The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-28
SENATE NOTES
Items of Interest From Upper
House of Legislature.

One of the most important meas
ures that has been introduced in the
senate this week is that of Senator
Carroll which provides for the crea-
tion of an insurance commission to
make rates for fire insurance COM
ponies doing business in the state.
The passage of the bill would mean
that the private concerns now making
rates would be forced out of business
as the companies would be compelled
to write policies under the rates fixed
by the state. Senator Carroll has
spent two years studying the insurance
rate question and is one of the best
verSed men in the state on the queS-
ton. He says that one of the fea-
lures of his bill is that it practically
does away with determinations and
etadicates some of the elasticity of the
system used by the rating bureaus at
the present.
The boys who have been in France
and Governor Allen undoubtedly will
give their hearty support to a bill in
troduced by Senator Milligan provid-
ing for the establishment of free dem
! tai clinics in schools of cities of the
| first and second class.
| Senator Doerr of Pawnee has intro
duced a bill that may be. capable OF
stirring up hornet nests all over the
| state. It provides for the relocation
of county seats under certain condi-
| tions.
| Senator Nighswonger of wichita
wants to put thru a measure that Will
permit his city to abandon the city
| manager plan of government. 1t seems
| there is a great deal of dissatisfac-
ton with the plan now in operation at
Wichita and petitions were being cir
| culated to have the law permitting the
use of the manager plan repealed
| Nighswonger refused to father such a
move but gladly consented to try to
| modify the present law so that his city
could get back to another system more
easily AS the law now reads a ma
! tority of the qualified voters OF a city
must favor a change before 1t is mace
| and Nighswonger has introduced a
bill which provides that a change may
be made when such a change Is de-
sired by a majority of those voting on
such a question.
The senate went into a committee
of the whole late Monday afternoon
| and with Walter f. Wilson acting as
| chairman disposed of several meas
ures A. bill by Wilson providing for
| the upkeep of neglected cemeteries
was recommended for passage, and a
| Dill by Anspaugh intended to prevent
state employes who are working on
salaries from taking fees was rere-
ferred back to its original committee
for further consideration. A bill by
| Metcalf providing stenographers for
| county attorneys in certain counties
and reducing the salaries of assistant
county attorneys in these counties
was amended and recommended for
passage.
The Whitney-Amos measure intend
ed to permit cities to engage in all
| kinds of business from selling ice tc
| raising onions will never see the ligh'
beyond the room of the committee or
second class cities of the senate. The
committee recommended that it be al
lowed to moulS where it lies in the
| committees care.
! Senator Carroll, acting for Senator
Schoch, who is i'll, has put in bill
providing for an increase in salarie:
for deputies and clerk in counties hav-
ing populations of more than 6O,OO'
and not more than $4,000. The fol
lowing increased allowances for clerl
and deputy hire are provided: County
clerk, $4,000; treasurer, $4,000; sher
if, $4,000: probate judge $500; clerl
of district court, $4,000; register o
deeds, $4,000; county attorney, S4,26O