Lansing

Whatever else history may record ;posite the name of the Thirtieth egislaiure, it may be safely said of it i of its yredecessor, that it has "the ift of continuance." The seventeenth eek and one hundred and twentyícotmI dny have spread themselves at ingth on the journal, and the amount i really important and necessary legilation accomplished is hardly sucli 3 you would suppose it would take a undred and thirty-two able-bodied usiness men four munths to accoinlish. That is, you would expect ratht more, if you were hiringit done by ie job, and had to support them and et them forty or flfi-y assistants 'hile doing it. REVISIÓN OF THE TAX LAWS. As everybody in Michigan knows, iio has any taxes to pay, the tax laws re sadly nmddled and have been rowing more entangled with every lïort of the Legislatura to straighten tiem out. At the opening of the presnt session a special joint committee or ommission was appointed by the two [ouses to go over the whole ground new and report a bilí which should eplace all the tax laws now on the ook, and which should at least have he merit of being "intelligible and elf-consistent. The task was a most rduous one, and has táken the comïittee much longer than they had nticipated. Yesterdáy they reported lieir new bill in the House and ■ oluminious document it is. It ,ras made the special order for next Vednesday by which time the rinters hope to get it into type. It roposes many changes of details from lie present law, but the essential hanges refer to the manrer of taking tie assessment and to the sale of land orunpaid taxes. In making theasessment the Supervisor f urnishes lists 0 the inhabitant, and is required to wear him to make a correct list of is taxable property. The Supervisor 1 required to attach to this assessment oll an iffidavit that the property is ssessed at its "true cash value," it beig the design of the bill to reform lie practice in this respect so as to lake the assessment according to the etual value of the property instead of t one-third as under the present pr. cice. Lands delinquent for taxes are j be sold through the circuit courts. 'lie Auditor General is required Jto ublish the list as at present, and ifter ;s publication it is made the duty of lie Prosecuting Attorney to file it in [ie circuit court and publish a notice three weeks to delinquents to apear and show cause why decree should ot be entered against them, after rhich time decree will enter and the roperty will be sold the same way as a judgment for debt. This feature xists in the law of Minnesota and everal other States. DETROIT IN THE LEGISLATURE. With the prospect of the Wabash lailroad extending its line to Detroit o connect with the Great Western, on ondition that the city giye the right f way and aid in securing a better iroBsing by means of a bridge, a great leal of attention has been attracted to )etroit's proposed legislation in fur;herance of this object. Yesterday the ilouse passed with little dis:ussion and pract'cally no oppoition a bill which gives all the luthority the State has to giye towards jridging a strearn not within the State imits. It auiïiorizes the Common ;'ouncil of Detroit to purchase Belle [sle in the Detroit River and to improve it for the purposes of a public park, the improvements to include a bridge from the American shore to the island. The Council is also authorized to issue bonds to the extent of $700 .000 of which not more than $200,000 shall be expended in the purchase of the island itself. The bridge isto be leased for railroad purposes, which will help them half way across at least. As to the bridging or twnneling of the channel between the island and the Canadian shore, that is a question, of course, about which Congress and the Dominion Government will have a word to say. The bill passed the House by a vote of 71 to tí, and will undoubtedly pass the Senate, the general feeling being that any measure whiehpromises io build up the State metropolis, must to some extent benefit the State at large. THE GOVEKNOR S SALARY. The Senate yesterday passed by vote of 22 to 5 a joint resolution offering an amendment to the constitution for increasingthe Governor's salary to 84,000. Senator Huston offered his amendment increasing the salaries of other State oöicers and of the circuit judges, but it was voted down and the increase applied to the G vernor's salary alone. The Senate also passed a joint resolution proposing the amendment which was voted down in 1878, perniitting the Supreme Court to appoint its own clerk, and one permitting the Governor to veto part of an appropriation bill. It is provided that these amendments shall be submitted to the people in April, 1880. THE STATE FISHERIES. The bill making the usual appropriation for the labors of the State Fish Commission was considered in committee in the House Wednesday eyening, and encountered a very decided opposition. The bill as printed appropriates $7,000 for the year 1879 and $8,500 for 1880, the increased appropriation being intended to build a new hatchery at Petoskey. The bill has not been reached on third reading, but it will evidently encounter determined opposition when it does come up. ITEMS A bill appropriating $25,000 for a telescope for the University was discussed in the House, and a motion to strike out all after the enacting clause was lost by a vote of 29 to 30. The House has passed a ill appropriating $86,800 for the Institution for the Deaf, Duinb, and the Blind at Fliltt Of this sum $80,200 is for the current expenses of the Institution for the years 1879 and 1880. The several House committees have D all about 190 bilis not yet reported while there are uearly 100 bilis now on the general order awaiting consiaüiation. This doesn'tlook exactly like an early adjournment, does it'?