The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1897-01-22
OUR HELENA LETTER
THE SALARY BILL, APPRoPRIATlNG
$4,000, PASSED.

sages from the Governor Sent to the
House-Meat and Milk Inspection Bill.
Special Cor of THE New NORTHWEST.
HELENA, Jan. 2l.--The members Of the
state legislature accomplished something
last week, at any rate, for they passed
the salary bill, which approptiates $57,
600 for the payment of the members and
attaches, and it went to the governor fol-
his signature last Friday. The estima
ted expenses of the last legislature were
$4,000, and this one has promised to
make record for itself by coming Ion g
way within the former expenditure.
That it can be done there is no doubt;
whether it will be done is matter for
the future to tell. There have been few
clerks employed thus far, in addition to
the regular force taken on at the outset,
and it can be said for those now on the
force that, while not all of them are COM
petent, all of them are "doing the best
they can"
Thus far in the session it has been a
matter of committee work almost alto
gether. The sessions of the house have
been brief and confined principally to
the reading of bills that are to be consid-
cred in committee before the orators of
the house will have an opportunity to
display themselves in connection with
them. There are 25 bills in the hands of
the judiciary committee alone, and there
will be more, the proportion now being
more than one third of all the bills in the
hands of the house. Five other commit.
tees, those on ways and means, mines and
mining, roads and highways, railroads
and transportation, and towns and coun-
ties, have each five bills to consider, and
the others are scattered around Until
some OF the more important bills are re-
ported back to the house the session will
BE- comparatively one of peace and quiet
During the week the governor sent to
the house two messages relating to state
expenses, in one OF which he advised the
abandonment of the state penitentiary
building now in process of construction
at Billings, and the transfer of the prop
erty in the way Of fittings, that the state
has been paying man to protect from
to the half-completed building at
Deer Lodge. The governor said that he
did not think it would be advisable for
the state to try to maintain both institu-
tions, and it could complete the one now
in use in Deer Lodge at comparatively
small expense, the governor says, bv
making use of the fixtures now co ded
up in the half done Billings institution.
The other message accompanied the
estimates made by the different depart
meuts of the state government of what
their expenses will be for the coming
two years. Two officials asked for more
help than they now have, they being
Auditor PoindeXter and Secretary of
State Hogan. The auditor evidently had
in mind the governors recommendation
that the state bureau of labor and statis-
tics be abolished as bureau and merged
into the office of auditor who, in that
event, should have an additional clerk.
Just what the secretary of state wanted
o anew clerk is something of mystery.
The governors recommendation, how
ever, was that he shouldn't get it, and it
is not at all likely that he WILL
The governor repeated his recommended
tion regarding the abolition of the office
duction of the salary of the examiner
The budget of expenses as the
wants them to be will not
appear until late in the session, when the
on ways and means will make
its report, carrying with it appropriation
bills of the session. The committee will
say what in its opinion the various insti-
tutions and departments should have,
and the house, in committee of the whole,
will have an opportunity to discuss them
in detail. The ways and means commit
tee, of which the chairman is Mr. Ram
say OF Gallatin county, is in accord with
the administration, having been appoint
ed with view to harmonizing the legis-
lature and the executive department. and
there will be some sweeping recommen-
1ations, no doubt.
The house and senate have both re.
ported favorably from their committees
the bills by Senator Metzel aud Repre-
sentative Penwell for making horse and
cattle stealing felony, and they are
among the first bills likely to be passed.
Senator Metzel has had field day in the
senate, though, for three more of his bills
'elating to the stock industry have been
avorably reported for the action of the
whole body. One is the law requiring
neat and milk to be inspected in the
arger cities of the state, and the other
'efers to the levying Of stock inspector
Ind indemnity fund tax of one and half |
Mills in every county in the state on live
tock. AT present not all of the counties |
,ay that tax.
Senator Power has bill under way |
hat will compel railroads to be more
areful about keeping records of stock
,iled. At present they are careless and
vasive in that regard.
1t was not generally known that the
boundary line between Montana and
da ho was in diSnllfe hut il has hpan for