The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-04-17
SENATE AMENDS
DRAINAGE LAWS
Those Seeking To Start Projects
Would Be Compelled To
Have Majority.


St. Paul-Majority rule is to govern
| drainage projects hereafter in Mime
sofa, provided that the house acts on
| the bill passed by the senate. Advo-
| Gates of the majority principle won
out handily In their fight in the senate
and the senate bill as amended is ex-
pected to have easy shedding in, the
lower house.
1t was charged freely that projects
have been worked up and put over
| against the wishes Of majority OF
the land holders affected, and loading
up the. land with burdensome ditch
| liens.
After the debate, the senate by As
| to 16 vote amended the Cliff drainage
! code so as to require a majority of the
resident owners of the land affected
| to join in the petition before project
can be brought before the court or
the county board.
Senator F. l.. Cliff, the legislatures
expert on drainage law and author of
the bill codifying the drainage legis-
lation Of the state, fought the amend
| ment He had yielded to increasing
the percentage from 25 to 35 per cent,
but declared that In his belief 1t
should be left at rs. To require a
majority would mean that no large
drainage projects will be started, he
commended.
Senator L. p Johnson, who offered
the 81 per cent amendment, said that
Is per cent of the needed drainage in
the state already has been done, and
in southern Minnesota 80 per cent
He thought it about time to tighten
up.
Appropriations Held Down.
st. Paul-Legislative appropriations
to opearte the state government dur
ing the next biennium period are
headed toward maximum of 100000
600 or less, according to committee
recommendations which have been
made to the lawmakers.
The house appropriations committee
submitted bills covering the appropria-
lions for educational and state depart
mental purposes, the last two of the
four general appropriation measures,
| and compilation of the figures re-
veals that up to date the recommends
tons are far below $40,000,0e0. Gov
ernor Christianson in his budget mes
sage to the legislature early in the
session urged that the appropriations
be kept within $39 100000. Two years
ago the appropriations totaled $42,-
1869.
In the education appropriation bill
which the house reported out, the to-
tai allowances are $19,662,042. The
total of the state departmental bill is
S8,643,329 The legislature already
has passed, and Governor Christian
son has signed, the appropriation bill
covering all state penal and chart
table institutions in charge Of the
board Of control This bill totals ST.
14S,350 The fourt appropriation bill,
covering the aid Of agriculture and
semi-state activities, is being settled
by a conference committee because
the house and senate are about $780,
600 apart in their figures. The house
bill for this group Of appropriations
carries totals of $3,075.725.
Asks Senate Change Interim Bill.
The senate was called upon by the
other branch of the legislature to re-
verse itself and approve state gov
eminent reorganization bill in pre-
cisely the form that Governor Theo-
dore Christianson said is necessary to
enable him to carry out economy
pledges made to the voters in the last
election.
The reorganization bill which was
sent to the senate by the house rejects
all the amendments which had been
adopted by one vote margin in the
senate when 1t took a fling at the
measure. The Governor and his sup
porters had declared the senate
amendments defeated the purpose of
! the proposed legislature and the
house voted to give the executive ex-
actly the kind of legislation he pro-
| posed.
Vehicle Tax Is Cut.
Reducing motor vehicle taxes but
| not to the extent of the house cut
the senate passed the bill as recon-
mended by its committee without a
| dissenting vote. Because of variance
| OF schedules in the senate and house
bills, the measure will be sent to a
conference committee.
AS approved by the senate, the taxes
on the various types Of automobiles
would be as follows: Glass A, weigh
ing less than 1000 pounds, minimum
al M a N
| 1000 pounds, minimum tax, $13;
basic rate of tax, &c per cent of value
of the car. This schedule means a
reduction in both classes of machines
from the present tax and reduction
of from 275 to 2.6 per cent in the
basic rate.
It is estimated that the schedule set
up by the senate bill will mean re-
duction In revenue of S884,000 instead
OF the s1,500,OO0 lost by the house
schedule.
Senate Gets Bonus Claims.
Eighty-five soldier bonus claims to-
| falling $14,725 were recommended to
the state senate for payment when the
| finance committee introduced a bill
granting sums for service in the World
war to men and women, and to parents
OF deceased soldiers.
More than 100 claims for bonuses
were introduced in the senate, and the
| finance committee pared the total
down to SO. The state bonus law has
become imperative and the only way
claims may now be paid is by legis-
lative enactment