402 



KANSAS. 



any private person or corporation to another for 

 irrigation shall be fixed in each county by the 

 county commissioners, and the rights and duties 

 of such person and corporation, as well as of 

 public irrigation districts, are defined at length. 

 The sinking of artesian wells and the rights of 

 owners thereof are also regulated. 



By another act the business of public ware- 

 house men is carefully defined and restricted. 

 The maximum rates for storage and handling of 

 grain, including cost of receiving and delivering, 

 are fixed at one cent a bushel for the first fifteen 

 days or part thereof, one half cent a bushel for 

 each fifteen days or part thereof after the first 

 fifteen, but not over four cents a bushel in the 

 aggregate for continuous storage from Nov. 15 

 to May 15 following. Any board of trade issu- 

 ing licenses hereunder shall appoint a State 

 weighmaster and such assistants as shall be 

 needed for the transaction of business in its 

 locality. There shall also be a State inspector of 

 grain, appointed by the Governor, who shall ap- 

 point deputy inspectors upon the nomination of 

 local boards of trade. The inspectors shall de- 

 termine the grade of grain offered to public 

 warehouses, but an appeal may be taken from 

 their decision. 



The sum of $60,000 was appropriated to pur- 

 chase seed grain for those farmers who lost their 

 crops by reason of the drought of 1890. The 

 railroad commissioners were authorized to pur- 

 chase such grain and the county commissioners 

 of each county to distribute it, taking the note 

 of each beneficiary for the cost of the grain sup- 

 plied to him. In addition, certain specified 

 counties were authorized, on their own account, 

 to purchase and distribute seed grain, taking the 

 note of each benefkiary, and to issue bonds for 

 the sums needed for such purchase. 



A new law for the management of the State 

 Penitentiary provides for a board of three di- 

 rectors, to be appointed by the Governor, one 

 each year, for a term of three years. The war- 

 den of the Penitentiary shall be appointed by 

 the Governor. By another act is established a 

 State Boafd of Public Works, composed of three 

 members appointed by the Governor. 



For each of the fiscal years ending June 30, 

 1892, and June 30, 1893, the rate of State taxa- 

 tion for current expenses was fixed at 3 - 5 mills, 

 and for interest on the public debt at '2 mill, on 

 each dollar. Numerous acts were passed author- 

 izing various townships and cities to issue bonds 

 and use the proceeds in building flouring mills, 

 or in aid thereof. A new apportionment of mem- 

 bers of the Legislature, on the basis of the cen- 

 sus of 1890, was made at this session. Eight 

 hours were declared to constitute a day's work 

 for all laborers, workmen, mechanics, or other 

 persons employed by or in behalf of the State, or 

 by or in behalf of any county, city, township, or 

 other municipality of the State. 



Provision was made for submitting to the peo- 

 ple, at the November election in 1892, the ques- 

 tion whether a convention shall be called to re- 

 vise, amend, or change the State Constitution. 



Another important act provides for the regu- 

 lation and control of State banks. It requires 

 from each banlj-^a sworn quarterly statement 

 showing the concL.ion of its business. It creates 

 the office of State Bank Commissioner, with 



salary of $2,500, and empowers him to close any 

 bank that does not comply with the law. 



An act to prevent ownership of land by non- 

 resident aliens provides that " every non-resi- 

 dent alien, firm of aliens, or corporation incor- 

 porated under the laws of any foreign country, 

 shall be incapable of acquiring title to or taking 

 or holding any land or real estate in this State, 

 by descent, devise, purchase, or otherwise, except 

 that the heirs of aliens who have heretofore ac- 

 quired lands in this State under the laws there- 

 of, and the heirs of aliens who may acquire lands 

 under the provisions of the act, may take such 

 lands by devise or descent and hold them for the 

 space of three years and no longer, if such alien 

 at the time of so acquiring such lands is of the 

 age of twenty-one years, and if not twenty-one 

 years of age, then for the term of five years from 

 the time of so acquiring such lands ; and if at 

 the end of the time herein limited such lands so 

 acquired have not been sold to bonafidt purchas- 

 ers for value, or such alien heirs have not become 

 actual residents of this State, the lands shall re- 

 vert and escheat to the State of Kansas." Cor- 

 porations or associations in which more than 20 

 per cent, of the stock is owned by others than 

 citizens of the United States are prohibited from 

 holding real estate in the State. But alien resi- 

 dents of the United States who have declared 

 their intention to become citizens may acquire 

 and hold real estate for six years, when it shall 

 escheat to the State if they have not become full 

 citizens. Minor alien residents of the United 

 States may acquire and hold real estate for six 

 years after they might have declared their inten- 

 tion of becoming citizens under the naturaliza- 

 tion laws, subject to escheat if they have not be- 

 come full citizens in that time. 



The sum of $60,000 was appropriated to con- 

 tinue the construction of the main and central 

 wings of the State House, the further sum of 

 $60,000 for building and equipping a cottage 

 and for other improvements at the Ossawatomie 

 Insane Asylum, and the sum of $9,000 for an in- 

 dustrial building at the Deaf and Dumb Insti- 

 tute at Olathe. 



Bills to establish the Australian ballot system, 

 to resubmit the prohibitory amendment to the 

 people, to establish reduced rates on railroads, 

 and to permit woman suffrage were discussed at 

 great length, but failed to pass both Houses. 



Other acts of the session were as follow : 



Changing the bounty on sugar manufactured in the 

 State from beets, cane, or other plant grown in the 

 8tate, to three fourths of one cent a pound. 



Prescribing the manner of conducting primary elec- 

 tions. 



Appropriating $3,500 to establish an experiment 

 station at the State University to propagate the con- 

 tagion or infection supposed to be destructive to 

 chinch bugs, and to furnish it to farmers free of 

 charge. 



To prohibit the sale or gift of intoxicating or stupe- 

 fying liquors or drugs to inmates of soldiers' homes. 



Declaring the first Monday in September of each 

 year a legal holiday, to be known as Labor Day. 



Allowing sureties on official bonds to fix the limit 

 of their liability thereon. 



Eegulating the casing of oil and gas wells, and the 

 mode of plugging them ,when abandoned. 



Prohibiting combinations to prevent competition 

 among persons engaged in buying and selling live 

 stock. 



