Ohio's New Constitution of the people is made necessary before any such steps can be taken. The right of excess con demnation is also granted. Municipalities re ceive the right to sell their products, such as light, power, etc., outside their borders up to 50 per cent of the total. Municipalities are classified into cities and villages, .5,000 being the line of demarcation. General laws are authorized lor "the incorpora tion of government of cities and villages," ap plicable to those that adopt them, but no additional law "passed for the government of municipalities" shall affect any municipality until it has been approved by a vote of the people thereof. By two-thirds votes of the councils or the petition of 10 per cent of the electors, the question wheth er there shall be a charter commission shall be submitted to the people. Fifteen men shall compose the commission. The charter so framed must be submitted to a vote of the people. By a vote of two-thirds of the legislative body or 10 per cent of the people, amendments may be submitted to the charter.
The foregoing is a liberal measure of autonomy in municipal government. Municipalities are afforded every facil ity to try new experiments in municipal ownership, possibly with the danger that state regulation of municipal fin ances and administration may now encounter constitutional obstacles. The plan seems to underrate some of the advantages of uniformity and of bene ficent state supervision. The provisions with regard to the determination of local questions by direct vote of the citizens hardly ensure them adequate protection from the activity of powerful minorities. Professor Good now of Columbia com ments on these provisions affecting municipalities as follows:2 It may be said that on the whole the new constitution of Ohio marks a long step in the direction of the development of municipal home rule, although it is to be regretted that it is not more specific and clear as to the validity which is to be given to general laws and locally 'New York Times, Sept. 1. 1912.
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adopted municipal charters and charter amend ments which are conflicting in character. STATUTORY MATTERS No. 27 — Education. State educational sys tem centralized, with autonomy for city school districts, which may determine the size and or ganization of their boards of education. No. 28 — Superintendent of Public Instruc tion. Provides for the election of this officer for a term of four years. He replaces the present State Commissioner of Common Schools, an appointive officer whose term is one of two years. No. 31 — Superintendent of Public Works. Abolishes elective Board of Public Works and provides a superindent of Public Works, to be appointed by the Governor for a term of one year. No. 35 — State Printing. Allows the state to do its own printing and provides that all supplies for state offices shall be bought by com petitive bidding. No. 37 — Civil Service Appointments. Re quires the state and all political subdivisions above villages and townships, which are excepted, to establish compulsory civil service examinations and substitution of the merit sys tem for the spoils system. Adds new section for the constitution.
Provisions Affecting Labor
A progressive position is taken up on the regulation of hours of labor and matters involving the health and safety of employees, and the minimum wage provision is significant:— No. 11 — Labor Laws and Minimum Wage. Legislature suthorized to regulate hours of labor, and provision adopted to the effect that other sections of the constitution shall not limit legis lative power to establish a minimum wage and sanitary factory regulations. STATUTORY MATTERS No. 11 — Workmen's Compensation. Legis lature may provide compensation to workmen and their dependents for death, injuries, or occupational diseases by passing laws estab lishing a state fund, to be created by compul sory contribution thereto by employers. Such laws may take away from both employers and employees all rights of action and defenses, except that no right of action may be taken away from an employee when the injury, death,
