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Show TAX MORTGAGES The Convention Strikes Out the Exemption Clause. THE STATE DEBT LIMIT 13 Fixed at $900,000, Including Present Terri'orial Bonded Debt of $762,000 Occupations Hay bs Taxed. After presentation of many petitions peti-tions for and against the separate submission sub-mission of the suffrage question in the constitutional convention yesterday Kearna. chairman of tbe committee on mineB andmining, repoited the following fol-lowing article on that subject and it takes its place on the calendar of the committee of the whole: Section 1 There shall be established and maintained the office of inspector ot coal mines, the duties and salaries of w hich shall be prescribed by law. When said office shall be established, tbe governor Bhail, with the advice and consent of the senate, appoint thereto a person proven in the man-ner man-ner provided by law to be competent and practical, whose term of office en an ue t wo years. Sec . 2 The legislature shall provide by law for enforcing safe development, ventilation and working of all coal mines operated in the state. Sec. 3 The necessary use of lands for richts of way for tunnels, flumes, pipes, ditcbes, roads, tramways or dumps for the drainasze or working of mines, as a means to the development of the mineral resource3 of tha state, is hereby declared a public use, and subject to tbe control and regulation of the state. In committee of the whole the question ques-tion of taxing mortRaces came up and with it a great deal of oratory for and against. i he ball was started by Chidester moving that section 5 of the article on revenue and taxation be stricken out. It reads as follows: ,lA tax on mortgages secured on either real or personal property shall never be levied unless a reduction equal to the amount of such mortgage shall be made in the assessed value of the property coyered thereby." Ivins made a strong speech in favor of the motion. Goodwin against. Oth ers spoke on both sides. Tbe section vas stricken out by a vote of 57 to 24. A receea was taken until 2 p. m. Upon re-aseembling, Kimball, of "Weber, endeavored to strike out the provision making a maximum tax limit. Defeated. A discussion arose as to the composition compo-sition of the etate board of equalization, equaliza-tion, Allen desiring that no provision should be made and that the matter be left to the legislature. The country members believed their sections would not be fairly treated if the Btate officers offi-cers were made the board. The see tion was left, except for a provision by Evans, of Weber, "until otherwise provided pro-vided by law." Sharp endeavored to have striken eut the provision that corporations ?r persons shall be taxed for all property used by them. Cannon and Evans ex plained that this was intended to catch Pullman cars and other rolling stock in particular. The motion failed. On motion of Gannon, a provision was inserttd allowing a tax on "occupation. "occu-pation. " He said it might prove desirable de-sirable sometime to tax lawyers, carpenters car-penters and others. After EOrae further minor amendments, amend-ments, the article was passed, and the article of public debt was taken up. Tbe state debt limit was fixed at $90.',-000 $90.',-000 including the preseat territorial debt of $762,000. Evans, of Weber, inoyed to Btrike out of section three that part which provides that the people may contract indebtedness for specific purposes by a majority vote. The republicans grew scared that some bounty matter waB concealed behind the motion and, one after another, Allen, Smith. JLamb.rt, llowdle, Cannon, Goodwin, Murdock, of Beaver, Eichnor, Eldredge and others raited the war cry, th mgh mos; of them placed their opposition on the Krouud of desiring to leave open away for the erection of public buildings. The amendment was defeated. An endeavor was made to reduce the maximuai limit of indebtedness ol counties, cities, tone and BChool districts dis-tricts from 5 per cent, to some other figure. After a great deal of debate all amendments were killed. Thompson, of Millard, C. ane's running run-ning mate, surprised his republican friends by moyirig that there must be a two-thirds majority to bond the state above the limit fixed. However, he was voted down. An adjournment was taken at 5:50. |