Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-03-30
LEGISLATURE TO ADJOURN
SOON
Bills Being Hurried Through. Hart
ness VetOes not Sutained.

While the Vermont House was
waiting for printing Tuesday morn
ing, the Senate put in busy hour
slaughtering House bills, including
H. All, providing that the state shall
take over from the towns and keep in
repair all bridges having a span of
roads, and relieving towns of any
liability for damages occurring on
such bridges. This measure was
passed by the House without discus
sion, although it is estimated that IL
would cost the state from $40O, ,OOc
to 100000 to put it into effect.
Two of the goverLcr's vetces were
overridden in the Senate Friday, the
House meanwhile refusing to override
third by the decisive vote or I6S
to A. The latter was in relation 10
House bill $50, permitting minors to
contract for and surrender life in-
surance policies. In the Senate, S-23,
providing for an equalization of sur
viving husbands interest in real es-
tate of the deceased wife, was passed
over the governors veto by an unan-
imous vote, and on S-22, providing
for an equalization Of rights in the
homestead, only five senator's voted
in the negative, the veto being over
ridden % to 5. The senator's voting
in the negative were Andrews, Bry-
ant, Clark, Newton, and Taylor.
In addition to announcing a new
highway commissioner, Thurman W.
Dix of Burlington, to succeed Stod-
dard B. Bates as highway commits
sioner, the governor sent in his fourth
veto on S-65, exempting towns from
the expenses Of sickness, clothing and
transportation of idiotic, feeble-mind-
ed and epileptic persons, giving as his
reasons that the state was already too
heavily burdened and that towns
should continue to share with the
state in the responsibility of caring
for such unfortunates. This bill
was introduced by Senator Foster Of
Sudbury, Rutland county, and un-
doubtedly grew out of the experiences
of the senator's home town with the
notorious Jerome family.
The powers and privileges of the
executive also entered into the con-
sidration of S-11O, providing that be-
for the governor issued pardons, he
should confer with the attorney gen.
eral or prosecuting attorney who
prosecuted the case. Senator Sher-
burne admitted that the bill probably
contravenes the constitutional right
of the executive to issue pardons but
thought it might be a good thing in
an advisory way. After being amend
ed on motion of Senator Williams of
Rutland county, the bill was advanced
to the third reading.
While the Senate was killing an
other of the pet measures of Mr..
Stearns of Johnson, H-307, which
would provide that the state board of
education should consider offers for n
normal school building and equipment
and report to the next Legislature,
(Senator Slayton of Lamoille being
only one to vote for the measure) the
gentleman form Johnson was engi-
neering another of his bills through
the House, after having rescued it yes
terday.
This bill was H-336, which provide
for a change in the supervision of
schools, putting a supervisor over each
county and giving him such women
assistants as he may see fit. This bill,
which was killed early this week, was
reconsidered yesterday on motion of
Mr.. Stearns and made special order
for today. After Mr.. Stearns had ex-
planned it, the Huose ordered it to a
third reading and, on motion Of Mr..
Noble of West Rutland, the rules were
suspended and the bill passed.
In speaking on the measure, Mr..
Stearns said that in travelling about
the state in connection with edIca-
tional questions, he had found no part
of the school system causing more
faultfnding than supervision. He ex-
planned that the bill called for IA su-
pervisors in place of the &c who have
been working in the state the past
year and for the redistricting of the
supervising districts by counties
While the state board of education has
been spending approximately $156,OO0
for supervision during the past year
without, in his opinion, giving the
state value received, his plan would
call for an appropriation of only $685.
600 which would give Ia supervisors 3
salary of $4,000 and provide for 80
women assistants at $500.
The bill provides that the salary of
the women helpers shall be fixed by
the board of education.
Mr.. Stearns wanted it understood
that he was not saying there are not
good supervisors in Vermont but that
there are altogether too many poor
ones. He thought it would be possi-
BILE to get IA good ones out of the 66
now working for the state board.
Mr.. Stearns quoted one of the su-
pervisors in the southern part of the
state as saying:-
GAS far as / am concerned / am go
ing to look for another job for know
this supervision has got to go some
time, for it is a d-farce."
Women helpers in the various dis
tricts are not new, Mr.. Stearns ex-
planned, as Mr.. Hunt, zone of the con-
scientious supervisors" in the state
had been using them in the Swanton
district with good results. Another
educational measure, H252, relating to
the issuance by school directors of
permits to teach, passed the Senate
this afternoon, with proposals of
amendment which reword the entire
bill, placing certain new restrictions
on the teachers hired and giving the
state board of education power to pre-
scribe examinations which applicants
to teach should pass.
Among the ID bills introduced Sat
urday morning, six are for salary
raisese as follows: H. 431, secretary
of state from $4,000 to $4,000; II.
432, giving state fire marshal annual
salary of $500 H. 434, adjutant gen.