Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-27

and Revision, one member to be
designated as the chairman. Gen.
eral amendments to the constitu-
ton are proposed.
One of the very important achieve
ments of Governor Sproul was the
ratifilation of the prohibition amend
rhent to the Federal Constitution.
The dry" forces had a large num-
Der of votes, but lacked a majority
i'll both branches. These votes were
produced and Pennsylvania was
| added to the list of States ratifying.
As candidate Mr.. Sproul had
pledged himself to bring about rati-
fication and the promise was re-
deemed.
Sedition Bill
One of the most important adj
! ministration measures is the Flynn
bill defining sedition. 1t was de-
feated in the House last week be-
cause a number of members were
afraid they would offend labor" by
voting for it. There is nothing IN
| the measure to injure real Amer
| leans. The legislation simply fur
nlshes the machinery for getting
| after the element in society that is
endeavoring to destroy the present
| form of government. The Governor
! knows the necessity for the pro-
| posed law and used the influence at
his command to get the bill through
the Legislature. 1t is now on his
| desk. It's provisions follow:
Workmcn's Compensation
Bills reorganizing the Workmen's
Compensation Bureau. increasing
the schedule of compensation and
| providing for a bureau of rehabili-
| tation are in the hands of the Gov
| ernor. The legislation goes to him
a hn Ch
| ernor desired it, all attempts to
make radical changes having been
successfully blocked by the admin
lstration.
The bill increasing rates fixes $40
week as the maximum upon which
compensation is to be based The
maximum compensation to be allow
ed for total disability is advanced
from fifty to sixty per cent. of the
creased from $40 to $12 and the
| minimum from IS to Sc in the
| weekly amount allowed an injured
| employe. The waiting period dur
ing which an injured employe re-
ceives no compensation is reduced
from fourteen to ten days. The
period for which an employer must
| furnish medical treatment is in
creased from fourteen to thirty days.
In case a widow receiving compen-
sation remarries, she would be paid
one-third of the compensation due,
not to exceed 100 weeks The
method of computing the average
! weekly wage of an injured employe
as contained in the bill when it was
| sent to the Legislature by the At
| torney General was restored before
it was finally passed.
The Bureau of Rehabilitation is
| charged with obtaining positions for
those who because of injury have
been inacpacitated and earning
| power reduced. Arrangements
would be made with educational in
stitutions for special courses for in
jured for which the State would pay
not more than SIS a week for
twenty weeks. The bureau would
furnish at cost artificial limbs to
! injured workers and supply special
treatment for those physically dis
abled. Visits would be made to
| the homes of the injured by agents
of the bureau and advice and as
sistance given.
The fourth administration bill of
the compensation series was never
pushed and allowed to die in COM
mitteu. 1t would have levied a two
per cent. tax on the insurance of
corporations carrying their own
compensation insurance. A bill Gre
ating a commission to study indus
trial accidents was dr Ssz4A ed.
Third Glass City lie. Isla ion
The important third cle-Ss city leg
islation approved was contained in
the Wallace bill amending the
Clark act to correct a mum Der of
the city solicitors. 1t places the
terms of all officials on a four-year
basis. The Governor has in his
hands the Wilson bill repeating the
nonpartisan election law in third
class cities. A number of third class
city bills of minor Importance were
passed.
Motor Legislation
Several important measures relat-
ing to motor vehicles were passed by
this Legislature. The most impor-
tant is the Dithrich bill which deals
with the registration fees. 1t is es-
tiluated that it will increase the rev.
enues from $1,000,0O0 to s2,00O,000
year. The receipts of the depart
ment in 1918 were $4,000,000.
The Dithrich bill replaces the act
of 1913. 1t places the registration
fees for pleasure vehicles at forty
cents per horsepower, an increase of
approximately twenty per cent. All
trucks under 1000 pounds are reg
istered by the horsepower and above
that are licensed by the weight of
the chassis. Trucks are divided into
seven classes, according to weight,
with fees running from $40 to $50.
The present charge is from So to
s25. A limit of $4,000 pounds is
placed on the gross load of truck.
The width is limited to ninety inches
and the length to twenty-eight feet.
a speed limit is placed on each class
OF trucks. Another provision of the
bill regulates the use of lights and
prohibits muffler cutouts. The speed
limit in the open country is in
creased from twenty-four to thirty
miles an hour, and municipalities
are allowed to place a limit of fif-
teen miles an hour within their cor
porate boundaries. This bill is in
the hands of the Governor. Numer-
Gus efforts were made during the
progress of this bill to inject amend
ments which would have weakened
it, Lut Governor Sproul barred the
way and stood right back of the eff
forts of the Pennsylvania Motor
Federation to put this legislation
through This is generally accepted
as the most comprehensive motor
code in the United States.
Other bills in the hands of the
Governor include the Cox measure
licensing secondhand motor We
hicle dealers and regulating the sale
of used cars; the williams bill au-
thClizing the revocation of licenses
for violations of Public Service Com
pain law relating to common car
riers operating without a certificate