The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-12-31
'SOLONS meet TUESDAY,
MINNESOTA BODY FACES
LONG, HARD SESSION
Many Old Matters Unsettled In
Previous Sittings, Notable
Tonnage Tax

st. Paul, December 29.-Mfnnesota
legislators who convene next week
face a long hard session. leaders
of house and senate agreed today.
Many problems unsettled in previous
sessions-the most notable Of which
is a tonnage tax-and scores Of new
problems are to go into the hoppers
when the legislature meets Tuesday.
Inaugural ceremonies and organiza-
ton work will take up all of Tuesday
and Wednesday. The house organi-
zation probably will not be completed
before the emo of the week, in spite
OF the fact that most of the officers
of the house and heads OF commit
tees have been pretty well settled
upon caucuses of majority leaders.
The legislature first Of all is faced
with demands for emergency legis-
lation to aid farmers and dealers
suffering from credit stringency and
declining prices for their products.
By 1 various is mel members of the house
and senate to correct real or fancied
bills affecting the farmer and produc-
er. The measures most likely to re-
ceive immediate attention however,
are those prepared by the marketing
committee headed by Rep. r. A.
Wilkinson of Lake Elmo which has
been working on a number OF bills
measures-proyiding for opening the
boards Of trade and chambers of
commerce to public memberships
likely to cause one of the most sen
sational and bitter battles of the ses-
sion.
Various state departments have
asked the legislature for appropria-
tons totalling sss,77S,sS1 for the
nearly $4,000 600 in excess of the
amounts of Appropriated for the BIZ
ennium Of 1920-21.
The legislature is expected to pare
the requests on even greater scale
than in previous years. 1t has be-
come an honored custom for the
legislature to slice vigorously the
requests OF department heads
The department heads by law, how
ever. are required to submit mimi
mum destinations" Of the needs of
their departments and face censure
IL they abuse the practice.
Practically every state department
and institution needs" from five
percent more to several times the
dLuOuuto Appropriated lOI lQ0 ldSI
BIZ ennium. The state auditors Of
fee, for instance. has entered
request for approximately $4,000
bi ennium. The state printing COM
mission wants about 20 percent more
than it received for the last year and
custodians estimate it will take
about rs percent more to run the old
and new capitol buildings during the
next year.
The state drainage commission is
asking more than four times the
amount the last legislature appropri-
ated and the bureau of labor seeks
about 30 percent more than for the
last BIZ ennium. The state board of
health will need more than twice
the amount appropriated for the cur
rent two year period according to it's
request.
The state minimum wage commits.
sion wants $12,500 a year hereafter
where 1t has received only $4,000
annually heretofore. The dairy and
food commission says it will need
S291,050 during the coming two
years. 1t received only $202.700 for
the last BIZ ennium. The state rail-
wants about $4,000 more and the
state game and fish commissioners
requests $406.6O0 for the coming
two years compared with $4,000
for the current two years.
School funds totalling $6,446,743
more than as appropriated during
the last to years are asked. State
aid The University Of Minnesota SER
vice mems buttons and every nor
NAL school needs more money. If the
legislature appropriated everything
the educational system needs, it
will have to nearly double the ap-
preparations made for the two years
now ending. This problem has at
tracted the attention of the law
makers apparently more than ever
during the present BIZ ennium and 1t
Is likely substantial increases will be
granted the state university and nor
NAL schools in order to keep the
states educational system on a high
plane. The land and lakes attract
ton board is asking $4,000 for each
of the coming years compared with
$500 for each Of the expiring years.