The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-24

lem and after hours of consideration
emerged with two distinctly opposite
proposals. In the senate, approval
was voted a measure calling for a
straight so per cent cut in all auto
mobile license fees. In the house, a
bill cutting only the minimum rates on
old cars-setting the new rates at SO
for cars now paying SO and 81 for
those now paying s12.50-was passed
by an overwhelming majority.
The situation, with each branch
standing pat on its own proposal, was
held by leaders as virtually stale
mate, the result of which may be no
tax cut at all. The measure passed
by the senate was based on the pro-
posals made prior to the session by
Mike Holm, secretary of state, and it
had the support Of nearly all the con-
servatives in the body. The vote on
the measure was As to IS.
That passed in the house was Gov
ernor Olson's proposal, based on the
theory that cutting the fees for all
cars would mean too great a slash
in the revenues of the state highway
department which in turn would mean
slackening of new construction
work. The governor took a decided
stand against a general cut and urged
cut for only the minimum class cars.
The house backed him by a vote of
SO to As.
With conflicting political considera-
tons uppermost in its mind, the state
legislature is ready after six weeks
of waiting to tackle the bothersome
problem of recasting Minnesota's con-
gressional districts. Six weeks of la
Dor lin the reapportionment commit
tees of house and senate have pro-
duced two widely different plans for
solving the problem, which is simply
one of creating nine districts approx
mately equal in size and population,
where 10 existed before. Differences
in the plans are mainly political and
as such offer prospects of a lively
battle before the legislature energies
with one plan satisfactory to its fac
tons and Governor Olson.
Mr.. Green plans to call six high
way contractors to the stand. In a
counter move, however, the contrac-
tors, who are defendants in suits to
cancel $1,S00,000 in paving contracts,
sought to halt the investigation. An
other course the senate could follow,
Mr.. Green said, would be to prefer
gross misdemeanor charges against
the witnesses and bring them into
court. Conviction would result in a
jail term and fine, the maximum of
which would be a year in Jail and
$1,000 fine.
A total of 952 bills have been in
troduced in the house, but 25 were
acted on through suspension Of the
rules and only 913 referred to COM
mittees. Only 26.5 per cent have as
yet been acted upon by committees,
ITO approved and ~ disapproved.
Only 40 bills or 4 per cent of the total
have been passed by the house and
sent to the senate. Nine were killed.
six by vote of the house and three
by the governors veto.
Following the state conservation
commissions suspension of it's depart
ment head, w. T. Cox, reins of office
were taken over Immediately by E.
Victor Willard, who was appointed
acting commissioner. Mr.. Willard
has been head of the drainage and
waters division since 1919. Under the
new arrangement, he also will con-
tinue to hold that office.
Knute Knutson of Benson, former
member of the legislature and presi-
dent of the Swift County Taxpayers
League, sent letter to legislators
urging approval of the Bell bill for
state control of local expenditures
and bond issues, and said county
boards should be given power to fix
county salaries.
Jail terms for witnesses refusing to
testify before the senate committee
investigating highway contracts were
threatened by William c. Green, coun-
sci for the committee, reply to re-
ports that several road contractors
would decline to give evidence.
A measure changing the date of
primary elections from the third Mon
day in June to the second Tuesday
in September was recommended for
passage by a 81 to 81 vote of the
house.
Suspending its rules, the house
passed the senate bill transferring
$4,000 from the state fair building
fund to its general fund, to meet ex-
penses of the institution.
Despite vigorous protests by SEN
ator George Lommen, Eveleth, who
seeks to abolish the relief commits
sion of st. Louis county and replace
it by another administrative group,
the senate passed for the second time
bill authorizing the county to issue
s1,500,000 in bonds for poor relief.
A bill prohibiting possession and
transportation of machine guns was
approved and strengthened by the
senate committee on crime prevention.
The committee amended the measure
that already had passed the house
to provide that machine guns also
must not be sold within the state.
Statewide and compulsory old age
pensions for counties are provided in
a. house bill by Joseph A. kodak and
w. s. Collins of Minneapolis
The legislature most appropriate
funds for support of the swamp lands
and mineral division, recently trans
ferred from the state auditor to the
conservation department, Attorney
General Harry H. Peterson ruled. The
conservation commission had asked