The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1921-04-08
BILLS PASSED TOTAL 629'
WORK OF BOTH BRANCHES
LEGISLATURE TO DATE
Sessions Continues Three Week
Longer; Some of Measures
Still Pending
ASSOCIATED Press Dispatchl

DAY night, just three weeks before
the close of the session, there were
464 bills on the calendar and general
orders of the two houses; that is,
aga bills that had been reported out
by the committees for passage and
were ready to be acted upon by the
two houses
A bill on the calendar. it may be
said in explanation, is ready for final
passage or defeat as the case may be.
A bill on general orders must first
be advanced to the calendar by a
majority vote before its fate can De
finally settled, unless it is taken. up
and passed under suspension OF the
rules which require two thirds
vote If any member objects. =
On the senate calendar at the
close of business Thursday, there
were SO bills, of which 43 We've
measures that had been passed by
the house. On the house calendar
Were but IA bills, Of which four had
been passed by the senate.
Bills Under General Orders
On the senate general orders were
1913 and on the house general orders
2S2. This latter number was reduced
considerably Friday night, however,
when the house held session for
the passage Of local and curative
acts to which there was no objection.
The Governor has received ana
signed a total of 14S bills, so senate
measures and SO from the house.
The bills on the calendars of the two
houses and the bills signed by the
governor show that the house has
been more liberal in passing senate
bills than the senate has been IN
passing house measures.
The bills signed by the governor
hn
general orders in the two houses and
an additional II measures in the
hands of the governor as yet un-
signed, makes a total OF 629 bills
that have become laws OF have some
prospect of becoming such. This out
of a total of 2,173 bills that have
been, introduced.
The appropriation bills and few
other really necessary measures are
yet to be represented for action. The
rest of the 2.173 have fallen by the
wayside. If the legislature passes
$50 bills-one in four OF those intro
duced-it will be we'll up to the
average.
Legislature Acting Slowly
The legislature is acting slowly,
taking its own time with the big
bills as we'll as the little ones. Dur
ing the past week the senate passed
the highway administrative bill with
a few amendments to which the
house probably will agree. the bills
proponents say. The provision for a
single highways commissioner Was
agreed to by the senate, though the
advocates of the board plan put UP
a hard fight. The principal amend
ment adopted by the senate proposes
to limit the amount which may be
appropriated for hard surfacing in
any one year to 90 percent of the
construction fund. An amendment to
prohibit display advertising along
the state highways was stricken out
because it was said the farmers were
opposed to it.
A series of public hearings have
place control OF the financing fares
and franchises of the street railways
with the state. The only thing in
connection with the bill that seems
at all certain just now is that 1t will
not pass the house in just the form
it comes from the senate The op-
position in the house is more siren
uous than it was in the senate.
There is talk now of amending
ments would be to place the city
councils of the several cities in the
position assigned to the railroad and
warehouse commission in the bill as
il passed the senate. This would give
councils supervision over stock and
bond issues of the street railway
companies operating within their
borders, with power to grant indie
terminate franchises and to fix fares
as we'll as to control service, extern
sions and improvements.
After another week of discussion
and an inquiry into the manner in
which the state tax commission ar
rives at its valuation Of mining pro-
perties for taxation, the senate COM
mittee on taxes has recommended
out the tonnage tax bill, with the
occupation tax feature left in.
proposal to eliminate the term 'oc-
cupation" was defeated in committee
by a vote of five to eight, and the
vote to recommend the bill was eight
to five.
Fight to Increase Board of Control.
The fight in the house over the
senate bill to increase the member;
from three to four members in order
to provide for the appointment of a
woman on the board Is even more
strenuous than that over the street
car bill, but with this difference, that
most of the fight against the passage
of the bill is being put up by persons
To- outside the house membership. Many
OF the women OTbdulIdIlOuo, 0S :
pecially, have declared bitter OPP
position to the change in one board,
and representatives of several of
these organizations told the mem
bers of the house committee at a
public hearing that they would much
rather forgo the honor of having one
of their number on the, board than to
have the present organization OF the
board disrupted by the appointment
of fourth member, thus creating
the possibility of tie vote. Some
suggested that If the board must be
enlarged that it be to five members
instead of four.
The public domain bill has never
been introduced in the senate, as
members of that body have been
waiting for the house to act. The
bill still is in the house committee
on public domain, with the end of
the session two and half weeks
away.
State Land Bills.
Another bill of great Importance
the one TO reopen the state mineral
lands to exploration and lease-has
passed the senate and Is the very
last bill on general orders in the
house. That Is not favorable position
: at this stage, but il the house mem.
bers favor the measure, 1t will be
easy to suspend the rules, pick the
measure out of its lowly position and