Newport daily independent., 1918-04-23
HAvE:
 BEEN COMPLETED
Committees of the State Constitution al Convention Are In Session On
 ly Five Days.
Special to Independent.
 Little RocE, April 23.-

Little RocE, April 23.- The com jmittees of the Constitutional conven. tion We're in session just five days Their proposals have been completed
 and submitted to President Tom Me
 haffy, to be turned over to the com
 mittees on qualification and phrase
 ology, which will put them into shape tfor the consideration of the conven tion when it reassembles in July. 1 President Mehaffy says that he con siders the work done by the commit
 tees as very thorough and conscien tious, and that the proposed constitu tion has many improvements over ths lpresent document.
 | There are a few outstanding feat ures of the constitution upon which
 all appear agreed. Chief of these k
 a change of the term of office for al lcounty district and state officers from two to four years. The judi tciary Committee provides that jus. tices of the supreme court shall serve
 eight years and chancellors six lyears.
 Among the features of the propos als in the hands of President Mehaf- fly are the following:
 For quadrennial sessions of the
 Legislature, the sessions to continue
 at 6O-days, and the members to re- ceive $6 a day for their services
 while in actual session.
 That the, senate be reduced from
 35 members to not less than Is nol more than 25, and the house of rep
 resentatives from 100 to not less than
 35 nor more than 50.
 Until otherwise provided for, one senator is to elected from each of the ipresent judicial circuits as now con- stituted, and one representative from each of the present senatorial dis tricts.
 The office of commissioners of mines manufactures and agriculture Is to be
 divided, and provision is made for the commissioner of mines, mining and manufactures, and commissioner of horticulture and horticulture. | No restriction shall hereafter be placed upon the right of suffrage ol iholding office on account of sex. Strict regulations are provided that. it is believed, will make state iwide prohibition absolutely puncture- lproof.
 | The contract rate of interest IS to | be reduced from 10 to per cent, but whether illegal contracts shall be penalized by the forfeiture of inter est and principal, as now provided, o1 of interest only, is still mooted point
 A law for the protection of bank deposits shall be passed. Provision is made for board o1 pardons, consisting of state officers also a budget committee of state of- ficers.
 The Oregon plan of initiative anc referendum is adopted with few minor changes. Counties are not given the power of initiative. The recall was rejected.
 Provision is made for the enact- ment of laws providing for gradu- ated land tax.
 The salary of the governor IS rals- ed to $7,5O0, and the salaries of other state officers are raised, until they may be fixed by the legislature. Cities are given the power of ls- suing bonds for internal improve ments, upon vote of the people. All warrants hereafter issued shall he numbered consecutively and re- deemed in the order of their issuance Taxation for highways connecting county seats shall be assessed against both personal and real prop erty. The legislature is given authority
 to enact a workmen's compensation law. Provision is made for the office ot' lieutenant-gove who shall be
 president of the senate, and become governor in the event of the disabli- ity of that official. Absolute prohibition of all local
 lepislation, where a general law will
 serve the purpose is provided.
 The operation of no general law shall be suspended for the benefit of