The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-22
SENATE STANDS PAT
ON 5O-DkY RULING
Refuses to Receive Bills
Passed by House-Takes
Up Other Bills.
GREAT FALLS FAVORED
Bill for Elevator Recon-
mended - Fight State
Utilities Commission.

Helena. Feb. 21.--(Special) 1.-The
senate put in a long. hard day con-
sidcring house bills passed on or be-
fore the fiftieth day of the session
The decision Of the upper body not
to waive the fifty-day rule was ad-
hercd to, and when the house sent over
a number of communications concern
ing action taken by it on house bills
since the fifticth day, Secretary J. f.
Cone declined to receive them.
After a sharp fight, II. b. 81, taking
from the state utilities commission the
right to regulate municipality owned
utilities, was killed.
Terminal Elevator.
House bill IS, by Stimpcrt, provid-
ing for a $4,000 bond issue for the
erection of a terminal elevator at Great
Fails was fought, but unsucccssfully,
the bill being recommended i'm commit
tee of the whole and then went over on
third reading. until tomorrow on
Dwights motion. Dwight and Hogan
led the fight against the bill, the for
mcr declaring only Great Falls would
be benefited by the measure, and the
latter insisting it was "a joke and a
fraud perpetratcd as a sop to the farm
crs Of the state" He also insisted a
terminal elevator would do no good at
Great Falls. Larson of Teton and
Clark Of Toole. advocated the passage
OF the bill. asserting Great Falls is
rapidly becoming one of the great
grain centcrs of the country and that
the bill will benefit all farming inter-
csts of Montana. Half dozen mo-
tons were made to adversely report
the bill. to change the location Of the
elevator to Billings, and other dilatory
motions, but all were voted down.
Dwight then tried to have the report
of the committee OF the whole scgre-
gated and the bin adversely reported,
but failed. IA to 81. Before the vote
was announced Dwight changed his
vote to mo"
City Utilities.
Amin, Hcaly and O'Shca advocated
the passage of II. 3. 81 Edwards and
| Burla opposed it, Amin said he was
in favor of the bill primarily because
of the enemies it had made, and he
thought taxpayers should be allowed
to make their own rates on their own
PLANTS.
Edwards remarked he was glad to
see the saltwater senator had suf-
fcrcd change of heart. for when s. y.
1S5, granting home rule charters to
cities was up, he had declared for
state regulation. O'Shea retorted that
II. II. 81 was a genuine home rule bill
and $. b. 1Sj a bogus one; that the
former was to regulate water. while
the latter applied to Fire"
Hcaly insisted the public service
commission was in error in charging
the city water plant of Helena failed to
maintain depreciation fund, and he
also insisted the Helena books were in
good shape.
Burla insisted municipal plants
should charge themselves for fire hy-
drants and water used for street pur-
poses. insisting it was not right to per-
nit the general taxpayers to benefit at
the expense of the water users.
OShca remarked the only activities
of the public service commission were
to regulate municipality owned plants
Edwards closed the debate with the
statement that the arguments adj
vanccd by the advocates of the bill in :
Acated the utility commission should
be abolished and as the owner of two
small lighting plants he hoped the ad
vocatcs of the bill would introduce a
measure to effect this.
The majority report of the commit
tee On finance and claims recommend :
5 ed the bill for slaughter, the minority
that 1t do pass. The minority report
was lost IS to 81 and the ma jority
adopted.
The report Of the same committee
e was adopted recommending that action
V be deferred on five deficiency hills