Milford chronicle., 1924-12-05
TAME LEGISLATIVE
SESSION in JANUARY
NOW SEEMS LIKELY
No Important Radical Changes OF
General Value In State Laws
Proposed At Session
LITTLE OVER MONTH AWAY
Though Lukewarm Agitation For
New Wilmington City Char
ter Has Just Started.

With the next session of the Della
ware State Legislature little more
than a month away, comparatively
little public discussion concerning
proposed legislative measures Is
heard, and, unless present signs tall'
it will be a tame session.
Practically no changes in the laws
or additions which are of outstand-
ing Importance have yet been sug-
gested with the exception of a move
ment now on foot to present again a
citv charter measure for Wilmington
similar to the bill defeated two years
ago. Some of those connected with
the various business mems clubs are
said to sanction such moVe' but no
move has been taken.
Then there is the subject OF tairer
representation in the General AS
sembly for the various subdivisions
of the state-a subject which mas
been thoroughly discussed for years
hut about which very little has been
said. recently with the exception OF
an address largely devoted to this
subject which was given recently by
Rev. John F. McElwee, professor OF
civics at the Salesianum High
School. There is some talk which
has not crystalized of forming civ
ic association to plan means for Sc
curing larger representation and
more home rule for Wilmington.
Though volumes have been writ
ten about the need for changes in
our state government to avoid over
lapping of authority and to fix re-
sponsibility on distinct administra-
tive departments, no more attention.
apparently is being paid to this tnan
for several years past.
There may be some plans oHereo
for a revision of the taxation system
and especially for the abolition OF
the So filing fee but no definite pro-
posals to that end have yet been
made. Al
Torrens System Of Transfers
One of the most important meas
ures which might be taken up with
some hope of success, provided a
sufficiently strenuous fight in its be-
half were conducted, is change in
the system of recording real estate
transfers to the Torrens or some
other system, which would remove
the necessity for legal red tape IN
re-copying in long hand every de-
tail about a parcel of property eV-
ery time a transfer in ownership
takes place, recurring a small army
of clerks to keep it going, and need
less expense for the persons VINO
may be buying or selling property.
This change has been advocated
for years and now has the endorse
ment of the Wilmington Real Estate
Board, representative of the real
state agencies in Wilmington. To
overcome the opposition to such a
measure which would be bound to
arise from interested quarters, a
real fight would be needed to go in
to the state legislative halls with any
chance of winning.
Should the plan proposed by the
State Teachers Association, propos-
ing that local education boards may
levy a per capita tax without refer
endum of IS on every adult resident
and a property tax of not more than
30 cents on each assessed $1OO reach
the General Assembly, there Is
bound to be a warm fight over it,
judging by past attempts to get such
direct school taxation onto the
shoulders of the taxpayers through
out the state At the recent meeting
of the State Teachers, it was said
that this change would be proposed
to the legislature together with a
number of other measures advocat-
ed in resolutions which were adopt
ed at that time. ,.>.
Members of the Delaware Bar AS
sociation are on record as favoring a
bill to be presented which will pro-
vide that the present law relating to
the time for entering appearances
judgments by default and the filing
of pleadings in the courts be abol-
lshed by the substitution Of sim
plified system of pleading similar to
that in effect in Pennsylvania.
To Sit on Reckless Drivers
The Delaware Safety Council has
been discussing for some time past
proposed changes in the automobile
laws. Just what form this measure
NAV take has not been determined.
Members of the State Educational
Association are planning to present
a bill providing for Pension Fund
for state school teachers, similar tc
laws which have been adopted in
many other states. The plan would
provide for the fund to be raised
partly by state appropriation and