The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1921-03-11
One Hundred Proposed New
Laws Already Going Through
the Legislative Grind.
RATS BILL GETS APPROVAL
Committee on Cities and Towns Makes
Favorable Report on Proposition
to Establish Taxing Plan
for Utilities.

legislature for consideration. Appro-
priatiOn measures now being drafted
by the ways and means committee OF
the house are TO be presented within
the next few days.
Cities and towns senate committee
made favorable report on the Rats
bill which proposes TO establish new
taxing district in cities having munich
pal utilities. The only change In the
bin recommended by the committee
was 10 exclude Indianapolis from the
provisions of the proposed law. Be
fore the report OF the committee was
adopted a fight against the measure
developed on the floor of the upper
house. Senators opposing the bill de
clared that II was not In keeping with
the program Of economy outlined by
the administration They pointed out
that Governor McCray recommended
curbng the power Of municipalities
from mourning debt The Rats BILL
they said. would increase the borrow
ing power of n city. The measure
said. would Increase the borrowing
power OF city. The measure is in
tended primarily to aid the city of
Washington, but would be applicable
To any other city having municipal
utilities upon the signing Of petition
by at least 80 per cent of the voters.
The committee on military affairs re-
ported favorably on the Alldredge bill
providing for the appointment of vet
Grams of any American war TO the
board of trustees Of the State Soldiers
home at>l.afayette. The present law
requires trustees 10 be veterans of the
Civil war Senator Kiper. chairman
of judiciary A committee, reported IA
vorably on the English anticrime wave
bill Conviction for first Offense
burglary would be punishable by a
prison term of from ten TO twenty-one
years and the second offense by life
Imprisonment. the bill provides.
The Hogston bill making it unlaw-
full for any person to provide false in
formation TO a publisher for publica-
ton was reported favorably by the
criminal code committee
Senator Rats, Representative Muir
ray Barker and Fred Robinson, mem
bers of committee appointed by
Governor McCray to study the budget
systems, agricultural laws, election
laws and highways systems Of other
states, conferred with the governor
and arranged for the preparation of
at an early date In the session. The
committee advised the governor TO In
corporate In the administration meas
ure a provision TO abolish the legisla-
tive visiting committee and to create
an office of fiscal clerk" or budget
commissioner"
Roar of a governors salute of IL
guns, augmented by organized cheer
ing by more than 1900 Purdue univer-
sity students, greeted members of the
Indiana state legislature and state Of
ficials as they alighted from special
traction cars on the university campus
on the recent visit.
The entire faculty, student body and
hundreds of Lafayette people were on
the grounds when the first three cars
carrying the visitors arrived.
Following the boom of the guns the
student body formed hollow square,
with the visitors In the center. On one
side was assembled the two regiments
of artillery members of the X. .. L.
c.. of which Purdue boasts the largest
organization in the country, one of the
units being the only motorized battery
In the country.
President Winthrop +. Stone of Pur-
due welcomed the lawmakers. Senator
Duncan of Lafayette responded for the
visitors.
Following an hour given over to the
meal President Stone and G.. l. Chris
tie. head of the extension department,
explained the needs and ideals of the
university. Unusual interest was dis
played by the legislators in the inspec-
ton of the school which followed
building by building. A visit to the big
stock farm was a feature of the edu-
cational tour, prize cattle and horses
being the subject OF lectures in which
the legislators mingled with students
and took notes with the same enthuSi-
assn. Leonard Clore urged the need of
appropriations for the use of the farm
and spoke in place of Governor Nc
Cray. who wired his regrets for ina
bility 10 attend. 4 visit TO the state
soldiers home and dinner at the fra
ternity houses concluded the program.
pronounced perfect by a vote of thanks
TO the Lafayette Rotary club by the
legislators.