The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-02-11
THREE MORE BANKS CLOSED IN
THE STATE LAST WEEK BUT
NO BANK GUARANTY
BILL AS YET.
IRON RANGE HAD ITS INNING
IN HEARING ON TOWNSHIP
LIMITATION BILL LAST
WEEK.
= By R. w. HITCHCOCK
REPRESENTATIVE. Goth District

Representative, Goth District
st. Paul, February 10-Although
the sixth week of the session is be-
ginning as this is written, yet many
Of the issues loudly broadcasted as
the principal issues of the session
have not yet been introduced. Evolu-
ton, for instance. The papers have
been full of it. Pulpits have fulmin-
ated for it and against it. The men,
bers of the legislature have gossiped
about it. But the bill to prohibit it's
teaching in the schools of Minnesota
ia still non existent. Maybe it was
only q DOGGY man after all.
With the whole state shaken by
the wholesale closing of its banks
three more went in one day last week
and with depositors from the Lake
Of the Woods to Lake Pepin praying
for some kind of a guaranty, no one
has come forward with a bank guar
Rnty bill. Such a measure has been
loudly promised by radical forces,
but even in these ranks there is a
growing doubt of the efficacy of any
bank guaranty scheme. Even the
vigorous recommendations of Com
missioner of Banks Veigel, ably sup
ported by Governor Christianson's
message, have netted nothing yet.
These did bring out on the floor of
the house one bill raising the mini
mum amount of stock required for
the creation of a new bank from
$4,000 to $4,000, but an hours dis
cussion in the house sent it back to
committee for amendment.
Mines Again a Target.
The farmer labor faction has said
with considerable gusto that it will
put up a fight at this session of the
Legislature to raise the occupational
tax on the mining of iron ore from
six to ten per cent, but the bill has
not yet made its appearance. Per-
haps the mines thought that if any
shooting was to be done, they would
shoot first, and so brought out the
township per capita bill. If, with
the formidable lobby now on the
ground and the freely circulated tales
OF remlssness on the part of Range
folk, the mines succeed in enacting
the township limitation bill into law,
proponents of the scheme to mulct the
iron ore industry may take heart and
push the occupational tax increase
with greater vigor. 1t is not likely,
however, that they will get anywhere.
The great body of sentiment in the
legislature is that the rate is high
enough for the present. In fact,
some who supported the occupational
taV on the iron mines are aleardy
beginning to wonder if they have not
unduly FASTENED the end of one of the
states greatest industries
Crime Prevention Setback.
More than % bills have appeared
seeking to carry into effect the rec
concentrations of the governors crime
commission. One of the most import
ant Of these, the proposal to so amend
our criminal law that defendants in
dicted for the same offense may be
tried In one action, has been rejected
by the house committee. Perhaps
shs whisper is slanderous, but it is
bruited about, nevertheless, that the
lawyer membership of the legisla-
ture is opposed to many of the crime
commissions recommendations. Grim
inal lawyers naturally do not favor
legislation making it harder for the
defense. The house has only 10 law
yer members, but the senate men,
bsrship is nearly one-half lawyers
and many of these are among the
most powerful members of that body.
Bond Issue Taboo.
Highway Commissioner Babcock's
recommendations for bond issue, for
an increase in the auto license tax
and for raising the CAST tax have
not yet been Incorporated into bills
and the chances are that they will
not be. The gentleman from Nicollet,
Oscar Swenson, chairman of the
house committee on highways, has
declared against these proposals.
Sentiment in both senate and house is
Overwhelmingly against bond issue,
strongly against an increase in the
license tax and the proposal for an
Increase in the gas tax has thus far
aroused no enthusiasm. Mr.. Babcock
did not make his proposals with much
real hope that they would be enacted
into law, but he is a gentleman with
the courage of his convictions, and
he laid those convictions before the
legislature with an able and alluring
argument to back them. His plea
has fallen on deaf ears this year,
however.
In this connection, we are happy
to report that the house committee
on highways has killed the bill to
extend the time of payment for auto
license tags. Hoping to carry favor
with the farmers, the legislature two
years ago enacted a measure of this
kind. The result was confusion worse
COMPOUNDED in the office of the col
lector of the tax, very few except
chronic eleventh hour payers of the
tax took advantage of the extension
and uncertainty as to the amount of
the tax was widespread. The tax and
the time of its payment should both
be definitely certain and Minnesota
would do well to initiate the example
Of Massachusetts, which compels the |
of the auto license tax be-
fore the first day of January each |
year, allows no extension or days of |
grace and has no trouble with its |
collections. 1t is predicted that the |
auto license tax will this year amount |
to $11 100000, an increase of one
and that the gas tax will also |
be more productive of trunk highway
revenue than in 1926.
Beauty A-RiOting.
Mrs. Mabel Hurd Paige, chairman
of the committee on public welfare,
has some troubles. To her committee
goes a great variety of legislation
that provokes controversy. The COM
batants crowd the committee hear
ngs, and the battle often RACES with
and never more so than when
he hostile ranks are formed largely