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CAPITOL NEWS IN BRIEF
By PARKEKEAYS
Depositors of failed banks at Brainard and Newman Grove received $110,000 recently. Over 300 Nebraska 4-H club members and their club leaders spent last week in Lincoln attending the 17th annual club week at the college of agriculture.
A recent survey made by the national industries conference shows that wage rates have been cut about 14 per cent as an average in the United States. Executive salaries have been reduced 20 percent. The survey shows also that about 20 percent of the persons gainfully employd in 1929 are now unemployed. If congress passes bill now before ti, Nebraska will get $1,800,000 in the fiscal year of 1934 and the same amount in 1935 as federal aid in the construction of its highways. The bill proposes an appropriation of $100,000,000 each year for use in highway construction over the country. Representatives of the state railway commission, who recently returned from Kansas City where hearings on the western railroad grain rate case are being held, expect to leave soon for further hearings at Minneapolis and Chicago. It is reported that the alliance of state railway commissions is making a good showing in the hearings in favor of a decrease in rates rather than the increase asked by the railroads. The matter of fighting grasshoppers is a problem which is puzzling many counties in the state at the present time. The state has $18,000 with which to buy poison bran and has offered to use this fund to match county funds for the purchase of grasshopper poison. Some counties in the state, which have no funds available for the purpose, are planning to issue warrants if the banks will handle them. Representatives of several northern counties met at O'Neil recently and passed a resolution asking for complete state aid. These counties are in the drouth district and are unable to raise funds to match the state money. The state department of agriculture has received a quotation of $19 per ton for poison bran in carload lots. This is considerably lower than the price paid last year which ranged from $25 to $27 per ton.
May tax collections amounted to $1,224,000, according to announcement by State Treasurer Bass. The collections are about 16 percent lower than in the corresponding month of 1931. Officials say that this indicates people are paying their taxes as well this year as a year ago since the state levy is about 16 percent lower this year than before. This report shows $12,000 in delinquent municipal, county and school district funds with delinquent interest amounting to $4,000. The majority of these funds is tied up in failed banks it is said. Receipts of the game, forestation and park commission for 1931 were about $10,000 less than the preceeding year. Total receipts in 1931 were $217,817. The bulk of this money came from hunting, fishing and trapping permits. Last year the commission sold 13,000 scrip coupons to hunters at 50 cents each. Over 12,000 of these coupons were returned to the commission for redemption. About 663 of them were unredeemed. The state superintendent of schools has approved the application of the Norfolk school board to resubmit the question of establishing a junior college to the voters in Norfolk. The same measure was defeated a an election there late in May. Nebraska voters will vote on an amendment to the constitution which prohibits the enactment by the legislature of any laws permitting establishment or preparation of exclusive methods of healing or interfering with the right of individuals to choose what method of healing they prefer, if petitions now in circulation carry enough names and are approved by the secretary of state. The petitions must carry the names of 10 percent of those who voted for governor at the last general election. At a recent meeting of engineers several interesting facts were brought out concerning the state capital building. Enough concrete was used in the structure to pave 25 miles of road: more than one milion rivets were used in the steel construction 5500 carloads of material were used in building the captial, or enough to make a train reaching from Grand Island to Lincoln.
The state banking department has reported the reopening of the Tryon State Bank, which suspended business January 8. During April over $500,000 in dividends were paid to depositors of failed banks in the state. A recent report shows that Nebraska completed 1431 miles of improved highway last year. Of this total 280 miles were graded and drained, 890 miles graveled, 49 mile soil graveled and 222 miles paved. Nebraska's total for the year compares favorably with that of nearby states. Iowa completed 1060 miles, South Dakota 937 miles, Kansas 1724, Wyoming 1450, Colorado 400 and Missouri 3295. Total gasoline tax collections for May were $793,540 or about $75,000 more than the amount collected during May a year ago. This is a sharp increase over April collections which totalled $643,000 and March collections of $445,000. Gross gasoline tax collections since the law went into effect in April 1925 totaled to $41,497,000. A savings company, which holds a general insurance agency contract under a Nebraska life insurance company, recently proposed to sell trading stamps to merchants which they in turn would give as a discount to purchasers at their stores. It was proposed to accept these trading stamps as payment or part payment on life insurance premiums. The attorney general was requested to make a ruling on the matter and after giving it some study, he ruled that the plan could not be worked out due to the fact that the life insurance policies in effect state that premiums must be paid in cash. The federal government has a deficit of about 2½ billion dollars for the first 11 months in 1932. Mounting expenditures and decline in all tax collections, especially income tax collections, are the first contributors to the deficit. Governor and Mrs. Bryan returned to Lincoln last week from a two weeks' recreation trip into northern and western Nebraska. They spent a short time in Hot Springs, S. D., while during the balance of their trip they visited various Nebraska cities. Another herd of cattle in northeast Nebraska was placed under quarantine for anthrax. Some difficulty was experienced with the disease in that section last year. During the winter, however, all quarantines were dropped. Several herds have been placed under quarantine again this spring. The Union Pacific has asked the railway commission for authority to discontinue two trains operating between Omaha and Grand Island. The railroad company proposes to substitute motor service each way between Columbus and Omaha. The federal court at Lincoln last week again heard the case of Victor Seymour. Seymour was indicted by the grand jury and was on trial on five counts which charged that he testified falsely before the Nye investigation in the attempt of George W. Norris of Broken Bow to get on the ballot as a candidate for the senatorial nomination against Senator Norris during the summer of 1930. The case was tried before a jury which had made no decision at this writing. The Nebraska delegation to the National convention in Chicago will leave Omaha Sunday night, June 12, and will have headquarters at the Palmer House. The delegations' first meeting for organization in Chicago will be held the following day. Federal and state agricultural authorities say that the commercial apple crop of southeast Nebraska will be considerably lower this year due to lower temperature during the growing season and some tree diseases. The attorney general in a recent opinion brought out the fact that suspension of drivers' licenses under the automobile financial responsibility law can apply to accidents which occurred before the passage of the law if an unsatisfied judgment for damage was obtained after the law took effect. He states that the suspension of the drivers' licenses is not causing the accident but for failing to satisfy the judgment. The supreme court went into session again this week to hear applications on 25 cases. A Nebraska school board is making its budget for next year asked the attorney general for an opinion as to whether or not they could apropriate school money for athletics or extra curricular activities in case of shortages in those funds. The opinion stated that the law was probably not broad enough to permit the apropriation of school money for activities, such as traveling expenses of debating or athletic teams. It is probable that some appropriation for the purchase of athletic equipment would be legal.
