Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1917 — SENATOR KINDER’S BILL SHELVED [ARTICLE]

SENATOR KINDER’S BILL SHELVED

Postponement of Bill Providing For Changing of Primary Bill Recommended By House. Indianapolis, Jan. 18. —While the democrats of the upper branch of the state legislature were in caucus this afternoon, the house committee on elections decided to postpone indefinitely two bills providing for a change in the time of holding city primary elections. Neither house was in session this afternoon.

The publie morals committee reported favorably on the state-wide prohibition bill, with a few additions, which were concurred in by t'he house. The mere fact that a piece of proposed legislation bears the indorsement of Governor James P. Goodrich does not imply that there will be organized opposition to it from the democrats of the senate, announced Democratic Floor Leader Frank Culbertson, of the upper house of the Indiana general assembly, after the caucus. Senator Culbertson added: “It might be that some of his (Goodrich) bills are” really meritorious, and if they are, the democrats will support them., We will go this far—wherever we are convinced that the proposed economy and efficiency proposals are bonafide and .not intended simply co' replace democrats with republicans—we will give them respectful consideration.”

The committee on education decided to report to the house tomorrow a free school book bill and recommend its passage. There were two bills of this kind, so near alike that the commottee consolidated the bills after slight amendment and will report them -in one bill under the title of th£ Miller-« Gentry bill. The house committee on elections’ recommended for indefinite postponement senate hill No. 6, by Senator Kinder, and house bill 49, by Representative Aldredge, providing for a change in the time of holding nrimarv elections. The Kinder bill was amended so as to provide for holding the primary in cities of the first class on the Tuesday following the third Monday in May and elsewhere on the Tuesday following the third Monday in August. So much opposition developed in Indianapolis and throughout the state to the proposed changes that the committee decided to kill the bills. The committee on cities and towns, after a meeting, announced it would repotr for passage bill 133, that city court summons may be served by any constable, or deputized officer, and house bill 125„ to permit incorporated towns to assume any school board indebtedness to the amount of $5,000. , .

The committee on fees and salaries speirt some time this afternoon considering Representative Williams bill for increasing the pay of the members of the general assembly, ’he bill proposes to increase the pay of the members from $6 to $lO a day and to raise the mileage from ten cents to twenty cents. The committee decided to defer report on the bill. The measure does not affect the pay of the present members of the assembly. , • .. ...< Opposition developed to the Nejd! bill, providing for a pension fund fqj firemen in cities of the fourth and fifth classes, where there now exists no such fund, to be created by a ta/ levy on .foreign insurance companies doing business in the city, the senate insurance committee delaying a recommendation and will arrange for another hearing, probably next week. The senate committee on swamp lands and drainage this afternoon agreed to report favorably on a bill providing that wherein there need be established a drain through state land in order properly to drain privately owned land, the state shall be assessed and bel iable the same as the individual.