The Ronan pioneer., 1917-02-02
FOUR BILLS PASS
IN THIRTY DAYS

If the expenses of the Fifteenth
assembly to date can rightly be ap-
portioned as charge against the
number of measures passed. the cost
to the taxpayers is 100000, per meas
ure, for tomorrow half Of the session
will be gone, and that half can be
credited with the enactment of but
four bills-three appropriating $780,
600 to pay the expenses of the as
sembly, and the fourth bridge bill
by Stimpert for the benefit of Great
Falls, says the Butte Post.
In more ways than one the bill rec
ord of this assembly is unique. Fewer
bills have been introduced, fewer bills
have beenpassed and fewer bills have
been killed than in any session for a
good many years.
This time two years ago the num-
Der of bills introduced was upwards
of 400 against 232 this year. Two
years ago by this time between IL
and Is bills had reached the govcr-
nor, and from SO to rs had received
the axe in senate or house. This
year only four bills have reached the
governor and less than dozen have
been killed in house and senate.
1t is quite certain that if the men,
bers Of both houses continue 10
view all measures introduced with
the same kindly regard they have
those already submitted, legislative
channels will be more congested than
they were in the past when the num-
ber of bills introduced was much
larger, for then many of them were
given the short shrift
1t is predicted by heads old to tho
Legislative game that unless husiness
is speeded up the tangle In the clos
Ing days of the session will be more
acute than usual. For one thing.
only20 days remain in which the
respective houses can consider bills
originating in their own body. for the
joint rules provide after the fftieth
day no bills originating In one house
will be received In the other. except
such measures as are in joint confer
ence. And there is no steering COM
mittee this year to designate the Or
der in which measures will be taken
up for consideration.
The house has taken it's last Sat-
urday vacation, unless junketing
trip intervenes. The senate, however,
is up with it's work and awaiting the
pleasure of the lower body.
No report is looked for from the
special committee on taxation at
least until the end of this week or
the forpart of next, for it will take
the committee q considerable while to
receive the detailed data asked for
from the county assessors respecting
the taxes paid on different kinds of
property by the corporations under
investigation. 1t is predicted nothing
will be done with the appropriation
bills until after the committee has
reported aud stn,. Lcfnlt. decision
is reached regalning ru,bleAs Of
Laxation ard revenue. Sentiment
seerA ~ favor the creation Of d
state tax commission with authority
to exercise supervision over the cOun.
ty assessors as well as over tax mat
ters in general Attorney General
Ford is quoted as having taken the
position that the constitutional
mendment adopted last fall giving
the state board of equalization au-
thority to eQualiZe assessments is in
effective until supplemental legisla-
ton is enacted. The opinion prevails
that the assembly will at least make
= a start on the revision of the tax
laws of the state, but how far or how
, radical this will be, few will hazard
a guess.
: Such a wide diversity of opinion
prevails regarding the deficits now
confronting the state that the house
care to prepare the general revenue
the whole atmosphere is more clari-
fed. The senate committee insists
the deficit will be in excess of $1,00O.-
900 at the end of two years unless q
change is made in the taxation laws.
State Auditor Heating stoutly main-
tains the committee is wrong-that
the deficit will not be much more
than $4,000.
/. Equally indefinite views are enter
t tanned in regard to other legislative
: problems--good road legislation, mo-
/; tor registration, the fish and game
; laws. Practically all the bills COW
: ering these subjects have been intro
: duced, but are still in the hands Of