Mr. Kemmerling moved that Mr. Keen be excused from today's session and for the balance of the week. The motion prevailed. PRESENTATION OF PETITIONS. Mr. Sutton presented Petition No. 80. Petition of E. W. Ball and 23 other citizens of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw county, in favor of an increased rate of passenger fares on the railroads of the State. The petition was referred to the Committee on Railroads. Mr. Martin presented Petition No. 81. Petition of G. T. Reynolds and 60 other citizens of Corunna, Shiawassee county, in favor of an increased rate of passenger fares on the railroads of the State. The petition was referred to the Committee on Railroads. Mr. Martin presented Petition No. 82. Petition of E. O. Dewey and 38 other citizens of Owosso, Shiawassee county, in favor of an increased rate of passenger fares on the railroads of the State. The petition was referred to the Committee on Railroads. Mr. Schmidt presented Petition No. 83. Petition of C. W. Graves and 29 other citizens of Marion, Osceola county, in favor of an increased rate of passenger fares on the railroads of the State. The petition was referred to the Committee on Railroads. Mr. Gettel presented Petition No. 84. Petition of Frank Farmer and 40 other citizens of Huron county, in favor of the present deer hunting law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Game Laws. Mr. Amon presented Petition No. 85. Petition of A. S. Harrison and 52 other citizens of Mecosta county, in favor of the present deer hunting law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Game Laws. Mr. Martin presented Petition No. 86. Petition of C. E. Chalker and 84 other citizens of Bancroft, Shiawassee county, in favor in the present automobile tax law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Roads and Bridges. Mr. Martin presented Petition No. 87. Petition of B. C. Miller and 25 other citizens of Owosso, Shiawassee county, in favor of an increased rate of passenger fares on the railroads of the State. The petition was referred to the Committee on Railroads. Mr. Kooyers presented Petition No. 88. Resolutions adopted by Western Pomona Grange No. 19, of Herrington, Ottawa county, protesting against any attempt to reduce the usefulness of the Michigan Agricultural College through legislation, which would tend to cripple such College in any way, and especially by the discontinuing of the Department of Mechanical Arts. The resolutions were referred to the Committee on Agricultural College. Mr. Ross presented Petition No. 89. Petition of Claud B. Culver and 43 other citizens of Livingston county, in favor of the present deer hunting law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Game Laws. Mr. Chapin presented Petition No. 90. Petition of George Irwin and 40 other citizens of Antrim county, in favor of the present deer hunting law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Game Laws. Mr. Matthews presented Petition No. 91. Resolutions adopted by Berrien County Pomona Grange No. 1, protesting against any increase in the passenger rates charged by the railroads of the State; and favoring sufficient appropriation for the Michigan Agricultural College as will permit carrying on their work successfully. The resolutions were referred to the Committee on Agricultural College. Mr. Warner presented Petition No. 92. Petition of G. W. Lane and 41 other citizens of Ionia county, in favor of the present deer hunting law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Game Laws. Mr. Anderson presented Petition No. 93. Petition of Frank Conklin and 43 other citizens of Benzie and Leelanau counties, in favor of the present deer hunting law. The petition was referred to the Committee on Game Laws. Mr. Wright presented Petition No. 94. Petition of Christ. Brown and 53 other citizens of Dundee, Monroe county, in favor of an increased rate of passenger fares on the railroads of the State. The petition was referred to the Committee on Railroads. REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES. The Committee on Judiciary, by Mr. Flowers, Chairman, reported A bill to create a commission to investigate the causes and effects of commercialized prostitution and to recommend to the Legislature and to the public ways and means of combatting this vice and its attendant evils, to the end that the health and morals of the people of the State shall be conserved and protected. With the recommendation that the bill pass. The report was accepted and the committee discharged. The bill was ordered printed, referred to the Committee of the Whole and placed on the general orders. The Committee on Judiciary, by Mr. Flowers, Chairman, reported House bill No. 20, entitled A bill to amend section 1 of Act No. 195 of the Public Acts of Michi gan for the year 1879, being an act defining the powers and duties of prosecuting attorneys, being section 2569 of the Compiled Laws of 1897. With the following amendments thereto, recommending that the amendments be concurred in and that when so amended the bill pass: 1. Amend by striking out of line 5 of section 1 the words "a special" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "an assistant." 