The Colorado statesman., 1923-04-07
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STATE CAPITOL
NEWS LETTER
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The Colorado river compact was
unanimously passed on second read
Ing by the state House of Represen-
tatives without discussion or explana-
tion.
With the passage of the amended
Lambert consolidation bill by the
State House of Representatives the
question of the date of Adjournment
IF the Twenty-fourth General Assembly
becomes rather complicated. April III
was selected tentatively by Republi-
cans some time ago as the date of adj
iournment, but legislators point out
that until the fate of the Lambert bill
has been decided the Legislature can
not turn its attention to the one
" eighty measure that still remains for
consideration, the long appropriation
hill. Consensus is that the Senate will
ratify the Lambert bill. After that is
accomplished Governor Sweet will have
ten days to consider the bill. If he
should let the bill become law with
out his signature, as Hale Smith, his
secretary, has announced as possi-
bllity, all the work that has been done
TO date by the House appropriations
committee and the Senate finance
committee will go for naught and a
complete redrafting of the long appro-
priation bill on the basis of the reor-
ganized state government will be nee
essary. However, even in the event
Sweet vetoes the Lambert bill such
action is not likely to come within the
next two weeks, and in consequence
legislators believe April 10 is no longer
possible date for adjournment, and
are inclined to say it is highly prob
able the Assembly will be in session
until at least April 20. The passage
of the Lambert bill by the House was
accomplished only after some diff
Guilty by Republican leaders in hold
ing all members to caucus rule.
The special committee appointed to
investigate the state institutions which
oyerdrew their appropriations made its
report to the House. A resolution was
also introduced by the committee call
ing for the appointment of another
Legislative committee to investigate
the institutions during the next two
years and make a report at the Twen-
ty-fifty General Assembly. The COM
mittee which reported was composed
of Representatives J. w. Calkins, Re-
publican, and A. e. Headlee and James
]. Eubank, Democrats, The increased
cost in the penal and charitable in
stitutions is caused by a very large
increase in the number of inmates ac
cording to the report. I'm the case OF
our educational Institutions" the re-
port reads, 1--WE find in some instances
very poor business management, in
others we think waste and extrav'
agance prevail in greater or less de,
gree. 1t seems to us that the man.
agement of the various institutions in
many instances have entirely forgot
ten the purpose for which they were
created" AS an example of this the
report states that in the normal school
supposed to prepare teachers for the
public schools that the following
courses are given: costume designing,
artistic development modern drama
interior decorating, millinery, house
planning, house decorating, heating
sanitation, wood working, shop prob
lens, cabinet making, concrete con-
struction, art metal work, band, or
chestra, pipe organ, string, wood and
brass instruments, aesthetic dancing
and boxing, tennis, general physics for
engineering, household electricity, mag
netism and electric waves. The total
expenditure for the educational insti-
tutions of the state for 1919 and 1920
was 1892, ,221.22 and for 1921 and
1922 it increased to S5,525, ,7S4.33, ac-
cording to the report.
Test signals on railroads are pro
hibited by II. B. 20, which passed on
second reading. Another measure APP
proved on second reading appropriates
$4,000 for an agricultural experiment
station in Cheyenne county.
The House recommended the bill
amending the teachers minimum
salary law after it had failed to re-
ceive enough votes to pass on final
reading. The vote on this measure
was 2S to 49, Approval was given to
the bill appropriating $4,000 for the
erection of buildings for the Adams
State Normal School at Alamosa.
There was slight opposition to the pas
sage of the measure.
The bill providing for the repeal of
the half mill levy for highways was
passed by the House on second read
ing. 1t will not be passed on third
reading by the House until the Senate
finally passes the bill raising the tax
ON gasoline from l to 2 cents. An
attempt was made to have the bill laid
over until the Senate had passed the
bill raising the tax on gasoline, but
Representative Louis ]. Carter said
that the measure would not be passed
on final reading until the Senate had