Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1935-03-07
legislative Notes


an expert steering committee, who
are advancing only major bills in an
effort to complete all legislation by
the closing date, March 7.
Almost unique in legislative annals
was the handling in the Montana
house of representatives last week Of
the h~ydro-electric tax bill which was
saved virtually through the vote of its
opponents. AS it appeared in the floor
of the house it provided for a 2 per
CEN tax on gross revenues, a 60 per
cent increase YER the current rate Of
u of l per cent. Amended on the floor
the tax rate was cut to / per cent and
thus the bill was advanced for pas
sage.
The first constitutional amend
ment passed by the house this session
was H. B. IA, which if approved by the
senate and the governor, and finally
the electorate in 1886, the voters Of
Montana would adopt or reject a plan
whereby the legislature might fix the
hours of labor in all industries. The
amendment further provides that the
law making body may reduce the
working day to less than eight hours
if it sees fit.
Fowler's chain store tax bill was
approved after considerable discus
sion. AS amended the bill calls for .
tax of $500 on each store over five III
a chain, instead of the original 1878.
Efforts to amend the bill to include
meat market chains, gas station
chains, lumber yard chains, and grain
elevator chains, all of which are in
cluded in the law now on the statute
books, failed. Stevens motion to put
the proceeds into the old-age pension
fund failed, and Groene's motion to
make the revenue derived a substitute
for a property tax, also failed. AS
amended the bill is estimated to yield
S15O,000 a year.
The senate has placed its final and
definite approval on an act which
would prohibit entertainment or dane
ing in places where 3.2 beer is dis
pensed. By the topheavy vote of 35
to Is, that deliberative body passed
a measure banning all form of enter
tainment or dancing from resorts,
cafes and rathskellers where beer is
quaffed. Furthermore the act provides
that patrons of such places cannot be
afforded easy access by doors to ad-
joining rooms where they might find
recreation on the dance floor.
By a vote of 46 10 40, the house
passed H. B. ITO, one of three high
way patrol plans under consideration
during the eleventh-hour crush. The
measure, sponsored by Minette of Gla-
cier and Moss of Flathead, provides
for creation of a patrol under the jur-
isdiction of the Montana highway
commission with the ALLEGATION of ap-
proximately sec, 1000 a year in highway
funds for its support, this sun to be
repaid by drivers license fees and
fines and forfeitures in highway vio-
lation cases. 1t provides also for a
force of not more than 80 patrolmen.
One Of the most important of the
constitutional amendments, H. B. 2,
providing for tax exemption of resi-
Dental real estate up to $4,000, went
to the senate with a vote of 70 to 20.
1t embodies a plan advocated by Gov
ernor Cooney in his biennial legisla-
tive message.
The series of other utility bills
drafted and introduced at the behest
of the public service commission en-
countered but little opposition on
third reading.
They included measures to place
natural gas pipe lines under the juris-
diction of the commission; to require
the making Of statements under oath;
relating to safety precautions; per-
hitting appeals to the commission on
motor carrier insurance cancellations;
prescribing the powers of the COM
mission in the event of accidents; re-
lating to the duty of the commission
in determining rates; providing that
county attorneys should assist the
commission in certain railway cases.
Acts providing for a central ac-
counting system carried IA to IA, and
one for a state advisory council was
approved, CT to 20.
The senate passed the bill embrac-
ing the recommendations of the spe-
cial committee which investigated the
state liquor control administration.
1t was the substitute for the substi-
tute for H. B. 8. 1t recommended,
among other things, limiting the num-
Der Of state stores to 125, only five
more than are in existence now.
The date for the mock session of
the Legislature has been changed from
Feb. II to March 5. 1t viii be held at
the Shrine auditorium, and will be
open to the public. Heretofore, the af-
fair has been held in the hall of the
house and there has never been seat
ing space enough for those who wish
ed to attend. The program is being
arranged by the entertainment COM
mittee of the house.
Bills signed by the governor in
clude: H. B. 53-Regulating advertis-