The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1931-02-05
BUSY PROGRAM AHEAD
Of STATE LEGISLATORS
Fifth Week of Session Under Way
With Crowded Calendar
Highway Bill Signed

~ Niohtaia Legislative session al
Helena Is now into the fifth week and
the number of bills submitted to the
two branches indicate that the law
makers will be required to speed UP
action II the work before the assembly
is TO be properly executed before the
END OF the sixty-day period. At many
former sessions it has been neces-
sary to stop clocks in the Legislative
nails at the zero hour in order to
clear the calendar of pending legis-
lation, and this may be necessary at
the assembly.
Two of the principle measures that
have come before the assembly were
disposed of last week when Governor
Erickson placed his official signature
to the $6,000,0OO highway debenture
act and the Butte-Silver Bow consol-
ldatlon bill. Coincident with the SIGN
ing OF the road measure, the Montana
highway commission started proceed
ings for the sale of the gasoline tax
warrants. The act is to be tested be-
! lure the supreme court.
Among measures presented the past
week was one seeking to prevent en-
ployment of married women on state.
county, city and school jobs and an
other to impose tax on malt.
Representative Moss of Flathead
was the only witness to the gov
errors approval of the highways de-
benture bill He is chairman of the
mousse highways committee and one
OF the sponsors of the bill. Gov
ernor Erickson presented him with the
pen used in affixing his signature.
Malt would be taxed 10 cents a
pound under bill prepared by Rep
resentative Fairgrieve of Carbon. The
proceeds would be used to reduce the
general levy. He said $4,000 pounds
of malt is distributed each year from
Billings alone.
Consideration of the advisabilitv
of refunding S2,S04,O00 worth of edu-
cational bonds is asked of the TWEEN
ty-second assembly in bill prepared
by the house ways and means COM
mittee, = which Darlington of Gal
latin is chairman.
For the first time this session. the
name of Tom Stout, honorary senator
from Fergus county, appeared on
measure introduced in the upper
chamber. 1t was a joint resolution
urging congress to carry out the rec
concentrations of fact-fnding COM
mittee Of the Musselshell Basin Flood
Control association. Stout has no
vote in the senate. He was credited
with recommending the resolution, in
PRODUCED by group of senator's.
Reports reaching the legislature
show that considerable interest is be-
ing taken throughout Montana in the
bill proposing the appointment of
tax commission to study the state,
county, school district and municipal
taxation system with the view of
bringing about greater equalization
in taxes and make other recommen-
dations.
Montana's abstract system NAV be
an issue in the present legislature with
two measures in the senate, one to
provide state regulation of the bust
ness and the other to adopt the Tor
rens system of land transfers by regis
tration.
A list of 107 persons killed in auto
mobile accidents in Montana in 1880
was left on the desks of house mem
bers as a suggestion of the need of
a drivers license law.
The Great Falls Tribune has issued
an appeal to the state legislature to
set aside at least S150,00O from the
100000 bonds voted at the last cleo
ton for the construction of suitable
building to house the school of Jour
nalism at the state university at Mis-
soula.
During the past week bills appeared
providing for appropriation for OBJ
GRAFTON and maintenance of the great
err university units and providing for
reapportionment of representatives in
the state Legislature. The committee
on appropriations plans to distribute
the entire amount available from the
three-mill levy, $1,287O00 a year,
the six university units.
After emerging from committee of
The whole with wounds from toma-
hawks of rhetoric, house bill 81. which
would have allowed prosecutors to in
troduce evidence Of criminal record.
finally succumbed before 40 to 46
vote.
The bill relating to instructions on
expert evidence and the one author
zing sheriffs to investigate rumors
we're among those passed by the
house.
The natural gas tax and the tobac-
20 tax, proposals have at last made
formal appearance in the legislature.
At the same time the bill for the
oF 10,