The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-02-23
LEGISLATIVE NOTES

metal mines in Montana, advocated by
Governor ]. NJ. Dixon in his message TO
the legislature, passed the house late
Saturday by a vote of 81 to 40. 1t
would impose a license tax of / per
cent on gross production OF mines
which have a production of $500,OOO or
more yearly. On production below
that amount the tax graduates to one
fourth of ] per cent OH annual produc-
tion between 100000 and $25OOOO and
makes the license tax 81 on companies
which have gross annual production
less than 100000 a year.
In his first veto of the session Gov
ernor Dixon dsapproved house bill NO.
IS, by Scharinkow, TO repeal the law
passed two years ago giving the state
board of examiners authority to fix the
number of clerks and assistants in the
departments of the state government,
| which law, the author of the bill de-
clared, had never been observed by the
board The veto was sustained by
vote of 40 to 50, two-thirds being nee
essary to override.
Montana's country newspapers came
in for warming up at the hands OF
Goodman of Broadwater and Scharln-
kow of Powell, in the session OF the
lower house on Wednesday night, dur
ing consideration of II. b. No. ia by
Mrs. Hamilton of Phillips county and
Bray of Sweet Grass The bill was
finally recommended for passage after
the newspapers supporters had scored
a complete triumph.
House bill No BOB, by Scharnikow, OF
Powell, TO cut salaries of heads Oh
state boards and commissions and their
employees, and house bill No. 29O, by
Scharnikow, Oker of Lewis and Clark,
and Carlson, of Gallatin, to cut salaries
of state officials, have been recon-
mended for passage. The latter meas
ure was amended so that no cut would
be made in salaries of justices OF the
supreme court
Reduction in the item of travelling
expenses in connection with the opera
tions of the department of agriculture
is urged by the senate special investi-
eating committee. which has submitted
a report on that department. The COM
mittee, in summing up, expressed the
belief that ''the commissioner Is trying
TO do his best and is obtaining good
results"
The senate special committee to In
| vestigate state offices and state ex-
ecutive departments issued report
recommending the adjustment OF the
| office of the state entomologfst and
the work of that office taken over by
the extension service of the state col
lege at Bozeman.
The state highway commission VIII
| consist of one commissioner at $4,000
| a year and expenses and two assistant
/ commissioners at $40 a day and ex-
! penses. with the amount available for
surveys and other administration costs
TO be limited by legislative appropri-
alton, if tine measure which was report
ed out of the house committee OF the
whole becomes a law.
Measures referring to the people
repeal of the presidential primary law,
reducing the staff of the state superin-
tendent of public instruction and re-
curing that bids be advertised for IN
printing the quarterly report OF the
state treasurer, were passed on third
reading in the house.
At the beginning of the session last
week 433 bills had been submitted to
fhe two houses OF the total, eight
house bills, four senate bills, one joint
memorial and one concurrent resolu-
tion had passed both houses and been
signed by the governor.
An amendment to the state consd-
tuition, providing for the recall Of cleo
tive officers, with exception of judges
of courts of record, is planned in bill
introduced in the lower branch of the
assembly by Troy and Duffy OF Hill
county.
The first of the two measures intro
duced in the house for consolidation Of
the governments of Butte and Silver
Bow county under the constitutional
amendment adopted last November has
been passed by the house.
The house went on record favoring
the measure to establish an eastern
Montana state normal school at Miles
City, with appropriation of S2O,OOO
year for the first two years.
The house bill which would permit
groups of counties to combine in erect
ing and maintaining tuberculosis SAM
tariums, which passed the house, was
killed in the senate.
The measure to create the new coun-
ty of Hedges out of the northern part
of Flathead county was killed by adop-
tion of fhe house of an adverse COM
mittee report.
Getting married will cost 81 more
and getting divorced win cost So more
If a bill recommended for passage by
the house committee of the whole fin
ally passes.
BY a vote of 50 to 81 the house
adopted the administration bill to i'm
nose q license tax of 3 per cent on
gross production of crude oil in Mon
7 4os-a