The Elbert County tribune., 1919-02-28
WOULD CUT BOARDS
WOULD CONSOLIDATE ADMINS
TRATivE AFFAIRS
Eishty-three Bureaus and commis-
sions Now In State.

Denver.-The committee on commits
'lons of the House Of Representatives
las decided to recommend to the leg
slatorS "A constitutional convention as
he first step necessary to bring about
consolidation of administrative du-
ses OF the commonwealth. The com
nittee was appointed several weeks
lgo to prevent. II possible, the crea-
Ion of new bureaus and commissions.
After many conferences with state of
ficlals and leaders of both parties. the
committee couH find on other salts
factory solution to the problem of
wedding out useless commissions and
preventing the needless duplication of
effort by the many bureaus now In ex-
stence. There are eighty-three boards,
bureaus and commissions under state
affairs at present, and a state board
pf control would reduce this to per-
haps fifteen. The reimbursement would
also do away with something like 800
appointments. many of which are po-
sitions that carry no remuneration for
services
Fourteen bills have been passed in
the House on final reading in the past
few days. They are as follows:
Thompson bill, calling for transfer
pf property rights between the Gunni-
son high school and the Gunnison nor
mai school; Rockwell bill. calling for
a minimum speed of cattle trains OF
twelve miles an hour; Morris bill, In
creaslng salaries OF county clerks
Lake bill, enabling the state to dis
pose of armory sites of the Colorado
National Guard Rockwell bill, state
purchase of public camping sites /;
Rockwell bill, extra appropriation to
| fight the alfalfa weevil; Rockwell bill,
concerning the instruction of school
children; Dillon bill, increasing the
salary of the state veterinarian :;
Doyle bill, establishing two irrigation
districts in Dolores and San Miguel
counties: Girard bill. reducing the
perceAtage of butter fat In ice cream
Nom Il per cent to 10 per cent; Gard
ner bill. exempting certain high
schools districts from county taxation /;
Robeson bill, permitting an increased
mill levy for the city of Georgetown ;
Rockwell bill, providing free instruc-
tion to soldiers in state institutions,
and the Lambert bill. providing for the
Ioners of Douglas county.
Payment of maximum tax of Sc
on every $1,000 worth of secured
bonds. notes and debentures. in ac-
cordnnce with certain conditions,
would exempt such securities from
| further taxation within the state. un-
der the terms of bill passed on sec
ond reading in the lower house OF the
Legislature.
A bill by Senator Andrew provides
that writs of execution shall hereafter
he filed with the county clerk as well
ls with the sheriffs office, while the
McWiilIans bill increases the maxi
mum number of directors of corpor.
alton from fifteen to twenty-one. The
Tobin bill provides for changes in the
dates of terms of court of the Seventh
judicial district.
Strict tab on some $500 physicians,
chiropractors and midwives ds pro
posed In the Knauss bill. which passed
the Senate on second reading. The
practitioners will be required to reg
lister annually with the Colorado
Board of Health and pay yearly IL
cense fee of 81 There are no such
restrictions at present.
Backed by residents Of Grand juno
| tion, a movement has been started
among members of the.Genernl Assem-
bly, to make. the buildings of the
abandoned Indian school, one mile
east of Grand Junction. available fol
the mental detectives whose care falls
upon the state.
The State Inheritance Tax Depart
ment has received $26,34s2s from the
estate Of William H. Owen, who be
fore his death was manager or the
Denver Dry Goods Company, and the
sum of S1,7T9.3O from the estate of the
late Beulah Talbot. The two tax pay.
ments brought the total OF inheritance
collections from Feb. l to Feb. IS ia
$40, ,123.49
The Warren bill makes cattle steal.
Ing a felony instead of either mis-
demeanor or felony, as at present.
The Cofdren bill authorizes towns and
cities greater privileges in increasing
the bonded Indebtedness of the com
munities, while the Andrew bill re-
duces the time for the adjudication OF
probated wills from one year to six
months.
House bill No. 206 providing for a
commission Of five men with power to
submit to the voters bond issue for
the purpose Of purchasing the proper
ties of the Moffat road and empowered
with authority to condemn any intra-
state railroad. was reported favorably
| in the House by the committee on fl