The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1939-01-26
With Montana s
Legislature

illtlltt " lAiNtolAbati- SNoeN DSNA@Sf
Offices bureaus, commissions and de-
partments, has reported the committee
is steadily at work on its assignment.
The Montana liquor control board re-
ported to the senate its net revenue for
the last two years totaled s5,423, 1868.
The water conservation and flood
control committee recommended pas
sage for S. J. NJ 4, requesting the fed
eral government to continue develop
ment of the Buffalo Rapids project on
the Yellowstone river. The senate ap-
proved the report The joint memorial
was introduced by Senators Kroman OF
Custer, Baker of Dawson and Calder
of Prairie.
A third recommendation that the as
sembly enact work-relief law to re-
place the present direct aid statute was
submitted to the senate. 1t was from
the county commissioners of Phillips
county, and was similar to recon-
mendations submitted by boards of
county commissioners of Park and Bea-
verhead counties.
Senator Plumer of Treasure has in
troduced bill which would exempt
from payment of Montana railroad
commission licenses farmers who haul
produce and other goods to and from
markets for themselves and their
neighbors.
There is now before the house bill
for a quick divorce law which failed in
two previous legislative sessions This
bill is sponsored by Representative
Sherman Smith of Lewis and Clark
county and would cut from one year
to 80 days the time person must re-
side in the state before beginning suit
for divorce.
More discussion and interest has been
manifest over House Bill Is than any
measure that has come before the as
sembly this session. This is the pro-
posed wage hour legislation which is
purported to correlate Montana indus
tries with the present federal regula-
tions for interstate industry ON rate of
pay per hour and the weekly maximum
hour requirements.
Of the more than so bills introduced
in the house II were brought out by
the committee on revenue and taxation
and are sponsored by the state board
of equalization to remedy defects and
| inequalities in tax statutes.
Four-year terms for city officials in
| the a1dermanic form of government is
proposed in a bill sponsored by Lam
bert and Hess of Hill county
The bulky wage hour bill known as
House Roll No Is contains IA mimeo-
graphed pages. Besides providing the
establishment of state department OF
labor for the enforcement of the act,
if enacted into law it will force every
employer after July /, 1899 and until
October q, 1916 to pay not less than
/ DO cents per hour, and after October
24, 1915, SO cents per hour.
Carl Lehrkind, Jr.,s Sof Gallatin, has
been appointed chairman OF the i'm
portant highways committee Of the
house and Freshman of Silver Bow
chairman of the insurance committee.
The house revenue and taxation COM
mttee has brought out a bill that would
require officials45and employees of the
United States government, residing
within the state, to pay state income
! tax.
A new soil conservation measure
before the legislature would replace
the one enacted two years ago which
has been found unavoidable. The pres
ent measure would establish state soil
conservation committee, which would
have power to define the boundaries
of each district and to. coordinate the
programs of each district
Indications are that Representative
Anderson's bill to provide maximum
speed of SIS miles per hour by day and
As miles per by night on Montana
highways is. mot destined to meet the
approval of the state legislature.
Members of the finance and claims
committee of the senate have under
consideration plan for appointment
of business manager to correlate all
business OF the six units of the Greater
University of Montana. Officials of the
Montana Taxpayers association have
indicated they would support the bus
mess manager plan.
The senate went on record In favor
of bill to repeal the law giving the
governor power to appoint or discharge
employees in appointive state offices
after the judiciary committee hac
amerdud5 Il to provide that repeal woald
not be effective until January /, 1941.
Under provisions of H. B. 6, which
is well on the way to become state
law, all income from the corpora tior
license tax, electric energy producers
license tax, metalliferous mines tax
telegraph tax, oil producers tax, natural
gas distributors tax, store license tax
telephone tax, movie theater tax, liquor
license tax, inheritance tax, Montana
beer act and profits from the state
liquor control act of Montana will &c
into the general fund from which allo-
cations for various departments anc
bureaus will be made by the appro-
priations committee. A recommends
ton that such bill be passed wa.
made in Gov. Roy E. Ayers message
| 81 tIn Tan,r1.5,x~a