The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-16


committee and Immediately provoked
the question from Senator Kyle as to
whether Representative Mack expected
to be connected with the commission
when the appointments were all out.
Discovering any knowledge of the ap-
pointments, Senator Snyder said he did
not believe that Mack was to be on
the commission.
Brooke Fayors IT,.
Senator Brooke spoke in favor of
the committee amendment, indicating
that he believed the commission would
that the quickest way out OF the diff
ficulty was to get the amendment
passed and into a conference commit
tee with the house, to be threshed out
there.
Senator Snyder made the whole
| body nervous when he declared that
there was no chance that the senate
could get the amendments to the three
appropriation bills thru in time to ac-
jos;rn tonight as the Concurrent reso-
. luton provides. The inTninence of
the time for adjournment had its own
effect on the debate
Saved Money for States.
Senator. KimbaN, speaking in favor
of the amendment and repeating the
argument that cutting the salaries
meant crippling the commission, spoke
generally on the benefits which had
accrued to the state as Z result OF the
/ the commission had saved the state
more than sS.e00se00 IN railroad pas
senger fares alone~when they blocked
the hiking of the rates by the inter-
state commerce commission
Senator Thompson. a member Of the
ways and means com ulittee. baited on
the amendment side, and again quot
ing figures from Representative Mack
said that the house bill as originally
drawn. would effect saving TO the
state on the commission. the court
about s11.0 year.
I7sS More Expensive This Year
Senator Finley and Senator Gray
wanted to know why the appropria-
tons for the public utilities commits
sion are so much greater this year
than they had been in previous years
Senator Gray pointed out that in 1917
there were only seven employees pro-
vided for the commission, and the
house bill as now drawn provides cor
twenty-three. Senator Finley quoted
from the appropriations of previous
years. declaring that thruout the ses-
sion. everybody had seemed TO be rep
resented on appropriation bills except
the taxpayers
Senator Price. of Clark county,
welding the knife which he always
carries handy for the state boards
concerned with private business. at
| tackled the appropriations for the COM
| mission and for the industrial court
as well. Senator Price has ken the
standpoint turnout the session that the
| industrial court interferes in private
business when there is TO necessity for
it or justification for it under the. law
| by which the court is created
! How They Spent 1t.
| He charged that the court has spent
$40, 900 since the last appropriation
| for il, and IF you want to know how
4 they have spent II, see the headlines of
the daily papers" he said. t''It is npt
only a, matter of public knowledge, 1t
is matter Of public scandal"
He charged that rate regulation OF
public service corporations by the
state boards was responsible for the
payment of exorbitant rates by the
people of the state. taking direct issue
| with Senator kimball on the matter
/ Senator Price also asserted that the
rate regulatory law OF the state has
fbeenr administered in the interests OF
the CORPORATIONS and not OF the people
| The noon recess came with no re
cession from their positions. by either
4 side. The indications were that the
work of the house pruning knives was
to be backed up by the senate
| Senator O'Brien Finds Something.
| Senator O'Brien, Democrat. found
something interesting in the amend
ment and the original bill alike-an
appropriation OF one-third Of a year S
salary for the fiscal year of 1921 OF
which only three and a half months
II remain The ways and means COM
nlittee had allowed four months sal
airy for the commissioners for that
purpose
Il Senator Snyder said that the house
must have been in an unusually lib
eral franc of mind when IL granted
agreed that it must have been when i,
put on salary. as from March l. a body
Il of commissioners and employees who
have not yet been appointed.
Senator O'Brien got no satisfactory
answer to his question of how come