Glacier County chief., 1939-02-17
With Montana's
Legislature

introduced bill which calls for a con-
stitutional amendment to be submitted
to the voters at the next general cleo
ton and which would give county aud
itors four-year terms in common with
other county officers.
A bill proposing to increase TIC sal
aries OF district judges to 5000 per
year and supreme court justices to
$500 was killed in the senate. 1t was
sponsored in the senate by Burke of
Yellowstone.
A bill introduced by Senator Charles
L. Kroman of Custer, and others, would
provide for the establishment of junior
colleges in public high schools of the
state This would give one or two years
of school work beyond those Of the
four-year high schools to students who
would not otherwise be able to secure il.
Among those bills killed by the sen
ate was one which would have required
the licensing and bonding of all news
papers.
Senate Joint Resolution l, requesting
the governor to name as the next mem
Der of the highway commission a man
representing the rural areas of the
state, was signed by Governor Ayers.
A public hearing on H. B. 173, intro
duced by Representatives Archie D.
Mcleod of Cascade, and which pro-
vides that workers who have been
employed for period of IL months by
any firm shall be given one weeks
vacation with pay, was held in the
house chamber.
Qualification, not only for the state
superintendent of public instruction
and county superintendent of schools,
but for all teachers both elementary
and secondary, are to be raised in bills
proposed by the education committee
of the house. Education, training and
experience beyond that now required
by law will be proposed in each in
stance, Lambert Of Hill, chairman, an
nounced.
Bonds for $1,50O,OOO for erection Of
buildings at the state hospital at Warm
Springs are proposed in bill intro
duced by the Deer Lodge delegation
in the house.
A bill providing that the liability Of
the county for acts of its officials ends
when the official bond of the county
officer expires, was introduced by An
derson of Phillips.
Representatives Sherman w. Smith
of Lewis and Clark and George O'Con-
nor of Carbon, both republicans, have
introduced bill which is aimed not
only to eliminate the question Of lille
gality of the chain store tax which was
passed two years ago with the wrong
enacting clause, but which would more
than double the tax rate. The tax on
theaters would be doubled in another
bill by the same two authors.
A favorable report was given Rep
resentative R. E. Morrison's bill to set
up a state pneumonia control agency
when the bill was returned to the
house.
H. B. IA, providing for a maximum
speed of 60 miles per hour on the high
ways of Montana and restricting the
speed of trucks of two tons or over to
As miles, was approved by the house in
committee of the whole. This further
provides that the state highway patrol
may post lower limits in places where
conditions warrant.
A bill setting up merit system and
a plan of seniority for employees at the
state liquor warehouse and asserting
that none could be discharged without
hearing, was killed in the house on an
adverse report by the committee on
state boards and offices.
Creation of a state park commission,
which would have power to administer
any parks which may be created in the
state, was approved by the house.
Also approved by the house was H B.
164. introduced by Grant Hammond of
Yellowstone, which provided for a state
board to regulate food distributors. One
of the chief powers of this board would
be to regulate the quality of food sold
as to conformity with state and federal
pure food laws.
Under provisions of H. B. 165, the
Montana trade commission, ex officio
the railroad commission, would have
more power in conducting cost surveys
and establishing fair business practices
for all retailers.
A bill by Herbert H. Haight Of Fergus
would allow public school pupils to be
excused from regular classes for from
one to two hours a week during the
school year in order to attend week
day schools of religious education
Young widows of old policemen will
not be entitled to pension, under pro-
visions of H. B. 81, as amended by the
senate. The bill provides for pensions
OF survivors of police officers, but
provides that if a widow is Is years
younger than her husband she must
have been married to him for 10 years
before his death to be eligible for the
pension.
Condemnation of state boards which
he said violated state laws and then
come to the legislature to ask for bills to
validate irregular procedure was voiced
al