The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1917-03-08
18th LEGISLATIVE
SESSION CLOSES
Most Active Session in Recent Years.
Many Coed Laws Passed

AOAiOs AW8ASh
Legislative session Of the state Of
South Dakota has closed Its work,
and what they have accomplished Is
history. in fact they have gone far
beyond the general accepted lines Of
Legislation. and have laid out paths
for new development OF the state
along lines which would never have
been considered a few years ago.
Tx 1t was strictly a farmers legis-
%lature" in more ways than one. The
membership was largely farmers, and
while there were many other walks
of life, no one held back on helping
in anything which looked to agricul-
tural development unless 1t was some
OF the farmers themselves, who to-
ward the close of the session became
more conservative In that line than
did the city members. Along this line
the legislature passed the rural cred
its act, allowing low priced. long
term loans for the purchase and i'm
provement OF farm lands. Created
the bureau Of state market commits
sioner, and extended the powers of
farmers organizations in employ
ment OF county agents under the ag-
ricultural extension work in progress.
| They gave the agricultural college
most liberal appropriations in the way
OF maintenance and o buildings,
along with appropriations for devel-
oping purebred stock, and the money
to use for handling stock for feeding
purposes, created a poultry depart
ment, and in the buildings provided
for a stock judging pavilion. In add
ton to the improvements at the col
lege itself, they made provisions for
stock show structures at Mitchell, and
at Belle Fourche. Besides this they
will send to the people several con-
stitutional amendments directly con-
corning the farmer movement among
them for county hail insurance. for
county rural credit systems, and the
advisability Of taking up terminal
elevator business by the state.
The main features'o Of highway work
are these creating q highway com
mission along the lines required to
take advantage Of the Shackelford
highway act. and appropriated a quar-
ter OF a million dollars to meet a like
amount from the general government
to be expended on highways In the
state In the next two years. They
also gave counties power to bond for
the purpose Of constructing hard
surface, paved or concrete highways,
and a number of minor measures.
They went farther than any other
session has ever gone in the way OF
looking after workmen's legislation,
passing a general workmen's compen-
sation act and as side issues to this
an act for workmen's mutual reserve
insurance companies for carrying
workmen's insurance, and another
fixing a standard form of policies in
such cases.
Other measures OF wide import
ance in the state are the general ir-
rigation code, allowing any number OF
farmers to associate themselves to-
| gether and issue securities based on
their farm holdings to construct dams
| and bitches for conservation of water.
They adopted the Torrens system OF
land transfers for the state as an OPP
tional for the present which
allows any property owner to regis
ter his holdings under the law and
cut out abstract charges. They Gre
ated the office Of state sheriff. which
| Official is given general powers for
enforcement OF criminal laws Of the
| state, and have placed under him all
the sherifs and deputy sherifs of
the state. subject to call to any por-
ton Of the state for duty at any time.
the general prohibition law. which
was made as tight as 1t could be con-
ceived, carried q special enforcing
officer as one of It's provisions, in the
prohibition commissioner. but the
state sheriff act, passed later, gives
all such duties to the new oficer and
wipes out the prohibition commits.
sioner.
They have provided for the making
up OF the expenditures OF the state
for the next session, a board of which
the governor Is the head, which boart
is to provide a budget and submit I
to the next legislative session.
City Manager
The city manager Is another chang
in laws, allowing any city or tow
which 30 desires to employ such a
officer. and leave the council or com
mission only "a an advisory board
the business being looked after by tn
manager.
They have placed the militia Of tn
state In position to be in line wit
the federal requirements. BY apprc
!rs.assnS funds for securing . prope