Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1921-02-04
IDAHO LEGISLATURE
DEFEATS TAX BILL
MEASURE PROVIDING FOR TWO
MILL LEVY FAILS TO PASS
THE LOWER HOUSE.
Members Almost Equally Divided
Upon Final Vote, There Being
twenty-five IN Favor and Tween.
ty-six Against Measure.

After the hottest fight OF the session
on the floor, the house of representa-
tives on January 81 defeated House
bill No. 7. by the committee ON educa-|
ton, proposing the establishment In
Idaho Of statewide school tax Of two
mills and It's appOrtionment to cOan-
ties and school districts on a basis of
school attendance. The vote was 70
to %.
The measure was championed by w.
Scott Hall. of Oneida, chairman Of the
education committee, and the 0ppDsl-
ton was led by Representative Gala
han of Shoshone county.
OF the seven bills introduced IN the
lower house of the Idaho legislature
on January 81, none were Of unusual
consequence. One provides an addi-
tional appropriation OF $4,000 FOR
legislative expenses, and another pro.
vides for special meeting of county
commissioners to readjust salaries of
all county officials.
Another measure by the COMMITTEES
on banks and banking was introduced
on January 81. 1t was Senate bin No.
LII, which makes II unlawful for any
officer, director or employee OF any
bank or trust company to demand or
receive directly or indirectly any COM
mission or other consideration on &C
count OF the making by said bank or
trust company of any loan or extern
sion Of credit to any person, firm or
corporation.
Valiant efforts of the chairman of
the house committee on education. w.
Scott Hall of Oneida, to obtain In
dorsement of the committee of the
whole house for his bill to abolish
the office OF state commissioner OF
education, brought out at the Satur-
day session what seems to be a certain
conviction that the measure will be
killed.
1t was learned after adjournment
from members Of the house who have
followed the bill into and out Of the
education committees conferences,
that there Is little probability Of
amendment, and that the measure will
be given short shrift on final consid-
Grafton.
Five minor house bills were passed
by the house on January 20, aIaong
them being the hotel inspection and
cold storage egg bills of the public
health committee and the one requIr-
Ing mining corporations to report to
the state mine Inspector Instead Of the
commissioner of commerce and indus
| try.
Eleven new bills were introduced.
One OF them Ii assured of passing the
lower house from the moment of its
submission, as the names of thirty
one out of the fifty-fOur members APP
pears upon 1t as sponsors. This Is
House bill No. 12s, providing that
school district special ieyies shall be
limited to mills instead of the 10
mills now allowed, but that the county
general school tax may be raised from
S15 to $50 per capita of school census.
This, the sponsors declare, will remedy
the Ills OF districts richly inclined but
impoverished in funds.
Another measure introduced Janu-
airy % would empower independent
school districts to levy emergency
taxes In 1921 and 1922 In excess of the
present statutory limit.
Other bills which were introduced
January % include proposals to make
/ tpaaau~a.a % aaoozsA of.s,. otttoe 49,
live instead OF appointIye and to place
q civil engineer on the public utilities
commission.
A test vote ON the strength OF the
WITTY tax relief measure was blocked
In the senate on Saturday by Senator
Whitcomb, who moved as a substitute
motion that the bin be reported out OF
committee of the whole without rec
ommendaticn.
An Impressive feature Of the morn
ing session Of the senate on January q
was the eulogIzIng of President Nc
Kinley to commemorate his seventy
eighth birthday anniversary.
In the Idaho legislature during the
week ending January %. the state
wide primary bill, calling for the re
enactment Of the primary law, which
was repealed by the legislature tive
years ago, was introduced In the house
and organization work Immediately
started 10 put It through the present
session. This measure would have al
senatorial, congressional, judicial
state. legislative and county candidates
dominated at a statewide primary foi
all political parties. Party integrity
Is safeguarded by requiring all voters
to register and designate the part!
with which they expect to affiliate.
An Idea.
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