Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1921-04-28


ed by the house and transmitted
to the senate. The bill abolishes the
state board OF corrections and chart
ties and all boards of control for state
institutions. The new department is
to be headed by a director at salary
OF $4,000 year, with commissions APP
pointed for each variety of state in
situations coming within il.
A hospital commission OF seven
members would look after the Pontiac,
Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Newberry
and Ionia hospitals. together with the
state home and training school and
the farm home for epileptics. A pris-
on commission OF five would look after
the state prisons; corrections com
mission of five would oversee the In.
dustrial and training schools; and an
other commission OF five would have
charge of the schools for the blind
and the deaf.
New Tax Bill to Governor.
BY a vote OF 50 to IL the house
adopted the corporation tax bill,
which previously had passed the SEN
ate and sent the act TO the governor.
Nearly all of the members who voted
against the bill made speeches explain
ing their votes. They regarded the
bill as discriminatory in regard to the
small corporations. Supporters of the
bill declared il TO be a fee measure
instead of a tax bill and declared the
corporations were willing TO come UNI
der ii as it stood, while they might
knock 1t out in the courts if the fees
were made so high as to appear like
additional taxation.
The legislators and state officials
estimate that the corporation bill will
bring in enough funds this year to
take care of the existing deficit of
nearly six million dollars.
Coincident with the passage of the
bill they became generous towards the
University of Michigan, which has
been appealing ever since the session
began for a building fund of SS,69O,OOO
with which to provide modern build
ings. The senate finance committee
reported in favor OF allowing the uni
versity S5,300O00 during the next two
years, provided the state administra-
tive board finds that the corporation
tax is producing the estimated amount
OF revenue
The house ways and means COM
mittee, at the same time reported in
favor of allowing the university a mill
tax of three.ffths of a mill, instead Of
the present rate Of three-eighths OF
mill. 1t is figured that this tax will
give the university a revenue of ST.
100000 a year At present it is get
ting slightly less than $1,7O0,O0O from
its 1919 mill tax.
Osborn Bill Revamped.
Public utilities bills bid fair to keep
before the lawmakers until the last
day of the session. The Osborn bill,
in the senate, was reyamped in an
effort to make it agreeable to home
rule advocates and at the same time
strengthen the state utilities commits
sion, and a vote on 1t was delayed
while it was being reprinted. The
Dafoe bill, in the house, was held in
committee because the Osborn biz
had been given the right of way.
The newest of the pending utilities
bills is one that would empower the
state commission TO order the connec-
ton of two electric lines for through
service, the object being to aIlcw In
terurban cars in Detroit to go through
in the event that the city takes over
some of the lines now held by the
operating company.
The Macarthur bill to increase
mothers pensions to maximum Of
$40 week and a minimum OF 81 a !
week, once defeated in the house, was
taken from the table and passed by a
vote Of 81 to s when its friends made
a number of effective talks in its
favor It passed in the same form in
which it came from the senate, so now
goes to the governor
The house also killed the Wood |
senate bill to provide for a course OF
fire prevention in the public schools |
the charge being made against the
measure that it was designed to per |
nit boards of education to spend add |
tional money for fire apparatus TO b,
used in drills.
Money spent with us Duys not only
good coal but satisfaction and reli-
ability as well. Brown-W Ward Co.,