Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 100, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 March 1919 — GOVERNOR SIGNS OIL GRAB BILL [ARTICLE]

GOVERNOR SIGNS OIL GRAB BILL

To Give About floo,ooo to Republican Workers. Governor Goodrich has • signed the Kimmel oil inspection bill, known as the fee grabbing bill, which provldea job« for approxL mately 64 “deserving" Republicans until October 1, when the Republican platform oil inspection bill, which will be signed shortly, goes into effect and transfers the work of inspecting oils to the state food and drug department. ■ The bill became a' law immediately on the writing of the governor’s signature and many of the inspectors began work before the end of the day. While the list of inspectors has not yet been announced it is said that the personnel will be just about the same as before the former Republican Inspectors were put out of business by a court decision. Marlon Caldwell Is superintendent of the department. The Inspectors will Inspect oils at from 40 to 3 cents a barrel, according to the quantity Inspected. They will get all the money themselves with the exception of 5 per cent, which is to go to the superintendent. About |IOO,OOO in fees is expected to go to the political workers as the result of the Kimmel act.

The platform oil bill is to become a law October 1. It repeals the first law and places the work of Inspection under the supervision of the state food and drug commissioner, who will receive SSOO a year for looking after the inspectors. The inspection fees unier the platform law will be from 25 to 4 cents a barrel, according to quantity, and all of the money will go to the state. It is said that by an agreement between the governor and a number of oil companies no injunction suit will be brought by any of the companies, as before, to prevent the plundering of their funds by the so-called inspection at the hands of politicians.—lndianapolis News.