Charlevoix county herald., 1921-03-25

session.
On the same day that the hous
was disposing of the Hart bill the sen
ate also drew big gallery by havini
on special order two hotly conteste'
bills The first was the so-called "ful
crew bill, to provide for an extra
brakem; on freight trains Of more
than fifty cars. Similar bills have
been in all the recent legislatures and
always were marked by warm battles
between the railroads and the train
mems organizations. The senate
passed the bill this time by vote OF
IS to IL and <t now goes to the house,
where another battle over 1t Is pre-
dirted by both sides.
Davis EugenIcs Bill Killed.
The second special bill in the sen
ato was the eugenics bill put in by
Senator Davis, which would require a
physicians certificate of health for all
parties seeking marriage licenses. The
roll call that finally ended this battle
showed 19 senators against it out of
the 32 members and the bill thus went
down to defeat
Enough argument for half a dozen
ordinary bills was occasioned in both
houses by the Lennon bill to prohibit
unnaturalized aliens from hunting
wild game. The real intent of the bill
is to keep them from having firearms
in their possession. Much crime is
attributed to aliens and Rep. Lennon
took occasion in the debate on the
Hart capital punishment bill to de-
clare that the murder rate in Michi-
bill against the possession of guns by
foreigners than it would be by the in
Fiction of the death penalty. The Len
non bill got by both houses in spite
of the long arguments over it and
now is in the hands of the governor.
The senate killed Senator Hayes
bill to make Good Friday legal holi-
day, the opposition prevailing against
it on the ground that other holidays
are used more for sports than any
thing else and that such use of Good
Friday would be repugnant to all who
wished to observe the day as church
day.
Important bills that have emerged
from committee and will now take up
the attention of the legislators are the
moving picture censorship bill and
the joint resolution to amend the con-
stitution so as to obtain a state in
come tax. In connection with the
latter proposal there already is warm
advance argument over the respective
merits of an income tax as against
a proposed corporation tax. Some
favor both.
Corporation Tax Bill Up.
The corporation tax bill, with the
backing of Gov. Groesbeck, was intro
duced in the senate by Senator Van
denboom. 1t would require reports by
August / Of each year from all cor
porations doing business in the state,
with fees Of from So to $40 on reports,
interpretations, amendments of incor-
and a half mills would be levied on
profit-making corporations. Non-prof1t
corporations would pay $40 fee with
each annual report. The only cor
porations exempt from the law would
be railroads, interurbans, telephone
and telegraph companies. 1t is esti-
mated that this corporation tax would
bring the state from six to twelve mil
lion dollars annually.
The house has adopted the sug-
question of Governor Groesbeck and
has passed along to the senate the
bill to create a state department OF
conservation The proposed new
department would include the pres
ent public domain commission, the
present fish commission, the present
state park commission, the present
state game, fish and fire warden de-
partments and other allied state bu-
reaus. A board of seven members is
provided by the bill, the chief direc-
tor to receive a salary OF $4,000
year. An effort to reduce this salary
to s3,5O0 was defeated.
The bill to create a department OF
labor and industry also has been re-
turned in the house favorably. 1t
would combine the present state labor
department and certain features of
the state accident commission, which
operates under the workmen's COM
pensation act.
May Redstrict State.
Perhaps no greater interest could
be aroused in Michigan than was Gre
ated by the news that the state might
gain five congressman in the house
in Washington. An entire redistribu'
ton of the state would be needed
even II there were only two new con.
gressmen to be elected from Michi-
gan. The legislature is keenly awake
TO its chances in this regard, there
being always the chance that new dis
trict boundaries may prevail after the
lawmakers finish their task Of re-as-
signing the geographical boundaries
of the states districts. Under ordi.
nary circumstances 1t would be antic'
ipated that Wayne county would de.
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