The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1917-02-16
SPEED NEEDED
IN LEGISLATURE
End of Session Approaches With
Enormous Amount of Un-
finished Work
Big fight ON TAXATION PROBLEM
Little Hope Seen for Herd Laws. Bill
for Normal School at Glasgow
in Senate Republicans for
Economy

Helena, Feb. 14.-Speed is the one
thing needed by the legislature. The
senate has been making excellent
progress and most of it's important
work is well under way, but the house
with its large membership and the
enormous number of bills, naturally
presented there, will have to hurry to
clean up it's work by the time the
gavel falls at the end of 60 days.
Less than two weeks of the present
session remain. After Monday, the
time for introduction of new measures
or for transmission of any save ap-
preparation bills from one house to the
other, will elapse. AS a result this
week will witness the introduction of
the balance of legislation possible to
enact.
So far the record has not been so
bad. At the beginning of this week
there had been introduced 1872 bills
in the senate and BIG in the house;
20 senate bills and about 100 house
bills had been killed; 10 senate and 16
house bills had been signed by the
governor; 40 senate bills were in the
house and IS house bills in the SEN
ate. In number of bills to reach the
governor, however, the record is not
so bad for there were only two less
than at the same time last session.
What legislation enacted so far is
the most important depends entirely
on the viewpoint of the person passing
judgment. In it's effort to bring about
economy and efficiency the Republi-
can senate has succeeded in having
the Brewer bill, abolishing the de-
partment of weights and measures
saving $4,000 annually to the state
passed and signed by the governor
Another important senate bill to get
by with the economy and efficiency
idea in view is Senator Kinney's
measure providing for refunding the
capitol bonds at A per cent. They
now pay per cent. Among the i'm
portant measures passed, originating
in the house, are the reducing the
hours of labor of women in Montana
to eight hours per day; abolishing the
trading stamp evil; making eight
hours the length of employment ir
mines, mills, smelters and on all pub.
lie work, including janitors in schoo
districts.
A bill that will interest all parents
in Montana is H. B. II, by Bent
which has been signed by the gov
ernor. It provides that the various
school districts of the state shall fur
nish text books free to pupils.
Another measure of Importance, OF
rather two measures, are H. B. SO ane
68, giving the appointment of state
land board clerks and land examiner:
to the register and land agent
These positions have become of con
siderable Importance as they will hav'
the detail work of loaning the state'
$6,OOO,OOO in trust funds on farm
mortgages as provided in the farm
loan act. The two bills were passet
in an effort to place the responsible
ity and administration and concen
trate the authority.
A far reaching precedent was es
tablished last week when Governo
Stewart named William Cults o
Butte, member of the Legislature
to succeed the late Jere Flannigal
of Silver Bow county, whose dealt
occurred recently. Never before ha'
the governor named member of tn
legislature. AS a result his appoint
ment of Mr.. Cults caused consider
able criticism and the charge wa
made by Representative Higgins an
supported by a large number of tn
members that the constitution ha
been overridden. In this opinion tn
member of Missoula was supporte
by written opinion on the subjec
saying that Mr.. Cults could not b
appointed. AS the house is the judg
of it's own members qualifications
however, Mr.. Cults was seatet
though the vote was very close.
few days later he sought to have tn
representatives of the Missoula Mis-
soulian excluded because they crit
cised the governor and the legislator
for such action, but failed in his e1
fort, his resolution being sent to tn
judiciary committee.
Reports have been made by tn
special tax and assessment invest
cation committees in the house an
in the senate. The reports of bot
are similar, though the senate repol
shows more clearly that there is a
equality in the assessment and dl
tribution of the cost of governmen
The proposition of the total take
paid by the various industries OF tt
state is set as follows by the reports