The Ronan pioneer., 1917-02-16

dent upon the many other activities.
The reports have been presented
and it is presumed the bills based on
their findings will be introduced, but
what the nature of these bills will
be, nobody presumes to know.
Sometime this coming week a re-
port is expected from the joint COM
mittee on constitutional amendments.
Probably 20 bills proposing the SUBJ
mission of divers amendments have
been introduced, and have been re-
ferred to the committee.
Three bills of particular interest to
lawyers are pending. One provides
for the appointment of a commission
by the supreme court to codify the
codes, work that has not been done
since 1907. Another increases the
membership of the supreme court
from three to five members, and an
other provides for the appointment of
commission on uniform laws, a
work advocated by the American Bar
association.
1t is rumored the senate bills Gre
ating Wheatland county out of por-
tions of Meagher and Sweetgrass, and
Sykes out of the southern portion of
Fallon county, will be fought in the
house, not only by citizens from the
districts interested, but also by men,
bers who fear if these bills go through
their own counties may be dismem-
bered. 1t is reported that Governor
Stewart will permit the bills to be-
come laws without his signature, and
then their constitutionality will be
fought out in the courts. Some law
yers hold that inasmuch as there is
general statute providing for the
creation of new counties, these leg
islative enactments would be special
legislation and violate the constitu-
tion.
While the chances are that not
many offices will be abolished, the
consultations contemplated are ex-
pected to give much better satisfac-
tion to the public. The grain inspec-
tion department may be abolished and
it's duties distributed between the ag-
ricultural college and the department
of agriculture and publicity. The
state board of !. sheep commissioners
and stock commissioners are to go
out of existence and be replaced by
small board of 12 members which
will have supervision over brand re-
cording and stock inspection and de-
tective work. The state livestock
sanitary board is to be vested with
much broader powers, chiefly in the
way of inspection, so that where
three inspectors, each from a differ
ent department, were Oh the job. one
will suffice.
All kinds of income and license tax
notice of them has been given, but
none of them have been reported out
of committee. 1t is considered prob
able that these will not be pushed
until the general budget for the next
two years is decided upon by the ap-
preparations committee, for then the
financial needs of the state will be
definitely known. Sentiment in fa-
vor of the creation of state tax
commission is growing among all
classes, and if it is created it is
likely legislation will be enacted sup
plementing the constitutional pro-
vision adopted at the last election
giving the state board of equalization
the power to raise or lower the
values fixed by the county assessors.
The constitutional amendment reads
that the board may" be authorized
to do this, and it is understood Attor-
ney General Ford takes the position
the amendment is imperative until
the legislation directly invests the
board with such authority.-Butte
Post.