Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1915-03-19
UTAH LEGISLATURE
ENDS ITS LABORS
ADJOURNMENT TAKEN BEFORE
GOVERNOR HAD REPORTED
ON PROHIBITION BILL.
In Last Three Days OF Session ISL
Bills Were Sent to the Gov.
ernor, Who Had Already
Signed Twenty-seven.

Salt Lake City.-The eleventh ses
sion of the Utah legislature adjourned
sine die Friday night, March IL.
The house adjourned at 9 o'clock
and the senate at 1920
The constitutional sixty days was
up at noon Thursday, when the
clocks were stopped and legislation
continued for thirty-four hours.
Governor Spry had failed to either
sign or disapprove the statewide pro
hibition bill before the adjournment of
the legislature, and whether or not
the Wootton measure will become
law depends upon the action of the
chief executive. Should he veto the
bill. Utah will remain wet" state.
Up to the closing days of the SEES
sion practically no legislation of gen
eral and statewide interest had been
passed or enacted into law by the
signature of the governor, and there
were predictions that the Eleventh
session would be called do nothing"
affair. Then came rush of bills on
the last three days that ended with
total of ISL being placed in the hands
OF the governor, who had already ap
proved twenty-seven and vetoed one
AS to checking over the bills now
in the hands OF the governor and
which he has until midnight March 81
to consider, 1t is estimated that by
working on them ten hours a day and
giving only two days to the consider,
alton of the appropriations bill. he
would have twenty minutes time TO
each measure.
The only bill vetoed by the govern.
or during the session was one intro
duced by Senator Joseph Eckersley of
Wayne county calling for an appropri
alton of $4,000 for certain rural
schools to be paid from the general
fund. This was vetoed on account OF
its unconstitutionality and another
bill which was declared by legislators
to be equally at variance with the con.
stitution but which provided that the
money come from the school fund, was
passed and has been signed.
Among the twenty-odd new laws al
ready made, there are most of the
administration measures which re.
quire that the various state boards
turn over monthly all their fees and
receipts to the state treasurer and also
series of bills relative to the hand.
ling of prisoners in road camps, de.
-
and explosives and making escape or
attempted escape a felony. The ap.
preparations already made and signed
include $4,000 for the exposition ex-
hibits in California and appropriations
for the Orphans Home and Day Nur
sery and the Free Kindergarten and
Neighborhood House association.
The bills known as administration
ytasa sNe txfhf nh
commended in the governors message
to the Legislature were practically
all passed with the exception of one
providing that the terms of county
assessors and county treasurers should
be four years. One series of bills pro.
vides that the state board OF land
commissioners may invest certain
funds in warrants issued by the board
There are now about $165,000 of these
warrants outstanding and they bear in.
terest at per cent. These bills pro.
vide means whereby the land board
can pay the damage claims on account
of the breaking of the Hatchtown dam
and also provide way whereby the
land board can rebuild the dam with.
out bond issue.
The amendment of the corporation
tax law graduating the fees for filing
articles of incorporation is estimated
to bring in about $4,000 to 100000
year. while the new motor vehicle
tax law, If signed by the governor,
will add to the state road fund about
$4,000 a year. This amount will be
in addition to the $4,000 a year ap-
propriated for state roads to be spent
on condition that the various counties
put up sums ranging from equal
amounts to oneIthird of the state funds
used in the respective counties. Other
tax laws In the hands of the governor
include those extending the time for
paying taxes and providing for pen.
atty of per cent on delinquent taxes,
while another prospective law will
validate tax sales.
Most of the big" legislation of the
eleventh session of the legislature orig.
mated in the senate. Measures which
were characterized as revolutionary"
and freak" came from the upper body
Of the legislature and the house devot.
ed itself largely to legislation desir-
ed by the various state departments.
But for every bill styled as "revolu-
tionary," introduced in the senate, a
similar bill was introduced In the
house. The enacting clauses OF all
such house bills were stricken out on
the last day of the session
Dan b. Shields of Salt Lake county
holds the record as regards number
of bills introduced by an individual
in the last legislature. while w. l..
Van Wagner of Wasatch did not IA
Their a single bill Mr. Shields intro
duced Twenty-Five and had eight bills
passed At the beginning of the ses-
sion Mr.. Van Wagner announced he
would not introduce bill in the house
as he had come to the legislature to
"kill" and not to pass" bills.