Cresco plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1913-1945, 1917-04-20


tutiOnal Amendments = Nearly 400
New Laws Are Made -Appropria.
tons Near s14.OOO,OOO. e
(By George Gallarno)
Des Moines, Iowa, April 17-(Spe-
ciaD. The 37th general assembly OF
the state of Iowa has gone into his
tory. Its record has been made and
must be given the test of time to prove
its efficiency or deficiency. The To-day
session which was advocated at the
time Of couvening of the Legislative
body by both Governor Harding and
Speaker Pitt of the lower house, dew
eloped into a session lasting 81 days.
This is the usual length Of assembly
sessions. The final adjournment was
taken on the 14th inst Two years ago
the date of adjournment sine die was
April II, but the 1915 session began
on January II, three days Later than
the time for converting Of the 37th.
A Repeating and Annulllng Session.
Outside of its prompt and unani-
nous action in all matters showing
to the national government and the
world the loyalty of Iowa and her
sons, its promptness to pledge to the
government the utmost resources OF
the state in money and men, the as.
sembly will undoubtedly gain for the
future its greatest fame from the laws
which it removed from the statute
books, rather than for those enacted.
It was to an important extent re-
pealing assembly. IF 81
BY the action of the assembly Iowa
will, after December 81, 1918, be COM
PEELED to do business without the
services of a state printer or state
binder. BY the adoption Of the Stone
Miller bill, originating in the house
and meeting with no serious opposi-
ton in the senate, the legislators ex-
pressed themselves as being In favor
of the contract system for the letting
| of the enormous mass of printing and
binding annually used by the state.
The contract board as provided in the
new law, will consist Of the governor,
the secretary of state, the state audi
tor and the state treasurer. The adop-
ton of the law follows fight which
has been carried on against the Iowa
system for nearly twenty years. but
which during the past four years has
been greatly intensified by the ac-
lively OF the Iowa Homestead, week
~ farm paper published in Des
Moines The abolishment was an is
sue in the last campaign in many dis
tricts and the members elected were
pledged to vote for It,.
Take Banks Away from Auditor Of
State.
One OF the early acts of the as
sembly was the repeal of the law CIV
ing the auditor Of state jurisdiction
over the state and savings banks, and
the enactment of law in it's stead
creating a separate state department
of banking: The bin was directly
contrary to the declaration of Cover
nor Harding in his inaugural address.
to the effect that the state should con-
solidate Offices and departments
rather than create new units of gov
eminent and the opinion was ex-
pressed by many adherents to the
present system that the governor
could reasonably veto the new law.
Instead of doing this the governor
signed the bill, no doubt actuated by
the fact that it was adopted with only
one dissenting vote in the senate and
with but IA in the house, appearing
as practically the unanimous wish of
the legislature which could easily
override a veto.
State Fire Rating Bureau Goes, Too.
Another law, enacted by the seth
assembly, which had but few friends
in either house and which was re-
pealed by an overwhelming vote, was
that providing for the creation of rat
ing bureaus for fire insurance COM
panies and providing also that COM
panies must adopt the rates on risks
determined upon by some one of the
bureaus and could not discriminate in
charges for insurance on risks Of the
same hazard. The general complaint
of the law was, that in its operation II
had effected raise in rates in prac-
tically every community. The friends
of the law pleaded that its real bene-
fit could not be determined in so short
a time after its adoption and urged
that the repeal proposition be post
poned at least for another two years.
The pressure from outside sources,
and especially from several manufac-
turing districts of the state which had
been hit by the rerating, was so strong
that the members of the assembly felt
called upon to vote for its repeal at
once.
State Superintendent Again Elective.
Because Of the action OF the general
assembly candidates for state super
intendent of public instruction will
find themselves in the running at the
primary election and at the state elec-
fion povf war Tho nocood ~,