The L'Anse sentinel., 1921-04-22
LANSING
| [LETTER
GOVERNOR SETS MAY 20
AS SPECIAL SESSION DATE
soIdlers' Bonus Legislation VIII BE
Enacted At That Time; Both
Houses Rushing Work.
tFrom stan correspondent.)


tFrom STAR Correspondent.)
With tho date of business adjourn
mont O. Michigan legislative session
h-- definitely for April 20 the final
rush of bills in both houses is under
way and daily calendars Of pending
bills have grown to enormous size.
Committees worked overtime to re-
port out all measures, that they are
not willing to see. remain in pigeon
holes. As q result the end OF the
period when bill still had chance
Of passage found an approximate total
OF 800 measures pending before the
two houses, nearly all of them listed
for discussion In committee of the
whole. At that stage there were fewer
than 80 enrolled session acts that had
reached the governors ofiice after
passing both houses.
800 BILLS NOW PENDING.
Many Of the 800 pending bills are
bound to be lost in the shuttle in the
final days OF work, much of the time
of which will be taken up with three
main lines Of action. These are ap-
preparations, utilities and the new de-
partmental bills. The appropriation
bills have to go through and there
are dozens OF them pending. The uti-
lities bills are numerous and practi-
cally every one, of them involves q
determined fight, with the fate Of all
Of them very problematical.
The only one of these bills on which
either house had acted before the big
final rush was on in earnest was the
Glaspie bill to fix interurban rates OF
fare on the basis Of earning per mile
Of, road operated. The bill revamps
the existing Smith law and makes
special provision for the maintaining
Of franchise agreements. The house
adopted this measure by a vote Of 79
to IL after a stormy debate and sent
II over to the senate.
Legislation to put into effect the
soldiers bonus payments voted for by
the people OF the state in the election
April 4 will go over to special ses-
sion TO be called by Gov. Groesbeck
for May 20, the day after the final ad-
journment Of the present regular ses-
sion is had. This was decided upon
as the safest and quickest means Of
assuring the validity of the bonds to
be issued by the state and to get the
bonus money into the hands of the
veterans. No action could be taken
until after May 4, when the constitu-
tional amendment takes effect. Pend
ing the passage of the necessary leg
islation the many details of arranging
for the payments and listing those
entitled to them will be cared for. l II
is expected that the bonus distribution
can be under way by July /.
DENoUNcE PRISON AFFAIR.
The special committee investigation
Of Marquette prison was reported on
to the house In a singing communion
tion that recommended grand jury
and court action to clear up "the dirty
mess and prevent 1t from being COW
cred up" Enormous losses to the
state because Of bad business meth
DDS which cannot be traced complete
ly because Of the failure to keep the
prison books properly, and petty graft
ing are charged by the committee.
"The whole history Of the Industrial
operations at Marquette prison is that
Of gross ineficiency, money grabbing,
law violation and intrigue" the report
declares. Removal of local influences
by means of a central prison board of
control is recommended, together with
abolition Of the prison revolving fund,
handling the business through direct
installation of uniform
accounting, and the building of a new
cell block.
Another special report, made to
both houses, was that Of the commit
tee which Investigated the community
council commission. Most Of the
original charges leveled at the COM
mission when the inquiry was asked
for are not even mentioned in the re-
port. The principal criticism Of the
commission 10 because It paid over to
the national community council serl
vice the sum Of $132.246, which was
Michigan's quota for that service. The
payment OF $4,000 to the American
Legion 10 commended by the report
40 being the kind OF service which the
community council commission was
designed to give. Other funds were