The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-02-23
WHAT THE STATE LAWMAKERS
ARE DOING AT THE CAPITOL
Legislative Happenings of Past Few Days
Farmers Defeat Stockmen.

Farmers Defeat Stockmen.
!. Defeat of the stockmen by the fal
r, mers, exemplified by the adoption
by the house Of the majority report o
the committee on agriculture recon
mending the passage of an optiona
district herd law; recommendation fol
passage in committee of the whole o.
bill providing for the semi-annua
payment of taxes at the option of the
taxpayer, and the passage on third
reading of Mason's eight-hour bill, fea
tured the scrappiest session of the
Fifteenth assembly which has yet been
held.
During the session divisions of the
house and roll calls were frequent and
to assure full vote on the eight
hour law, Searles asked for a call of
the house, the first which has taken
place this session. AS a result three
members who had not responded to
their names on a previous roll call
were rounded up by the sergeant-at-
arms and required to vote. The eight
hour law as amended to include sugar
factories, all mills, mines and manu-
| featuring establishments ard all pur-
suits related to the numbering indus
try, was passed by vote of so to
| 80.
| Pay for Election Officials.
Mrs. Hathaways memorial asking
congress for national prohibition, car
ried in the house with only a few dis
senting votes. The bill to fix the pay
OF election boards at 40 cents brought
some little opposition. Murray offered
an amendment fixing the pay at so
cents but this lost. The method of
paying election boards has been cloud
ed by various legal interpretations as
to what constitutes day. In some
counties, it was stated, election en-
ployes were paid for three days when
they served "a hours while in other
counties employees who worked one
hour after midnight were given an ex-
ira days pay and in still other coun-
ties only one days pay has been al |
lowed for the entire election service |
regardless of how long the clerks and |
judges consumed in conducting the |
election and counting the votes.
X
Eisht-Hour Day for Women.
new epoch in the Industrial life
of Montana was marked when the low
er branch OF the Montana legislature
declared itself in no uncertain terms
for an eight-hour day for the women
OF this state. Of the entire member
ship of the lower branch, but one man
raised voice in protest; he is Adj
son X. Lusk of Missoula county, him
self an employee of mercantile estab-
lishment at St. Ignatius. He stood
alone on the floor of the house and
pleaded with his fellow members not
to grant an eight-hour day to women
employees of department stores and
establishments. And when
a vote was taken on his amendment
10 exclude mercantile establishments ,
from the bill, his voice alone could !
be heard In favor of the motion.
X K
Mrs. Ingalls, Speaks. s
Mrs. Emma ingalls, made her maid t
en- speech OF the session i'm support of I
he herd law bill She said she spoke {
rom standpoint of a small home
stead farmer where she said there c
vas an urgent need of herd bill in
his state. She cited personal expe-
FENCES of where her own crops had
,een damaged by the trespassing of
took. i
AS flnally disposed of, the herd bill
now deferred to general orders for +
by the committee of the c
Whole house and it is expected that n
mother battle will be precipitated
'hen the bill is passed upon for final il
pproval. Fl
recommended for PASSAGE.
With Rainey in the chair several C
ills were recommended for passage. D
mong them being: To make avail
Bile for the state health board GER v
lin funds, this being amended so
lat the legislature and not the heads d
departments shall make the appro. in
riatlons from this fund; awarding a
ontracts for the care of county wards pl
no are ill, the purpose of the meas OF
re being to take it from the old sys- 81
I'M of awarding to some one who is vi
cumbent to take care of people who az
e sick; regarding delinquent taxes to
I'd the apportionment of such taxes
hen collected. NJ
4
Offices of Senate Bills. re
By Clark-Constitutio amend. tb
ent relating to municipal corpora. re
pms. SO
BY Jones-Amending banking law tn
BY Heren--Licensing beef peddlers D.
I'd providing for inspection of hides. de
BY Ffshbeck--Providing for. execu- an
IN of mortgages in duplicate. SC
4
offices of House Bills. Sc
Among others, notice of house bills
be introduced are the following: tn
BY MISUNDERSTANDING to and pro
ding for the inspection and regula- 90