The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1941-03-20
GOVERNOR ACTS
ON LAST BILLS

Wv Lib O1kkS
$4,000 Appropriation
For State Advertising
Is Disdpproved
By Edward j. Heilman
United Press Staff Cores
pOndent.
Helena, Mont, March 10 -
(UP)-The final act of Mon
tana's 9th legislative session
was on the state capitol stage
today as Governor Sam G. Ford
considered the last of the bills
approved by the house and sen
ate and transmitted to him for
approval.
At weeks end, the governor
had only "a few bills remaining
for his signature or veto, among
them a measure to divide the
state into five fish and game
commissioner districts.
Fate of this bill aroused con-
siderable speculation in capitol
corridors, as the way the seate
was Distracted, three present
commissioners are from one.
Presumably, capitol gossips said,
the governor would have to ask
for resignation of two of them
in order to divide membership
of the commission among the
five districts as required by
law.
During the week, Gov. Ford
vetoed several measures, includ-
ing one to appropriate $50, 900 of
state highway funds to adver-
tise Montana'S scenic and tourist
attractions. The governor ex-
planned that he believed it
would be setting a dangerous
precedent to start diverting
highway funds from their
avowed purpose - the conStruc-
ton and maintenance of roads.
The veto Immediately brought
from James H. Rowe, Butte,
president of MontananS, Inc,
state chamber of commerce, the
comment that the state. short
ly will run into a dangerous
situation in that it will not have
sufficient money to carry on
its road program. Rowe said
spending $4,000 on advertising
the state would return many
times that amount in gasoline
taxes paid by tourists.
ALSO vetoed by the governor
were bills which would have put
a tax of 10 cents a hide on furs
shipped out of the state; reor-
ganized the state board of med
ical examiners; permitted use
of cadavers in scientific and ed
ucational work; and set up
standards for grading apples.
Also to feel the governors
displeasure were bills intended
to tighten regulation of drunk
en- drivers and to increase the
night speed limit of SIS miles an
hour. The governor said he be-
lieved the drunk-drtving bill
actually weekend present stat
utes instead of stiffening them,
and that to increase the night
speed limit was dangerous. He
also vetoed a bill to provide for
retirement of national guard
officers and another to PROVIDE
for compulsory education OF
deaf and blind children.
A long list of bills was ap-
proved by the governor during
the week, and added to Mon
tana'S statutes.
Among these was a bill to
continue, in limited form, WPA
projects, and one to guarantee
the Jobs - in both public and
private employment - of men
drafted into the armed services.
Governor Ford also signed
measures to divide the state in
to five highway commissioner
district so as to give all sections
representation on the board;
referenda on a proposed $4,000
bond issue for the state college
at Bozeman and a proposed Us
sue of $350,000 for Northern
Montana college at Havre.
He approved amendments to
relief laws, includeing a provis-
lOI1 u -ySo2 4SSANSAASS ~,
become eligible for relief; a bill
creating a state park at Yellow
Bay on F1athead Lake; creation
of a defense and advisory COM
mission; a bill transferring the
crippled children's department
from the welfare department to
public health; a bill putting
coal miners under the work.
mems compensation act; per-
hitting parole of insane per-
sons; and a bill permitting
counties to levy one mill tax
to refund registered warrants
on their county poor funds.
One of the hardest-fought
bills in the 9th session - one
to cut the mileage payments OF
all public employees and offic-
ials to five cents a mile -
also was signed by the COVER
nor. AS signed, the bill eNemp-
ted sheriffs and permitted them
to collect seven cents a mile.
Governor Ford signed near
ly a score of appropriation bills
.~- IN - k1.o~a Gov