The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-02-25
.So|ons Wind
Up Ldbors For
Closing Week
Two Gambling Bills
Come to Life After
One Had Been Killed.
MEASURE TO INCREASE
STATE GAS TAX LOSES
BY David Loehwing

United Press Statf Correspondent
HELENA - W.H - The Montana.
Legislature today was headed to-
ward final adjournment next
Thursday with only handful of
controversial bills still on its agcn-
da, although there were still many
measures to be disposed of.
Legislators and attaches were con-
fident the 18th biennial session,
probably the most easy-going in re-
cent history, would reach adjourn
ment with a minimum of overtime
sessions.
Top issues remaining to be acted
upon after last weeks hectic pr&-
transmission meetings included two
gambling bills in the senate, Gov.
Sam c. Fords postwar highway
construction program, the proposed
financial code of 1913" and host
of appropriation bills.
The two gambling bills passed the
house last week, after some Of the
most heated debate thus far. In
troduced as revenue measures, one
would legalize slot machines under
local option and the other, an
amendment to the Hickey gambling
law, would license so-called pas
time" games up to Is cent cash
limit on stakes.
Proponents claimed the "pastime"
bill would bring in at least $780,
600 annually and the slot machine
bill would increase revenues by
100000. The license money would
go into county poor funds
The highway construction pro-
gram passed the house with min
imum of argument 1t contemplates
special election June at which
voters would be asked to approve
S10,000,000 debenture issue, the
money to be used to match federal
funds frozen to the credit of the
state for highway building after the
war.
The house killed, however, bills
to increase the state gas tax by one
cent and the tax on diesel fuel oil
five cents, revenue from which
would have gone to pay off the
debentures.
The financial code, integral part
of Gov. Ford's state reorganization
plan, also met with little opposition
in the house. Calling for establish
ment of state department of fl
nance, under a finance director to
be appointed by the governor, it
would reshuffle the states entire
fiscal system.
The governors other main reor-
ganization bill, to set UP a state
personnel administration, was less
successful, however. 1t was ''indef-
initely postponed" by the senate al
most as matter of course. Sen Zales
NJ Ecton, r. Gallatin, who spon-
sored the measure, admitted 1--WE
got three strikes on me before
start" when he arose to advocate
passage of the bill.
The appropriation bills represent
cd long hours of hard work by Rep.
Frank w Horrigan's house appro-
priations committee, which sought
desperately to keep ALLEGATIONS of
state funds within the bounds of
dropping state revenues in order to
conserve surplus funds for postwar
rehabilitation
A republican caucus in the house
last week decided the appropriations
must be slashed even further, job
which is to be undertaken by joint
conference committees after the
senate has acted upon the bills.
Among bills which failed to get
out of committee in the rush before
transmission day and therefore
diel-were measures to halve the
STAGE income tax for the next BIZ
ennium and to set a $40 month
minimum on old age pensions.
The income tax BILL by Sen. John
Campbell, r., Missoula, was passed
by virtually unnoticed Campbell
made no effort to bring it onto the
floor of the upper chamber. The
attempt made by Rep. Ole S. Gum
derson. r., Cascade, to blast it out
of the appropriations committee