The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1929-02-26
HOUSE STRIKES TWO
WAYS ON UTILITIES
ASSESSMENT bills
Measure for $4,000 Survey
Appropriation Killed, UNI
formity Passed
TAX ON DOGS APPROVED
Creation Of Identification Su-
perintendent Gets Com.
mittee O. K.

Two pubic WI Ivy ulCdCuACo wAAS1A
have been hotly contested In the
lower house of the state legislature
we're definitely settled Monday.
The house killed a bill to appro-
pirate $4,000 for a survey OF public
utilities property in the. state by the
board of railroad commissioners. It
passed bill to provide uniform pro-
ccdure for assessment Of public uttli-
ties. Both bills again were warmly
debated.
Sitting as the committee Of the
whole the house approved a bill NAM
ing superintendent OF criminal
identification. The bill met little OPP
position and will go on Tuesdays
calendar. The house also approved a
bill to place tax on dogs.
Woman Scion Leads
Mrs. Lavina AnnSberry, Williams
county, vigorously took the minority
leadership in defense of the bill to
appropriate $4,000 for survey of
public utilities.
The bill would mean justice for all
in valuation Of public utilities. in
Guiding the utilities themselves. Mrs.
Amsberry maintained. Checking up
of the physical valuation would make
possible further development Of pub
lie utilities, she said, and asserted
that past surveys have served to good
advantage and that this survey
should work for more good.
l.. l.. Twichell, 'Cass county, con-
tended that yearly appropriations Of
the board of railroad commissioners
have been regularly increased to take
care of survey work. He demanded
to know where this money had gone
If surveys had not been made.
why should the taxpayers pay for
/, added surveys" Twichell asked.
why not put the expense on the
utilities themselves and let those re-
ceiving benefit from the utilities pay
for it? This method is used in sew
cral states" He urged drafting law
to make such regulation rather than
bill to appropriate more money.
Charge Twichell Illogical
j. H. Burkhart, Ward county, de-
clared such suggestion to be made
simply to defeat the present bill. He
said the appropriation asked for In
the bill would be spent in the inter-
csts of the general public and that
there was no reason why patrons of
the public utilities should stand the
expense. He held that it would be
, just as logical to tax students in the
states educational institutions.
Upon Twichells asking why the
board of railroad commissioners had
not submitted bill such as he had
suggested, Mrs. Minnie p. Craig, Ben
son county. said that Governor
George F. Shafer had advised the
board that 1t was too late to draft
such a measure. Twichell responded
that since the board admits such
method to be best, it should have
come in with such bill.
A. j. Rulon. Stutsman county,
maintained that the board of rail-
road commissioners has had chance
to do something with the money al
ready appropriated and that there
was q question whether the state
would receive its worth back from a
further appropriation. The board is
not accomplishing what it should
with its money, he said.
r. e. Hamilton, Nelson county, said
that the bill had been referred sew
eral times to committee, that each
time 1t had been returned, more in
formation became available and with
more information the appropriation
seemed less justified.
Vote on the bill was 59-51.
Opposes Amended Bill
r. E. SwendSeid. Mountrail county,
again opposed the amended bill to
provide uniform procedure for
assessing public utilities. He con-
tended that under the bill the public
utilities can demand reduction in
assessed valuation II any other class
of property In the state is assessed
!. below its full and true value.
Twichell maintained that the bill
as originally drawn in the tax COM
missioner's office contained the pro-