The courier-index., 1918-04-26

| 1hC Will at ate vi luIGLSsl 10 VI
be reduced from ten to eight per
cent, but whether illegal contracts
shall be penalized by the forfeiture
of interest and principal, as now pro-
vided, or of interest only. is still a
mooted question
law for the protection of bank
deposits shall be passed
1 Provision is made for a Board Of
Pardons, consisting of state officers,
also a budget committee of state Of
ficers
The Oregon plan of initiative and
referendum is adopted with a few
minor changes. Counties are not
recall was rejected.
4 Provision is made for the enact
ment of laws providing for gradual
land tax.
The salary of the governor is rails
ed to $1,000, and the salaries Of
other state officers are raised. until
they may be fixed by the legislature.
Cities are given the power OF issue
ing bonds for internal improvements,
/ upon vote OF the people.
1 All warrants hereafter issued shall
be numbered consecutively and re-
i deemed in the order of their issu-
| ance.
! Taxation for highways connecting
county seats shall be assessed again
st both personal and real property.
/ The legislature is given authority
! to enact workman's compensation
law.
I Provision is made for the office OF
Lieutenant Governor. who shall be
president of the senate and become
bility of that official.
Absolute prohibition of all local leg
islation where a general law will
serve the purpose is provided.
The operation of no general law
shall be suspended for the benefit
of any individual, corporation or
association.
/ No changes are suggested in the
existing laws for the regulation OF
Improvement districts.
There shall be board of education
of seven mebers to be appointed by
the governor, the presiding officer
being the commissioner of educa-
ton, the manner of whose election
shall be left to the legislature.
The proposals for state board OF
health is as follows: THE General
Assembly shall have the power to
provide by law for state board OF
health, and to delegate to such board
when created power to enact and
enforce such reasonable rules and
regulations for the promotion and
protection of the public health, pro-
vided that the punishment for violat-
ors for such rules and regulations as
may be promulgated by said board
shall be fixed and the procedure for
the trial of such offeDses shall be
provided by the general assembly"
According to the proposals OF the
committees there will be written in
the new constitution a provision for
the increase of the supreme court
@from five to seven members, 10
serve for a term of eight years, at
salary of $4,000. The court is TO
sit in two departments or en- banc,
and the judgment of any department
shall be final in any cause submitted
TO it. This was considered by the
committee as preferable to the prop
osition for the creation OF an inter-
mediate court of appeals, as 1t was
argued that, without adequate checks
this would only increase the number
of appeals.
The county Judges must be lawyers
at least thirty years old, with -four
wears active experience at the bar,
if proposal adopted by the commit
tee is accepted by the convention,
Heretofore, only a small per cent OF
the county judges of the state are
practicing lawyers. Some of the CON-
mittees seriously discussed the adj
visibility of abolishing the county
Judges altogether. or divesting them
of jurisdiction in probate cases, the
same to be transferred to chancery
The age of the prosecuting attorney
has been advanced to 2S years.
A commission on public utilities
and taxation is provided by the pro
posal of the public utilities commit
tee This board shall assume the
duties of the railroad commission
and the tax commission. and 1t is
proposed that it shall have the power
to levy the assessment for the state
taxes so that they may be made
uniform throughout the state
Radical changes are proposeu III
the government of counties, by the
committee on counties and townships
1t is the plan that there shah pe
county council of three members