The diamond drill., 1921-04-09
,NpoRsE OCEAN ROUTE.

management. Investigations into the
conduct OF the boys industrial school,
OF the state pardon board and OF the
building OF the new state Office build.
ing all are going forward right now
and legislators declare that too much
state business is allowed to go on
without real supervision by those who
are supposed to supervise.
The senate has passed BIN to have
the governor name commission OF
seven persons 10 cooperate with fed
eral authorities In furthering the
cause OF Lake-to-the-Atlantic deep
waterway. The senate also has passed
bin TO have the state pay half tho
cost OF killing OF grdsshoppors In
places where they become pest.
The governor has signed the acts
raising the city school district tax to
nine mills for school maintenance and
six mills for new schools; and to pro-
vide for annual June meetings OF the
state board OF equalization.
HART BILL REPORTED OUT.
A resolution has been introduced in
the house by Rep. Frick, OF Detroit.
TO set April II as the date OF business
adjournment OF this session, with final
adjournment May 3. General opinion
is that unless many matters now In
committee are dropped entirely the
latter date will be about the earliest
on which business adjournment can
be taken.
Leading all topics OF conversation
in the legislative halls since the open
ug OF the session OF 1921 has been the
proposal or Rep Hart, OF Detroit, TO
establish the death penalty for muir
der. For few days II was thought
that adverse sentiment expressed at
public hearings had effectually stop
ped the measure for the season. but
then along came the house committee
that had the bill In charge and decid-
ed TO report II out to the floor OF the
house.
The measure came out OF commit.
tee without recommendation, but II
was out. The house will kill It In a
hurry. Why should we hold II backl"
was the sfst OF statements by commit
tee members. But their report started
all over again the whole argument as
10 life imprisonment or the death pen
atty for the crime OF murder. The re-
suit still is to be recorded.
WOULD RELIEVE FARMERS.
Next In point OF discussion comes
the income tax proposals. the idea OF
Senator Penney OF asking the federal
government to whack up with the
states on what II gets on its income
tax returns meeting with the objec
tlon In many quarters that there Is
small chance OF the federal govern
ment agreeing to do SO. Farmers arc
demanding that some way be found 10
relieve the tax burden on land, and
manufacturers are complaining that
they are overburdened with taxes
now and that n state income tax will
merely be an extra levy on them.
Thus far the argument seems TO be
between the farmer and the manu-.
facturer. with the salaried man still
TO be heard from. Statistics are biting
produced In the capitol regarding
state income taxes in other common
weaiths. They exist now In ten
states Connecticut. Delaware. New
York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Ok
lahoma, Texas. Virginia, West Vir-
ginia and Wisconsin and range all
the way from a direct tax OF one half
OF one percent on all incomes. to tax
es with exemptions similar to those OF
the federal government and TO taxes
on corporation profits alone. Definite
action OF some sort by the senate and
house committees is expected to fol.
low public hearings at which all com.
ers will be heard on the whole sub.
ject.
FEWER BILLS PRESENTED.
Whether by accident or by design
the present body OF lawmakers has set
record for coming legislatures to
shoot at Fewer bills have been I'm.
troduced up TO the crucial time OF mid.
March than ever before. From this
time on II is not 10 be expected that
any bill. except II Is OF great public
moment, will be showed ahead OF
those already in committee, and thus
will have small chance OF getting on
the floor OF either house in time for
enactment And TO date there have
been less than 800 house bills and
less than $50 senate bills introduced.
where there were more than 600 IN
the two houses combined. in the last
legislature. which ran at about the
average for the time since the new
constitution was adopted in 1908.
Influence OF womens organizations
is being felt more in the present ses-
sion than ever before. This IS nat.
ural, OF course, now that women have
the vote. but II is interesting TO OBJ
serve that matters with which women
petitioners concern themselves now
are principally those which women
failed previously TO get enacted. But
no one is disposed TO ignore them
now The bills on which petltions Of