Third Philippine Legislature. First Session. JOURNAL OF THE COMMISSION. FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1913. The Commission met pursuant to adjournment. Present: Commissioners Worcester, Luzuriaga, Araneta, Palma, Sumulong, Branagan, and the Acting President. Absent: The President (on leave). READING OF JOURNAL. The Journal for Thursday, January 16, 1913, was read and approved. MESSAGES FROM THE ASSEMBLY. JANUARY 13, 1913. MR. PRESIDENT: I have been directed to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on January 13, 1913, passed the following Assembly Bill No. 275, in which it requests the concurrence of the Commission: An Act amending sections one, three, and four of Act Numbered twenty-one hundred and sixteen, by extending the time granted to the committee appointed to investigate the causes of the excessive infantile mortality in the Philippine Islands, and for other purposes.. Very respectfully, To the Honorable, TEODORO M. KALAW, Secretary, Ph lippine Assembly. the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. By unanimous consent, Assembly Bill No. 275 was read the first time by title only and referred to the Committee on Matters Pertaining to the Department of the Interior for report and recommendation. JANUARY 11, 1913. MR. PRESIDENT: I have been directed to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on January 11, 1913, passed the following Assembly Bill No. 318, in which it requests the concurrence of the Commission: An Act making appropriations for public works for the present fiscal year nineteen hundred and thirteen. Very respectfully, To the Honorable, TEODORO M. KALAW, Secretary, Philippine Assembly. the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. By unanimous consent, Assembly Bill No. 318 was read the first time by title only and referred to the Committee on Appropriations for report and recommendation. JANUARY 8, 1913. MR. PRESIDENT: I have been directed to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on January 8, 1913, laid on the table the following Commission Bill No. 11, entitled: An Act prohibiting slavery, involuntary servitude, peonage, and the sale or purchase of human beings in the Philippine Islands, and providing punishment therefor. Very respectfully, To the Honorable, TEODORO M. KALAW, Secretary, Philippine Assembly. the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. Ordered filed. DECEMBER 17, 1912. MR. PRESIDENT: I have been directed to inform your honorable body that the Assembly on December 17, 1912, laid on the table the following Commission Bill No. 2, entitled: An Act authorizing the Secretary of Commerce and Police with the approval of the GovernorGeneral to contract with any railroad company in the Philippine Islands for the construction and maintenance of joint railroad and highway bridges on its lines of railroad, appropriating the sum of five hundred thousand pesos to pay the Government's proportion of the cost of construction and maintenance of the bridges so contracted for, and providing for the apportionment by the GovernorGeneral of the expense of maintenance of such bridges between the provinces and municipalities concerned. Very respectfully, To the Honorable, TEODORO M. KALAW, Secretary, Philippine Assembly. the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. Ordered filed. JANUARY 15, 1913. MR. PRESIDENT: I have been directed to inform your honorable body that the Assembly, on January 15, 1913, agreed to the amendment of the Commission to Assembly Bill No. 4, entitled: An Act declaring exempt from attachment and execution for delinquency in the payment of the land tax the clothing and the household furniture of the debtor. MR. PRESIDENT: Your Committee on Matters Pertaining to the Department of Finance and Justice, to which was referred on January 14, 1913, Assembly Bill No. 172, entitled "An Act protecting the plantation of the cocoanut tree," has examined the same, and has the honor to report it back to the Commission with the following recommendation, viz: That the bill be laid on the table. The purpose of this bill is to prohibit the damaging, destruction, uprooting, or killing of any cocoanut plants without the owner's consent; to create a special fund to be known as the "Cocoanut tree protection fund" from the fines collected under the provisions of the Act; and to empower municipal councils to issue rules and regulations for the investment of such fund. The acts which it is the purpose of this bill to prohibit and punish are penalized by certain provisions of the Penal Code. (See articles 566, 601, 602 and 603 of the Penal Code.) Your committee sees no valid reason for the creation of the special fund sought to be created by this bill. Respectfully submitted. To the Honorable, GREGORIO ARANETA, Committee on Matters Pertaining to the the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. The report was adopted. [Committee Report No. 90.] GENTLEMEN: Your Committee on Matters Pertaining to Bureaus under the Executive Control of the Governor-General, to which was referred on December 16, 1912, Assembly Bill No. 171, entitled "An Act to define the liability of the Government of the Philippine Islands for travel expense of persons in the service of the Government, and prescribing a penalty for presentation of false claims against the Government for reimbursement of travel expense," has examined the same and has the honor to report it back to the Commission with the following recommendation, viz: That the bill be not passed. It is the opinion of your committee that the laws at present ín force providing for and regulating the traveling expense of persons in the Government service are working satisfactorily. Under their operation rules and regulations have been made and precedents have been established which have become well understood by those affected by them. To pass a new law superseding the present laws will necessitate the preparation and issuance of new rules and regulations. The present laws on this subject are the product of experience, and it is believed that no abuses are arising under them which cannot be quickly stopped by administrative action. Very respectfully, NEWTON W. GILBERT, Committee on Matters Pertaining to Bureaus under the Executive Control of the Governor-General. To the PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. The report was adopted. [Committee Report No. 91.] MR. PRESIDENT: Your Committee on Matters Pertaining to the Department of Finance and Justice, to which was referred on January 14, 1913, resolution No. 23, passed by the assembly of municipal presidents of the Province of Bohol at the session held in December, 1912, praying that legislation be enacted by the Philippine Legislature authorizing municipal presidents to compromise cases of violation of municipal ordinances, has examined the same and has the honor to report it back to the Commission with the following recommendation, viz: That the resolution be laid on the table. In the opinion of your committee it would be unwise to confer such extraordinary powers upon municipal presidents as this resolution proposes, as it would likely lead to abuse and would render the enforcement of municipal ordinances more difficult. Respectfully submitted. To the Honorable, GREGORIO ARANETA, Committee on Matters Pertaining to the the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. The report was adopted. [Committee Report No. 92.1 MR. PRESIDENT: The Committee on Taxation and Revenue, to which was referred on January 10, 1913, resolution No. 70, of the municipal council of Escalante, Province of Occidental Negros, requesting the remission of land taxes on certain lands confiscated for the nonpayment of taxes, and the restoration of such lands to the former owners, has examined the same and has the honor to report it back to the Commission with the following recommendation, viz: That the resolution be laid on the table. This is the action taken by the Commission on several other petitions, etc., having in view the remission of land taxes, which petitions advanced arguments similar to those advanced in this resolution of the municipal council of Escalante. Respectfully submitted. To the Honorable, FRANK A. Branagan, NEWTON W. GILBERT, RAFAEL PALMA, Committee on Taxation and Revenue. the PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINE COMMISSION. The report was adopted. [Committee Report No. 93.] MR. PRESIDENT: The Committee on Taxation and Revenue, to which was referred on January 14, 1913, resolution No. 35 of the convention of municipal presidents of the Province of Bohol, requesting the suspension, during the years 1913 and 1914, of the increase in the cedula tax for the road and bridge fund, has examined the same and has the honor to report it back to the Commission with the following recommendation, viz: That the resolution be laid on the table. Your committee sees no reason why different action should be taken in this case from that taken in the numerous other petitions, etc., for the suspension of taxes recently laid on the table by the Commission. |