2. Amend by striking out of lines 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 of section 1 the words "and the circuit judge may, in case of the disability of the prosecuting attorney to perform his duties, appoint some suitable person to perform the duties of prosecuting attorney during the disability of the prosecuting attorney" and inserting in lieu thereof the words "and the prosecuting attorney may, under the direction of the court, in case of disability of the prosecuting attorney, appoint an assistant to perform his duties during the disability of the prosecuting attorney." The report was accepted and the committee discharged. The question being on the adoption of the amendments to the bill recommended by the committee, The amendments were adopted. The bill was ordered printed, referred to the Committee of the Whole and placed on the general orders. The Committee on Agriculture, by Mr. Schmidt, Chairman, reported House bill No. 125, entitled A bill to amend section 28 of Act No. 182 of the Public Acts of 1885, entitled "An act to provide for the appointment of a State Live Stock Sanitary Commission and a State Veterinarian, and to prescribe their powers and duties, and to prevent and suppress contagious and infectious diseases among the live stock of the State," as last amended by Act No. 199 of the Public Acts of 1913, and to add four new sections thereto to stand as sections 29, 30, 31 and 32; relative to the suppression of hog cholera. With the following amendments thereto, recommending that the amendments be concurred in and that when so amended the bill pass: 1. Amend by inserting in line 5 of section 29, after the word "industry" the words "such serum may be used or administered by any competent person authorized by the State Live Stock Sanitary Commission." 2. Amend by inserting in line 9 of section 29, after the word "serum" the words "or virus." 3. Amend by striking out all of section 29 after the word "hogs" in line 10. The report was accepted and the committee discharged. The question being on the adoption of the amendments to the bill recommended by the committee, The amendments were adopted. The bill was ordered printed, referred to the Committee of the Whole and placed on the general orders. The Committee on Agriculture, by Mr. Schmidt, Chairman, reported House bill No. 106, entitled A bill to amend section 2 of Act 243 of the Public Acts of 1903 as amended by Act No. 119 of the Public Acts of 1909, entitled "An act in relation to the manufacture and sale, of renovated butter." With the recommendation that the bill pass. The report was accepted and the committee discharged. The bill was ordered printed, referred to the Committee of the Whole and placed on the general orders. The Committee on State House of Correction and Branch of the State Prison in the Upper Peninsula, by Mr. Follett, Chairman, reported House bill No. 91, entitled A bill making appropriation for the purchase of land for the use of the State House of Correction and Branch Prison in the Upper Peninsula, for farming purposes, and to provide a tax to meet the same. With the recommendation that the bill pass. The report was accepted and the committee discharged. The bill was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. INTRODUCTION OF BILLS. Mr. Follett introduced House bill No. 136, entitled A bill to amend Act No. 184 of the Public Acts of 1913, entitled "An act to regulate the business of selling farm products on commission, providing all commission merchants dealing in farm products shall be licensed, to provide against and punish fraud and deception in the sale of farm products on commission, and defining the duties of the State Dairy and Food Commissioner relative thereto," by adding thereto a new section to be known as section 11. The bill was read a first and second time by its title and referred to the Committee on Agriculture. Mr. Koehler introduced House bill No. 137, entitled A bill to amend section 10 of Act 232 of the Public Acts of 1903, entitled "An act to revise and consolidate the laws providing for the incorporation of manufacturing and mercantile companies, or any union of the two, and for the incorporation of companies for carrying on any other lawful business, except such as are precluded from organization under this act by its express provisions, and to prescribe the powers and fix the duties and liabilities of such corporations." The bill was read a first and second time by its title and referred to the Committee on Private Corporations. Mr. Martz introduced House bill No. 138, entitled A bill to amend section 14 of Act 146 of the laws of 1857, entitled "An act to provide for the organization of the Supreme Court, pursuant to section 2 of article VI of the Constitution," as amended by Act No. 182 of the Public Acts of 1893, being section 186 of the Compiled Laws of 1897, as last amended by Act No. 102 of the Public Acts of 1913. The bill was read a first and second time by its title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary. Mr. William F. Jerome introduced House bill No. 139, entitled A bill to coordinate the health service of the State; to provide for the creation of health inspection districts; the appointment of district health commissioners; to prescribe their powers, duties and compensation; and to prescribe punishment for violations of the provisions of this act; and authorizing the appropriation of necessary funds to carry out the provisions of this act. The bill was read a first and second time by its title and referred to the Committee on Public Health. Mr. William F. Jerome introduced House bill No. 140, entitled A bill to provide free hospital service and medical and surgical treatment for persons afflicted with a malady or deformity which can be benefited by hospital treatment, who are unable to pay for such care and treatment, and for pregnant women unable to pay for such care and treatment and for the children of such pregnant women born during the period of hospital care, and providing for the expense thereof, and prescribing the jurisdiction of the probate court in said cases, and to repeal Act No. 274 of the Public Acts of 1913. The bill was read a first and second time by its title and referred to the Committee on Public Health. Mr. Flowers introduced House bill No. 141, entitled A bill to amend section 1 of Act No. 135 of the Public Acts of 1909, |