Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-04-11
Iceland Review Of
Legislative Work

routine as | have outlined the House
procedure to be. If it passes both
house and senate it must then be
signed by both the Governor and
Speaker in order to become a law.
In the early part of the session,
considerable time was spent devlslng
means of raising more additional
revenue for the maintenance of state
EXPENSES. House Bill No. AZ increas-
inc the taxes on all state taxable
property for the state purposes, pass
ed the house by a majority of three,
fifty members voting for the bill and
AZ against. This final vote was tax
en- after two days debate pro and con.
All the farmer representatives from
the east end of the state voted ag-
ainSt the measure. They felt. that
other revenue measures should be
passed instead and that the taxes on
farm lands were high enough. A few
days later H. B. No. AZ was killed in
the Senate.
Other revenue measures were then
introduced such as the Cigarette Tax,
Tax on Hydro Electric power, Metals
Mine Tax and the Income tax. !
heard the public hearings On the
three lateral bills and decided that
the Hydro Electric utilities was the
most just one. The power compan-
les are making large profits from wa
ters which pass through their tur-
bines-water which belongs to the
state. For the use of this water, the
state receives nothing. These three
bills were killed in the Committee on
Revenue and Taxation. The same
committee reported favorably the
Cigarette Bill which was passed by
the house by a small majority but
was later killed in the Senate.
1t was estimated that the Cigarette
Bill would bring from s4OO, 900 to
perhaps 100000 to the state treas
ury each year. The Governor says:
after summing up the total appro-
priations and the estimated revenu
! find that we apparently are $780,
10000 over the revenue the State is
expected to have" However, $780,
10000 is not a large sum when deal
ing with various taxes imposed. A
slight increase in several Of the
charges would bring in sufficient
funds to cover this shortage.
House Bill No. IA passed the
House and Senate. This relates to ju-
dicial districts and judges therein.
Under the provision of this bill sew
en- iut re dispensed with in the
state first Monday of 1882,
whicl ventually mean the saw
ing Q IA. thousands of dollars to
the state. This viii not affect the
judicial district in which We reside.
House Bill No. 50 providing for a
ard to pass on the qualifications of
BARRIERS and other matters Of santa
ton pertaining to the barbering bust
ness was passed.
House BIZ No. 1877, relating to qua
liications of county superintendent
of schools was passed. The qualifica-
tions of the superintendents will here
after be considerably higher than
formerly by reason of the change.
The law also provides an increase in
the salary of the county superinten-
dents of 5000 per year in counties of
the fifth and sixth class. (Sheridan
county is in the sixth class.)
Bills were introduced in both the
House and in the Senate to raise sa-
laries of county officials in sixth and
seventh class counties. Both branches
killed the proposed measures in their
committees. A large majority of the
members were not in favor of any in
crease at the present time.
House Bill No. ST, introduced by
myself passed and became a law
This act amends Section 545 Of the
Statutes relating to the establishment
Of election precincts. Now the County
Commissioners have the power o.
combining small voting precincts int(
one. These precincts to be combined
may include one or two wards, o.
may comprise the territory included
by one or more wards, tog her will
contiguous territory lying outside O
these Incorporated towns. Many
small election precinct lying in or jus
outside of small Incorporated town
has been maintained by the county a
an extra expense. This expense woult
be done away with.
House Bill No. ia, introduced b.
Pauley, Nelson and myself was kille
in the House. This was a bill l spen
some time on. 1t provided that ad
ditional judges and clerks may b
appointed by county commissioner
for the purpose of counting and tabu
lating votes in precincts containing
10 or more votes, counting to be
gin when twenty or more votes ha
been cast etc. This kind of law, be
lieve,would work out to a very goo
advantage in all counties in the stat
do not have a large city in them. w
redrafted and amended the bill leav
ing the question optional at the dis
c~retion of the county commissioners
but no, the politicians of the larg
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