The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1920-02-14

| DEFEAT PATE HIGHWAY. BILL.
After an all-day wrangle Wednes-
day the House defeated the highway
bill introduced by Representative
Pate of Kinds county by tabling
motion to reconsider, and it is the
opinion of the members of the leg
islature now that there will be no
legislation at this session upon the
measure to appropriate 100000
for good roads throughout the state.
The Senate however passed the Rob-
erts highway bill Thursday after
noon providing for $25,00O,00
bond issue and the construction of
good roads. This was similar
measure to the Pate bill, but it is
claimed that it does not have so many
Objectionable features as the Pate
bill There were a number of a.
mendments tackled onto the Roberts
bill, altering its original form very
materially, but it is thought by the
advocates of the measure that these
amendments can be phrased in such
way as to make the bill accept
able to the House. The opinion of
the members of the House, however,
that the defeat of the Pate bill puts
quietus upon this legislation for
this session at least.
APPROPRIATION BILLS.
The Senate passed practically
without opposition the bills for sup
port of the Mississippi Insane Hos
pital East Mississippi Insane Hospit- |
al and the Institute of the Blind, !
but cut out all appropriations for
permanent improvements at these
institutions, it being the plan of the
present legislature to provide for
such permanent improvements by a
bond issue.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION BILL
PASSES.
The bill introduced and known as |
the Rouse-Riley compulsory educa-
tion bill was passed by the House |
but in such a badly amended form /,
that the authors of the bill would |
hardly recognize it is their own.
TO ELECT COMMISSIONERS.
The resolution introduced by Rep
resentative Sfllers proposing an a.
mendment to the constitution MAX
ing the Levee Commissioners elective
by the people passed its third read
ing in the House and now goes to the
Senate for final action. There is |
practically no opposition to the pas
sage of this measure. Even in the |
event of its passage at this session
Governor Russell would have the /
right to name two of the Commits
sioners this year.
500 BILLS OFFERED so FAR.
Up to the present time nearly 500 |
bills have been introduced in the I
legislature at this session, making1
an average of about thirty bills day
fos the time the legislature has been
in actual session. Out of this num-
Der however, the great majority have I
been bills of private or local pa-,i'
ture, and very few bills of a state
vide interest have found their way.
on the calendars.
BOND ISSUE FOR PERMANENT
IMPROVEMENTS,
1t seems to be the purpose of the
legislature at this session to cut out
all bills providing for permanent i'm
provements asked for by the state In
stitutions. and to provide for these
permanent improvements by bond
issue. Only such bills as provide for
the support of our state institutions
have been passed so far, and when
ever such a bill is introduced prov
iding for the support of an institu- +
ton and permanent improvements
thereon, it is amended by striking out
the clause providing for such perma-
nent improvements. 1t is conserva-
lively estimated that it will require
bond issue of from $4,000,000 to
$4,000, 200 to provide for all the re-
pairs and permanent improvements
that have been submitted by the /
heads of our state institutions, and
the Senate Finance Committee is ex-
pected to frame a bill setting forth
in full all of the amounts that may
be deemed necessary to provide for
such permanent improvements. +
Bills however, were passed provid-.
ing for appropriations for the repair
and upkeep of the old and new cap
itol buildings. The budget for the
old building carried an appropria-
tion of $9,280 per year and for the
new building $10,240 more than at