The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-03-19
Helena, Montana, March 6, 1s43

Herewith is submitted the legisla
tive agents report on the 1943 SEES
sion:
The makup, as a whole, was a re
Election of the Indifference and pre-
occupation of the voters of Montana;
also a lack of realization of the harm
that a legislature can do. 1t ap
peared, effectively considered, to be
an extreme completion of cycle from
left to right, or in other words, fol
a number of years torrid winds from
the left, and unfortunately, mostly
wind, seemed to prevail and exert
some influence. Now the reverse is
true and it would appear that we are
being subjected to "icy blasts" from
the right" which will blow for half
of the pendulum swing POSSIBLY get
more intense) but eventually die
down.
The first concern of the outfit was
to write and put through the senate
as Joint Memorial No. requesting
an increase in the price of copper,
therein expressing false concern over
the wages of miners, more than that
making a positive statement that the
price of copper was too low-some-
thing they knew less about than we
do. This, in contradiction to their
attitude toward us which they dis
played later on.
1t was corrected in the house to
merely request a review of conditions
This could have been left to pass as
was and then clamor been set up
which would have discredited them on
national scale, however, such tactics
would have accomplished nothing ex-
cept to emulate psuedo corporation
busters who have used this issue for
passing self-glorification. So much
for that
Conspicuous order of business num-
Der two was House Bill At, measure
designed to relieve holders of bank
stock of taxes amounting, roughly to
$25O,O00 per year. Probably bankers
are in bad straits, but so are other
people within the state The meas
ure passed both houses by big ma
jority, thus proving whose interests
the legislature intended to serve
This was "up our alley" because this
ammunition came in handy later on.
Our governor, a man of some bal
down the extremists. If this bucket
of ice water had not been used no
one knows to what lengths things
would have gone.
Some 491 bills were considered by
both houses. The journal of the same
will fill about 500 pages so, no at
tempt will be made to cover every
thing. From here on, only measures
of concern to us will be dealt with.
House bill by Cannon and Dunn
sought to establish separate depart
ment of labor, not only as requested
by organized labor in general, but was
killed on committee report. A record
vote will show that of our Silver Bow
delegation only Cannon and Healy
voted on the right side. A companion
measure, Senate Bill 165 by Mulhol-
ldlQ Woo hlilCQ III tuC oCndICs
House Bill 23 by Healy was a work
mems compensation bill and designed |
to prevent claim agents from discon-
tinuing payments in disputed cases
without consent of the Industrial Ac-
cident Board pending a formal hear
report of the worst stacked and pref
udiced committee that has performed |
here for years. A word of explana-
ton for those who are not familiar
with the issue might be in order: At
the present time company or insur-
worker from further payments until
he gets a hearing before the board,
which oftentimes takes months. In
the meantime, he has no income and
too often is forced to an unfavorable
If the measure became
tinued unless the board ordered other
wise in case of dispute. This was
opposed by the ACM company and
some smaller fry who maintained that
payments were never discontinued
without doctors statement, imply
sterling characters that their integrity
was not to be questioned-this in di
'ect contradiction to a position oppon-
ents took when we tried to increase
hospital benefits under the act At
hat time, they maintained, even more
nrrd1xr thot oil dnofnrc irc | D.,
,rooks and would rob everyone con-
AS was reported to the legislative |
committee under date of February IL, i
here were several bills, all relating /
o hospital benefits, which we pre- i
Iicted were bound to conflict This s
as per company manipula {
ion, with the result that Section 2917 /
# the act will be amended to extend
he time upon which responsibility {
or any further treatment is to be {
rom six to nine months but the cost {
init remains the same, $500. In adj I
ition, it will provide for repairs to (
eeth, with limit, and for artificial {
rms and legs, also with a cost limit i
his is something of an improvement, S
Though nothing to brag about, be-
ause at times we have local disputes II
yer damaged teeth-men getting in {
he way of chute bars and so on. a
Another compensation BILL House u
,ill 166, was requested by the Ana a
onda smeltermen providing for COM n
ensation for arsenic and manganese '
They provided able pro- t
onents but it appears that ii was \