Gunnison news-champion., 1921-02-25

4-AAH-1-Si.FAHH Aa9 A4AN -EFtAAAsl anu
come directly IN touch with the en-
plOyee and employer who pay IN the
money and make this fund possible.
The vote, when finally taken, was Is
70 II IN favor Of giving the Commits
SION the night 10 say how the money
should be invested. altho Of course,
the Teasurer Is the actual custodian
Of the money.
The Senate passed three Of our bills
this week The first vas the bill by
Senator Iobln and myself, increasing
the expenses Of tie District Engineer
from $4,000 20 81 900 but not increas-
ing MS salary. A. prcs-nt, Mr.. Getty
finds i quite impossible for him TO do
MS work thruogt his large district on
$4,000 q year, and as . result the
State Division Engineer has had 20
send over special men to do the work
that h. could have done had he had
sufficient travelling expense.
The EscrHd bill wa- my old railroad
time limit bill rhch / have spoken Of
before Il will compel the railroads
70 make an average rate Of speed Of
a. least ten miles IN hour whenever
they receive livestock for shipment.
This time seems rather slow, but
ahcn you consider that the road be
tween GunnisOn and SalIda Is narrow
gauge and that the road between
Hotchkiss and Glcnwo0d Springs is
such D. make u almost dangerous 20
travel ten miles an hour over It, and
the fact that we climb 5000 feet over
-ha Rocky Mountains, and especially
when you consider that the stops for
water. changing cars, etc, is counted
IN the running time. | believe that the
la.rgad sill b. compelled 20 average
from fifteen 10 eighteen miles an
hour east Of the mountains.
The bill for IN extra judge in the
seventh Judicial District passed sec
uud reading yesterday. This bill was
endorsed by the Bar Associations Of
all the counties IN our district. and
advised by everyone who had had any
recent experience with the amount OF
work IN guT district court We felt
some little dubious about this bill on
account Of the fact that the members
Of the S.nats have been killing practi-
Cally every bill which created an ad-
dItional position or an increase in
.alay. Let me say night here that
the expense Of this judge is borne
hy the state Of Colorado and not by
the district itself. When. however.
Senator Bannister Of Grand Junction
said that with the exception Of one
or two men, his county heartily en-
d0rsri the bill; when Senator Tobin
Of Mont rose told Of the amount Of
work which Judge Black was forced
10 do AZ this timc-work that compel
led him 10 carry on the work up until
twelve and one o'clock at night, and
even then he wasn't able to take suf-
ficient time TO give the cases the
careful attention and research that ne
should; and when ! had explained that
we had seven counties in our district
with a population averaging 5000 to
as high Us $4,000, and that as a result
of this condition the district judge
was only able TO hold court once in
six months in the different county
seats; further that il was almost i'm
possible 10 get case Of Importance
decided within year, and as a result
often by the time decisions had been
made and relief gotten, the need had
ceased to be: and that Judge Black
has had over 900 cases n the court
in the past year and has had TO decide
something over 700, We We're indeed
very much surprised and pleased to
have Chairman Of the Finance Com
mttee, Senator PufFer of Colorado
Springs, get up and say that. he be-
licvcd that il was economy for a dis
tgict situated rs ours 10 have an addi-
tiOnal judge, even though the state
might have TO sacrifice some other
place.
And now ] want to explain to some
OF my people who are worrying about
taxes; The state taxes are the same
this year that they We're last year
and the year before-3.47 mills &C
cording TO the Attorney Ganeral; and
think ! can assure everyone that,
so far as the state is concerned, these
taxes will not be raised this year. Ac-
Cording to the state constitution, the
state cannot levy TO exceed four mills.
This was the reason that il was ncces-
gary for the people to vote an extra
mill for institutions Of higher learning
Everyone feels the pressure of high
taxes at a time when business is at
a low ebb and when most of US have
lost a good many thousands of dol
lars. The result is that no one Will
introduce any measures TO raise the
levy of the state no matter how much
money is appropriated. In fact, be-
lieve that my bill to repeal one-half
mill levy for good roads will pass,
which in fact, will reduce the taxes !
4 mill.
Now, it may be confusing to some
people how the legislature can keep
on appropriating money without at
the same time levying taxes to pay
it with. In this connection let me ex- t.
plain that it is seldom that all the ap-
preparations of the state are paid as
happened two years ago. Approp,ia- |
tions for state purposes are placed
in five classes and are paid first, sec
ond, third, fourth and fifth class as
far as the money goes. For instance,
of the first class are
for the executive, judicial and legisla- |
tive expenses and for interests on pub /
lie debts. Appropriations of the
second class are for institutions where |
the inmates are kept involuntarily, as
for instance, penitentiary, reform
School, etc. Appropriations of the
third class ara Tor tho educational apd