Ch. 240) Insane Hospital Tax 579 best judgment, taking into consideration all the facts and circumstances of the case. Approved, April 19, 1917. CHAPTER 240. (Senate File No. 167.) [Introduced by Senators McMullen, Henry, Adams, Bushee, Doty, Samuelson, Douthett and Representatives Burrows, Naylor, Stearns, Reisner, Reynolds, Dalby, Behrens, Thomas, Conley, and Meysenburg.] AN ACT authorizing, empowering and directing the State Auditor to make settlement with counties for the amount due the State for the support and maintenance of Insane patients. Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Nebraska: Section 1. Insane hospital tax account-settlement. That the State Auditor be hereby authorized and empowered to accept settlement in full of the amount due the State from any counties that have not effected settlement with such State Auditor for the support and maintenance of insane patients, from said counties, in the State Hospital for Insane. The amount of the principal shown by the Referee's report in the cases of the State of Nebraska vs. Gage County and the State of Nebraska vs. Stanton County shall be the basis on which the State Auditor shall settle with these counties by accepting in full the principal found to be due by the Referee, and that the interest on said amount be deducted. Sec. 2. Emergency. Whereas, an emergency exists, this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval. Approved, March 29, 1917. CHAPTER 241. (House Roll No. 2.) [Introduced by Mr. Norton.] A joint resolution relating to the calling of a Constitutional Convention. Be it Enacted and Resolved by the People of the State of Nebraska: Section 1. Constitutional convention-election. That at the next election of members of the Legislature there shall be submitted to the electors of the state, the question of calling a constitutional convention to alter, change and amend the constitution of the State of Nebraska. Any amendment which such constitutional convention may propose shall be submitted separately to the electors for approval or rejection, when demanded by twenty-five per cent of the duly qualified and elected delegates of such convention. Sec. 2. Ballots-submission. That at said general election, the question of calling a constitutional convention shall be submitted to the electors of the state upon the official ballot in the following form: "For the calling of a constitutional convention to alter, change, and amend the Constitution of Nebraska; any amendment to the Constitution to be submitted separately to the electors when demanded by twenty-five per cent of the duly qualified and elected delegates of such convention." "Against the calling of a constitutional convention to alter, change, and amend the Constitution of Nebraska; any amendment to the Constitution to be submitted separately to the electors when demanded by twenty-five per cent of the duly qualified and elected delegates of such convention." Approved, April 21, 1917. Ch. 242) Railroads Government Ownership CHAPTER 242. (Senate File No. 67.) A joint resolution by the Legislature of the State of Nebraska: 581 Whereas, The failure of the railway companies of the United States to furnish a sufficient number of cars to move the crops and other products of the wealth producers of 1916 is but another evidence that railways privately owned can not be depended upon to adequately serve the people when they most need service, Resolved, by the senate of the state of Nebraska, the house concurring, that the Congress of the United States be and is hereby earnestly memorialized to take immediate steps leading to the government ownership of all railroads and that the same be operated by the government under strict civil service regulation for the convenience and accommodation of the people rather than for the convenience and aggrandizement of private corporations. Resolved, That it is the sense of the legislature of the state of Nebraska that other public utilities, including the telegraph and telephone systems be taken over at the earliest convenience and operated by the government under strict civil service regulations. Resolved, That copies of these resolutions be forwarded to our United States Senators and Congressmen at Washington. Approved, April 14, 1917. CHAPTER 243. (House Roll No. 383.) [Introduced by Messrs. Dorsey, Anderson, Auten, Samuelson, McAllister and Hager.] (Joint Resolution and Memorial to Congress.) To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress Assembled: WHEREAS, by reason of the failure or inability of the railway transportation companies to furnish adequate car service, a condition of car shortage has ensued, which has continued for the past several months and has grown constantly more acute, resulting in well nigh total paralysis of the movement of grain and food stuffs throughout Nebraska and other producing states of the Middle West; and WHEREAS, in consequence thereof, the farmers and producing classes of those states have been for a long period, and are now, unable to sell or realize upon their products for lack of shipping facilities, thus depriving them of a market and creating general and wide-spread distress; and WHEREAS, these conditions affect, injuriously, vast numbers of the population, not only of the producing states, but of those states which depend upon the food products of the West for their subsistence; and WHEREAS, it has been demonstrated by the investigations of the Interstate Commerce Commission, as well as by other sources of inquiry until it is now an undoubted fact, that the car shortage has been largely caused by the lawless disregard of the railway companies for the rules governing the movement, distribution, and return of cars, and by the wrongful diversion and even actual theft of car equipment by some railroads from others; and WHEREAS, the laws of the United States regulating interstate traffic and the present powers of the Interstate Commerce Commission are ineffective to deal with such practices, and the said Commission, in its report of December 1, 1916, recommends that Congress enact certain legislation granting to the Commission the power to make and enforce proper and needful rules to Ch. 243) Joint Resolution 583 regulate car service, and to prevent and punish infractions by the railway companies of the same; and WHEREAS, it is a matter of vital importance and of the most urgent necessity that Congress take immediate action, at the present session, in order that normal conditions of car supply may be restored before the new crops of the current year are offered for transportation to market; Therefore, we, your memorialists, respectfully petition and request that Congress enact, at its present session all requisite and proper laws to put in effect the recommendations of the Interstate Commerce Commission, and to vest the said Commission with full power to regulate the car service and equipment of railway companies engaged in interstate commerce; that Congress enact laws, with penalties severe enough to ensure their enforcment, to compel the said railroad companies to purchase, provide and furnish to shippers sufficient cars and motive power to meet the demands of the growing industries and commerce of the nation; and that Congress enact laws, with sufficient penalties, prohibiting and punishing the practices known to have been resorted to by the management of many of the great railway systems, in the diversion, retention and misappropriation of car equipment belonging to other lines. Approved, April 11, 1917. |