The Dickinson press., 1917-03-03
LEGISLATURE IS
NEARING The END
Activity Shown Expected to Clear
the Calendar.
BIG Days WORK IN SENATE
Upper House Passes Twenty-Five Rills
and Sends Five Others to
the Boneyard.

Bismarck-(Special)-On Washing
tons birthday anniversary the legisla-
ture rested from a week of very hard
grind, several sessions of which ran
far into the night. Friday it entered
the last lap of the session and pros
poets r bright that it will make all
stations on exact schedule time and
will not have to turn the clock back,
and there will be no bills left in the
hopper. No measures can now be sent
from the house to the senate, or from
the senate to the house. And while
up to date only about thirty bills have
passed both houses, from now on, as
each house will be working on the
others bills, final action will be taken
on a large number of measures.
4. + +
One of the early sensations of the as
sembly was the introduction of senate
bill No. 20, introduced by Senator Nc
Bride and proposing a special cleo.
ton, to give the people a chance to de-
termine whether or not they desired a
revision of the constitution, and pro-
viding for such a conventional de-
cided in the afirmative-and for the
submission of such q document to the
people. This bill al apparently lost
until it made it's appearance in the
senate the other day with a minority
report that it be passed as amended.
The report was overwhelmingly voted
down and the bill sent to the bone
yard, the senate evidently having
changed it's mind about revising the
constitution.
4 \ !.
Probably the biggest days work for
the senate since the session opened
was Tuesday when it passed twenty
two bills, including Senator Cahill's
relating to newspaper %retractions of
criticisms of persons; Senator Kings
statewide civil service bill and a bill
requiring sleighs to be of standard
width. One of the bills passed en-
powers the state board of control to
offer for sale to the highest bidder
the capitol street car line, the states
only publicly owned utility. Objec-
lions were urged to this bill on the
bridge is built and the line extended
to Mandan, and when the line is x
tended to the reform school, Fort Lin
coin and the state prison, that it will
then be a paying proposition. The
bill will not pass the house, it is as
serted.
+ !. +
The senate is still bucking the gov
errors appointments. The latest act
of this kind occurred when that body
turned down and refused to confirm
the appointment OF F. E. Packard,
chairman Of the state tax commission.
The senate on the same day passed
senate bill No. 100, which provides
for a one-man tax commission. The
bill provides that the governor shall
become ex-offcio a member Of the
board on May 1, when the term of Mr..
Packard expires. On May 1, 1919, the
state auditor is to succeed the member
whose term expires at that time, and
ron May 1, 1921, the governor is en-
powered to appoint a commissioner for
six years.
1. i. 4.
One of the hardest fights of the :ses-
sion came to a close when the senate
killed senate bill No. 70, the full crew
bill, which was introduced by Senator
Mostad and was supported by the
Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen.
This bill was introduced early in the
session, went to the committee on
railroads and was reported out two
weeks later with two small amend
ments. On the motion of Senator Nc
Lean TO ,re-refer it to the railroad
committee the vote was a tie and
President Kraabel voted for the bill,
thus saving 1t from being re-referred.
A few days later it came up again
stood a tie again, and once more Pres
ident Kraabel voted against the prop
osition. Once again it came up, with
a minority report, and was indefinitely
postponed, q to "a. Railroad Off
cials from st. Paul were here In a
private car and worked hard against
the bill.
4. f. f.
One Of the most farreaching meas
ures that has yet passed the senate
got through that body a day or two
ago. This was senate bill No. 314,
providing for the creation of a uni
form grade for wheat, oats, barley,
rye, fax and all other grains, seeds
and agricultural products and creating
and establishing the office Of state in
spector of grades, weights and meas
ures. The bill provides that the rail-
road commissioners shall, appoint a
member Of the faculty of the agricul-
tural college to be the inspector Of
grades, weights and measures, and
that he shall receive a salary Of $1,000
per year in addition to his other COM
p~ensation. The bill further provides
that the inspector shall define and eE-
tablish proper grades and weights for
Eznin, ETC., also -four, meal and prod.