Montana labor news., 1937-02-04
SIDELIGHTS ON
LEGISLATURE

A
These sidelights are being written
on Sunday SO we ask you to bear
that in mind when reading, for
changes in the status of bills will
likely be made before you read this.
Wednesday is the halfway mark of
this session and everything points to
the fact that the jam at the end of
the session will be even greater than
ii was two years ago when there
were over 100 bills that died on the
board because of lack of time to take
action on them. This in spite of the
fact that the clock was stopped on
the Goth day and members worked
day and night for a few extra days.
There is every indication that
there will be fully as many bills in
troduced at this session as there were
at the last session, yet at the end of
the 9th day this year there were
but 148 bills introduced in the house,
while two years ago at the same time
1877 bills had been thrown into the
hopper.
With the exception of the Master
son bill to exempt homes with a val
uation under $4,000 from taxation,
the principal taxation bills have not
reached the floor as yet. Every kind
of a liquor bill is being introduced
this year and as yet, none of these
have been brought out for argument.
There will likely be considerable
discussion on every one of these bills
so this will add to slowing things up
in the last half.
To most of those who have been
around here in past sessions it looks
like much of the necessary legisla-
ton will have to be sidetracked in
the end. There has been the usual
amount of ''horse-play" instead of
getting down to business and both
Speaker Rolph and Floor Leader
Spiegel have been pleading for ac-
ton.
Almost a half day was practically
wasted by opponents of the bill that
would allow 80 per cent of the prop
erty owners of Deer Lodge County
most of them laboring men of Ana
conda-have so per cent of the al
license money to use on streets of
the city. Every kind of horse-play
in the line of amendments was Of
fered in an effort to wear out the
proponents of the bill, even going so
far as to offer an amendment to turn
a period up-side-down.
= = =
One thing the house has accom-
plished this year is to put the old
free text book bill, that comes up at
every session, in shape to get away
from a nasty fight that every mem
Der depsises. The bill was changed
so that it makes a referendum mea-
sure out of it and all the people OF
the state will have an opportunity
to vote on the question at the next
election, provided the senate passes
the measure and it is signed by the
governor. There is little chance OF
failure of passage of the measure as
everyone wants to pass the buck.
Under one bill proposed the clerk
of each school board will act as an
ex officio manager of schools in his
district.
Laboring and farm groups met one
of their first decisive losses Monday
with the defeat of H. B. No. 83 in
troduced by Metcalf of Ravalli. The
bill was aimed at insurance COM
panies who have evaded damage
suits inasmuch as our old laws pro-
hibited making parties who were
being sued for auto damages a party
with the insurance companies. In
fact all mention of the fact that a
defendant was insured is barred
from the court records and unless the
attorney for the plaintiff is plenty
shrewd and able to bring in some
mention of the fact so that the jurors
will "get it" off the record, the facts
are never known.
The bill was defeated in the house
Monday by a vote of 43 to so with
eight absent or not voting.
A move to reconsider was made
Tuesday, after an effort had been
made over night to make some Of
the members "see the light" which
carried by a vote of 81 to At.
Toomey, of Lewis and Clark, mar
shalled his forces in line and carried
a motion to put the bill back on Gen
eral Orders and it is rumored they
intend to get it re~-referred to the