The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-03-03

role board. was approved by the sem
ate committee on crime prevention.
A bill pending, which would give
justices of the peace jurisdiction to
grant probation and stay sentences
was Endorsed at meeting of the AS
ISOLATION of Justices of the Peace.
The measure has passed the house,
and is before the senate. Under the
present laws the justices cannot grant
probation in deserving cases, nor can
they stay sentences.
Business men from Duluth, st.
Cloud, Rochester, Winona. Saltwater,
Mankato. Red Wing. st. Paul and
Minneapolis faced the house commit
tee on taxes and tax laws in the house
chamber and protested passage of a
statutory income tax bill. The meet
ing was the result of demand for
state wide public hearing on house
file 367.
Determined opposition to two bills
providing leniency for persons con-
victed of bank robbery, was voiced by
Martin F. Ernst, president of the Min
nesota Bankers association. One bill,
introduced by Representatives ]. j.
McDonough of st. Paul and r. ]. Quin-
Ivan of st. Cloud, would make per-
sons convicted of bank robbery in
which no shooting occurred eligible
for parole after serving seven years
of their sentence. The other would
reduce the sentence for bank rob-
berries in which no shooting occurred
from life Imprisonment tC an indeter-
inmate term of 10 to so years. This
bill was recommended for passage by
the house crime prevention commit
tee, which also approved a bill to
pay So a day to persons wrongfully
imprisoned and later proved innocent
of crime charged.
United States government officials
moved into the state senate's inquiry
of state highway contracts. The first
phase of the federal investigation will
include an examination of records
concerning distribution of s12,000,000
of federal funds for state road build
ing projects in the last two years.
The senate committee investigating
the rural credit bureau will resume
its work, with H. M. Feroe of Minnea-
polls, ousted recently as assistant at.
torney general assigned to the bu.
reau, slated to testify. The commit
tee has asked the attorney general for
a ruling as to whether the credit blu.
reau has not already exceeded the
legal limitation of bonded debt. Sem
ator r. N. Gardner, member of the
committee, said he understood the
bonded debt should not exceed the
combined total of cash on hand avail.
able for loans, the amount of mort
cages held by the bureau at book
value, and the amount of real estate
on hand as result of mortgage fore
closure. M. A. Baker, accountant for
the bureau, has testified the three
items cited total s5S,OOO,O00, and the
present bonded debt is s60,500,0O0.
Senator Henry G.. Teigan of Min
neapolis introduced resolution which
would direct the governor to desig-
nate the congressional district in
which vacancy occurs, in the event
of death or disability of a congress.
man the next two years. He makes
the proposal because the death of
Congressman Godfrey G. Goodwin left
some question as to what should be
done in the event of vacancy. Moth
ing need be done in the Goodwin va
cancy because his term is about to
expire, but the nine who take their
seats after March were elected at
large, and under the law the election
to fill vacancy would have to be
statewide. Teigan's plan is to per-
NIT the governor to designate the
district in which the vacancy might
occur and have the election there.
What to do about s2,500,OO in state
rural credit bonds, coming due this
year and next, is engaging the leg
islature's attention. M. A. Baker,
chief accountant for the department,
was on the stand again at the in.
vestigation by senate committee.
He admitted the department has no
funds in sight to pay the bonds and
no authority to issue bonds to re-
fund them.
Regret that state as big and
wealthy as Minnesota had to apply to
the federal government for relief
funds was expressed by Gov. Olson
in talk to club women in declaring
the state cannot expect aid from the
Reconstruction Finance corporation
forever. He said he favored levying
taxes to meet the need of poor peo-
pie in the state. He urged passage
of legislation to set UP machinery to
administer funds expected TO be avail
able from the r. F. C.
A concurrent resolution calling
holders to be lenient in farm mort
gage foreclosures was introduced in
the house by Representative Elmer
G. Holm, Dilworth. The measure
also asks passage of the Shipstead
bill, giving farmers a lower rate OF
interest. The farm situation now, the
resolutions set forth, is nationwide
calamity.
Early action on plan suggested
by Gov. Olson to keep distressed far
mers on their farms pending fore
closure negotiations was expected as
the state senate judiciary committee
reported favorably on a concurrent
resolution proposed by Senator ]. v.
Weber, Slayton.