Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1913-04-24

cense law, which recently passed
the Montana legislature, and was
signed early ia March by Gov.
Stewart, originated in the Senate
instead of in the House where all
bills for revenue are obliged to or
iginate, has resulted in the new law
being declared void by Attorney
General Kelly.
In a speech made before the Mon
tana Automobile Association at
Bozeman the other day, the Atty.
Genl. publicly called attention to
the failure of the legislators to take
that phase of the matter into con-
sideration, in consequence of which
a great amount of revenue is being
lost to the County.
The bill provided that steam or
gas propelled vehicles, other than
tractors, traction engines, road
rollers, and similar vehicles, would
be compelled to carry County IL
cense, the charge being based on the
actual horse power.
The annual license fee to have
been as follows:-For vehicles of
less than four wheels. $500; four
wheeled vehicles of up to 20 H. P,
SIC. 90; from 20 to 80 H. P, $500;
over 80 H. P, $1,000.
The bill, known as No. l437 of the
Revised Code, was introduced by
Senator Abbott, and the amended
section No. 8 called for fine Of
from $500 to $4,000 for each failure
to comply with its provisions.
A MISUNDERSTANDING.
A misconception seems to exist in
the minds of many people, especially
those interested in farm machinery,
to the effect that the three road
laws recently passed included the
State regulation of the rating of
Tractors and traction engines, but
this is not the case.
The three laws referred to above
are the County Auto license law
just quoted; the State Registration
law compelling Automobile and
! motorcycle owners to register their
cars or cycles with-the State Depart
ment, for which no charge is ma de-
and the State Highways Bill, which
was passed for the purpose of Great
ling a State Highway Commission
The two bills last referred to con
tain numerous rules and regulations
governing vehicles using the public
highways, but we know of no pro-
vision being made for the protec'
tion of tractor users who purchase
a traction engine which does not
produce the power claimed for 1t by
the manufacturers.
| In this connection it might not be
amiss to give a brief outline OF just
how these different vehicles are
rated. -,
Automobiles before leaving the
factory were supposed to get Wha'
was called a brake test, which
consisted of connecting a brake
beam to a pulley fastened to the
/ axle of the suspended car. This
beam contained a metal or leather
belt to the inside of which was las
tened small wooden blocks known al
friction shoes, which coming in con
tact with the rapidly revolving pull
lev. bore down on spring scale
which was supposed to register t
number of pounds pressure exertee
Iby the engine. The length OF tht
, beam and the diameter OF the puile!
was taken into consideration in thel
determining the horse power.
This has always been considered
perfectly fair test of the power OF
J stationary engine, but on movaDt'
engine propelling its own weight
! the loss Of traction or the poWe
that is required to move the vehlcl
over the ground, was not consldere'
|. and 50, the cars were overrated. De
cause they were giving a movabl
engine stationary engine test:
) Now comes the County law abov
referred to-. and if it later goes int
eject. q scale or piston test WI