Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-02-28
Governor Uses 1
Axe; Nine Bills
Go Into Discard

Nine creations of the late legis
lative session went down under tn,
official veto of Governor Olcoti
Saturday afternoon. These includs
the Eddy bill instructing the public
service commissien to keep |hands
Off of utility franchise contracts
affecting the delivery of service to
municipality, the bill placing auto
stages and jitney busses under tho
| Jurisdiction of the public servic.
commission and the bill requiring
that all abstracters shall maintain
tract indexes.
In his veto message accompany.
ing the abstracters bill, senate bill
374, the governor points out thai
under the bill no one could be q
qualified abstfacter unless she nos
sessed a general tract index cover
ing records back to January.1, 1903,
a section which, in itself, establish
es a unique precedent in the history
OF retroactive legislation
The terms of this bill the gov
ernor declares "are SO drastic, its
regulatory provisions so prohibi-.
tive, that it would develop a small
class of licensed men and shut out.
from legitimate business enter
prises large number of honest,
conscientious and capable abstract
ers who have devoted their lives to
the business and have rendered sat
isfactory and capable service to the
public. .-.
The drastic provisions of the lit
ney regulation bill-senate bill "a
together with the presence of the
emergency clause are given by the
governor as his reasons for vetoine
this measure, Ss
This bill provides for no revenue
to assist in upbuilding and main
tanning the highways of the state"
the veto message points out. ."Rath-
er, by its very nature, it decreases
such revenues by decreasing the
number of licenses issued under the
operation of the motor vehicle
law" 'e
In returning Senator Eddy's bill
relating to the powers of the pub
lie service commission the COVER
nor's message reads:
The purpose of this bill is to |
preclude the public service com
mission from changing rates
charged by public utilities for fur
heat, light, water and pow
'r to a municipal corporation so as
o conflict with the rates specified
n any franchise or similar con-
ract.
This bill would deprive the pub
ic service commission Of its i'm
'ortant functions. 1t would place
public utility in a more enviable
'osition than the private individual
Who is a domestic consumer of the
tflity's product. In instances where
he utility to secure its franchise II
as contracted to donate free serv- =
ee to the municipal corporation 1t
caves the domestic consumer to .
ear the entire charge for such
ervice. The bill establishes the
that franchises granted
lany years ago under one set of
onditions should stand for all time
egardless of the shifting changes
rought about by the lapse OF years r
ithout regard to public policy and e
lie rights of the people at large" n
Senate bill 326 relating to how
of land shall be made d
ct with the dsapproval of the "
,vernor because it might open D
lmerous questions which would Il
Lst clouds of doubt over long ac- /,
'pted judicial decisions with no
)parently sufficient reasons to- b
lstain such a sweeping change" ic
Senate bill 275 relating to the
cercise of the right of eminent do
ain by irrigation and drainage {
stricts was vetoed for the reasoL
lat it plainly attempts to allow
\ irrigation district to seize and
ecome possessed of the private
roperty of another without just
being first assessed q
nd rendered." \
The executive axe was admins y
red to senate bill 327 because il :
might lead to numerous abuses -
nd work to the disadvantage of a
lie state
This bill eXempts from the pay
ent of license fees any corpora
on which is maintaining suits or :,
stions to wind up its affairs or col +,
citing assessments from stock n
olders for such purpose. n
other measures coming in for =,
iecution by the governor today :,
ere: Io,
Senate bill 157, relating to
langes in the salaries of certain
ficers of klamath county includ-
g that of the county assessor
hose salary was increased from
500 to $4,000 under the provisions
the bill, Calling attention to the
nate to the liberal treatment III
hich he has accorded salary bills -"
general the governor points out y'
at the increase proposed in this II
stance is "disproportionate and oo'
eater than warranted" u'
House bill 112 amending certain IA
ctions of the irrigation code. De- az
lring that while the purposes of
e amendments in the main seem pi
be good the governor points out I'll
at they amend irrigation laws
lich have been carefully consid- A
ID while the amendment themi 1C