Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-12-05
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be championed by the labor unions and
organized labor will be pushed to the
front say labor leaders. This bill will
be very similar to the |; British CO.
lumbia :oW has. is proposed to pro-
vide for straight compensation dis
tributed b. ale anC compulsory.
commission to be composed of
three members, appointed by the gov
ernor and paid on a salary basis. will
be created. To this commission is as
signed the duty of administering the
compensation law, inspecting all manu-
featuring plants and other institutions
employing labor and attending to the
many other multitude of duties, suffi-
clent, 1T is claimed to keep all three
commissioners actively on the job. In
case Of death to an employee while en-
gagged at his occupation, provision will
he made for the care of the widow and
her children until she remarries or the
children become Is years of age 4
scale of compensation will be provided
for disability of employees based on the
nature of the disability.
TO GIVE GOVERNOR POWER.
Governor Alexander vetoed the com
pensation act passed by the last legis-
iature after hearing vigorous protests
against its terms from labor leaders
The legislature four years ago also
considered compensation measure
IT passed the house but was killed in
the senate. Both of them We're con-
tested. 1t is anticipated that there will
be strenuous opposition to the act that
is TO be introduced at the next session
of the legislature but its champions
believe it will be passed
The Legislature elect does not meet
on the same day that state officials are
sworn in or on Jan. l, due to the fact
the first day in January. 1917. happens
to fan on Monday. 1t Will be the first
time in the history of the state that
such thing has happened. In the
past it has been customary for state
officials to be sworn in at the same
time the legislature convenes The
constitution provides the state Off
cials-elect shall be sworn in on the
lrst Monday in January. It also pro-
Ndes that the Legislature shall meet
the first Monday after the first day in
January They will therefore be sworn
in separately. the legislature conven-
ing Oh Jan. s a week after state Off
Gals take office.
One Of the first acts of the legisla-
ture-elect will be to pass a law giving
the governor power to fill any vacancy
that might exist in the office of United
States senator When the law was
passed providing for the direct election
Of United States senators the succeed
ing legislature failed to provide for the
hlling of vacancies so that in the event
there should be one now special cleo
ton would have to be called. The leg
islature elect will avoid this expense
by passing a law authorizing a recess
appointment
SHORT BALLOT PROBABLE.
The day Of the short ballot may be
at hand in Idaho. 1t appears to be
reasonably certain that the Legislature
elect will revolutionize the election
laws of this state one thing is quite
certain-the party circle for straight
ballot voting will be removed from the
top of the general election ballot and
the ballot itself will be re-arraneed
making it more non partisan than it
has ever been before. II is even pro-
posed by some Of the party leaders
that the party designation in name. he
entirely from the ballot; that
the candidates for the various congress
sional state and county offices be
grouped alphabetically on the ballot
permitting the electors to select his
man freely without following party
designation of any kind. This will 1t
is claimed by some Of the Democratic
leaders, bring about the selection Of
men qualified for positions rather than
men running on their party's strength
rather than their own. The non-par-
tisan ballot will also be given "A more
advantageous position, the candidates
for judgeship being placed. it is rec
commended by some of the members
elect, below or in the same column as
the state ticket instead of at the side.
Just what recommendations will he
made by Governor Alexander to the
Legislature regarding the election laws
is not definitely decided but as he is
said to favor the short ballot he may
so so far as to request the legislature
to draft legislation providing for it,
Should such a recommendation be
made and the Legislature adopt it the
attorney general, secretary of state,
state treasurer, state auditor will con-
stitute the governors cabinet and be
appointed in the future instead of
elected, as is at present the case.
III plans for standardizing the
gauge of the railways of Australia as
recommended by the chief engineers
Of the different lines be carried out ii
will mean an expenditure of $4,000
900.