The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-03-08
MONTANA LAW MAKERS.
A WEEKLY SUMMARY OF WORK
OF THE NINTH LEOISLA-
TIVE ASSEMBLY.
Some Of the Measures that viii be Added
to Montana statutes.

to Montana Statutes.
HELENA, Feb. 26.-The state was
saved thou sands of dollars this after.
noon by the senate's rejection of the
committee's report recommending the
passage of house POS, doing away
with q two per cent tax on insurance
policy holders.
The committee on finance and claims
reported for indefinite postponement
house bill 204, the deficiency sheriff's
transportation measure. Sherlock
moved that the report be not adopted
while Whipple, as a substitute, moved
that the report be approved, which
prevailed: and thus the sheriffs will
not realize on their bills for trans por.
tation of prisoners and insane lduring
the last two years.
The committee on education unfav.
orably reported house bill lib, the 81
head school tax, and the report was
adopted.
Leiper's initiative and referendum
bill was passed without a single dis.
senting vote.
House bill 1863, the dairymen s;claims
measure, was also passed by vote
of 10 Z.
In the house, the committee on ju.
dietary introduced and the house
adopted without division house joint
resolution by Mulroney creating a
commission on state finance which
names the governor, attorney.general,
state auditor, state treasurer and sec.
retary of state as commissioners,
whose duty it shall be, without extra
compens alton, to devise plans for
raising revenues sufficient to meet the
legitimate expenses OF the different de-
partments of the state:government and
various state institutions on some
equitable basis to all the interests of
the state without inflicting any partic.
ular or special burdens on any class
OF citizens or upon any industry, pro-
fesssion or occupation and requesting
the commission to report to the next
general assembly.
With much laughter Everett was
recommended to the mercy Of the house
by the committee on judiciary for his
''impertinence' in recommending for
passage house bill for the suppres.
sion of poolrooms.
The house this evening spent three
hours in committee Of the whole. The
principal topic of discussion was the
blanket appropriation bill. Berry,
MacGinniss, Decker and Bennett
urged the insuficiency of the appro.
priations provided, while Everett
strongly defended the action of the
committee, and asserted that the limit
had been reached, every institution
being allowed all the revenues would
permit. Almost every institution,
however, received greater appropri.
alton at the hands of the committee Of
the whole.
HELENA, March 1.-This was
finance committee adversely reported
House bill 1913 TO codify the irrigation
laws and the judiciary committee rec.
commended the indefinite postpone.
ment of three others. House resolu.
tion No. II, providing for the creating
of a state finance commission, consist
ing OF the governor, attorney general, e,
secretary of state, auditor and treas.
urer was also killed on first reading.
Leiper's bill amending election laws
was also rejected, but later upon mo-
tion of Maddox, the vote was recon.
sidered and the bill referred to the
committee on elections. There were
majority and minority reports on
Senate bill 81, relating to the issuance
of injunctions without notice against
operation of mining claims. The ma
jority report favored indefinite post
ponement, while the minority favored
its passage, with several minor amend.
ments. and the latter was adopted. i.
House bills 50 and 80. relative to
leasing state lands were killed on first
reading.
The resolution indorsing the policy
Of President Roosevelt and the one
authorizing the erection in capitol
grounds of the Meagher monument
were recommended for passage.
The senate went into committee of
the whole this afternoon and rapidly
disposed of all bills favorably re-
ported ia the morning. House bill
lo2o, providing for the apportionment
Of licenses collected in the counties
of the state, was amended so that the
state will receive - instead of 50 per
cent of the licenses. Senator Durham
explained that this would give about
500. 900 and the state is badly in need