Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1921-04-29

Farmer members opposed the bill on
the ground that the new time set is
not as satisfactory to farmers as the
present time and might result in
smaller primary votes being cast in
the agricultural sections. The bill has
gone to the senate.
Friends of the bill for a moving
picture censorship have begun to des-
pair that IL will ever get out OF the
senate state affairs committee, where
II has been held since II passed the
house. Another bill of uncertain fate
in senate committee is the Olmsted-
Watson bill to permit state banks to
engage in the trust business. Some
trust companies actively opposed this
bill at a hearing before the senate
committee, but others favored it.
Refeated once, the bill to permit the
state administrative board to sell the
old state block in Lansing finally was
adopted by the house after being
taken from the table.
Restrict ParolIng System.
The house has passed the Glaspe
bill to restrict the paroling Of life
term prisoners, without waiting for
/ the report of its committee inquiring
into paroles given in the past. The
committee has asked former Govern
ors Albert e. Sleeper and Woodbridge
N. Ferris to appear before II and tell
about paroling prisoners.
Gov. Groesbeck has sent to the SEN
ate for confirmation the appointment
of Nathan F. Simpson, of Hartford
former warden of Jackson prison, as
a member of the state tax commission
to succeed Orlando f. Barnes, of Ros-
common
The Byrum bill creating state
welfare department has been pass
to the senate. The bill abolishes the
state board of corrections and chart
ties and all boards of control for state
| institutions. The new department is
I to be headed by a director at salary
of $4,000 year, with commissions ap-
pointed for each variety of state in
situations coming within it.
A hospital commission of seven
members would look after the Pontiac,
Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Newberry
and Ionia hospitals, together with the
state home and training school and
the farm home for epileptics. A pris-
on commission of five would look after
the state prisons; a corrections com
mission of five would oversee the in.
dustrial and training schools; and an
other commission of five would have
charge of the schools for the blind
| and the deaf
New Tax Bill to Governor.
BY vote of 50 to IL the house
adopted the corporation tax bill,
which previously had passed the SEN
ate and sent the act to the governor.
Nearly all of the members who voted
against the bill made speeches explain
ing their votes. They regarded the
bill as discriminatory in regard to the
small corporations. Supporters Of the
bill declared it to be a fee measure
instead of tax bill and declared the
corporations were willing to come un-
der it as it stood, while they might
knock it out in the courts if the fees
were made so high as to appear like
additional taxation.
The legislators and state officials
estimate that the corporation bill will
bring in enough funds this year to
take care of the existing deficit of
nearly six million dollars
Coincident with the passage of the
bill they became generous towards the
University of Michigan, which has
been appealing ever since the session
began for building fund of $S,690,OOO
with which to provide modern build
ings. The senate finance committee
reported in favor Of allowing the uni
versity $5,300,000 during the next two
years, provided the state administra-
tive board finds that the corporation
tax is producing the estimated amount
of revenue.
The house ways and means COM
mittee, at the same time, reported in
favor of allowing the university a mill
tax of three-fifths of a mill, instead of
the present rate VI tuTee-elBHCnS OF
mill 1t is figured that this tax will
give the university revenue of S3,-
100000 a year. At present it is get
ting slightly less than $1,700,000 from
it's 1919 mill tax.
Osborn Bill Revamped.
Public utilities bills bid fair to keep
before the lawmakers until the last
day of the session. The Osborn bill,
in the senate, was revamped in an
effort to make it agreeable to home
rule advocates and at the same time
strengthen the state utilities commits
sion, and a vote on it was delayed
while it was being reprinted. The
Dafoe bill, in the house, was held in
committee because the Osborn bill
had been given the right of way
The newest of the pending utilities
bills is one that would empower the
state commission to order the connec-
ton of two electric lines for through |
service, the object being to allow in
terurban cars in Detroit to go through |
in the event that the city takes over
Soma of the lines now held NV the