.
The senate has already spurned every
constitutional provision which met ia
Vor in the house.
Few of the administration favorites
have made a favorable impression on
the house and senate solons One of
the favorite sports of the last week
has been the free-for-all bootlng of
legislative pets. The senate bumped
the executive budget scheme after ii
had won a questionable victory in the
house. Then the house proceeded to
puncture the governors favorite
scheme for appointment of receivers
by the public utilities commission. A
personal visit to the house failed to
convince the members that the bill
was worthy a place on the pages of
the 1917 session laws.
While the administration has suf-
fered some tremendous losses at The
hands of the present legislature, the
women's lobby shed tears as the house
ruthlessly tore their property right
bill to pieces. A little later they were
Mortified as the house showed its
teeth and chewed the enacting clause
from the near-beer bill The legisla-
establishment of a state detention
home for women. But that bill means
little for the state administration since
it carries a $4,000 appropriation
rider.
The Appropriations.
The matter of appropriations is also
a matter of interest in the closing
hours of the session. There is every
indication that the allowances of the
present session may exceed even the
estimates of w. E. Davis, former state
auditor. That means that the appro-
hlQnnlllm
will total somewhere between eleven
and twelve million dollars. Since this
will be an increase of a million or
million and a half dollars over the
extravagances of the pork barrel
legislature of two years ago, the bills
convey little cheer to administration
friends.
Defeat of the bill providing for
production tax on oil and gas was a
severe loss to the general revenue
fund. The new oil inspection law Will
add little if any revenue. The new in
heritance tax law is more mild than
the administration desired. but the
best that could be secured at his
time.
There is hope for the jobless in
the passage of the oil inspection act.
Under the low inspection fee, the
money will be swallowed up in the
payment of salaries to deputies and
inspectors and there is every indica-
ton that a sufficient number of men
will apply for places to fill all jobs.
Both houses have worked overtime
this week-the house spending II to
8 hours a day in active session. For
the first time in years the house is
ahead of the senate in cleaning up its
work Usually the big, cumbersome
body is dragging thru it's bulky roll
calls in the closing days. But the
omnibus has worked overtime in the
house during the last few weeks and
has carried a full load on every trip
The senate. tho. is well down on its
calendar of original bills and leaders
expect the upper house to adjourn to-
nj oh with hut few hills for the dis