The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1957-03-29
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IN the next election and elect 8 o.
10 new friendly Senators, the Cor
poration hold on the State Legislature
can be broken. Labor and farmers
then, will be able to get fair and rea
sonable consideration and return the
State government to the people.
We had many good friends in the
Senate who never failed to lend then
support to our program.
Senators Henry Anderson (Lin.
coln), Mike Ruane Deer Lodge,
Frank Reardon (SiIver Bow, and
Earl Clark (MusselshelD led the fight
in our behalf.
To these fine friends and to Paul
Cannon, President of the Senate and
Majority Floor Leader Dave James
we owe a great deal for what we were
able to accomplish.
WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION
ACT IMPROVED
Certain very positive gains were
accomplished despite the reactionary
and completely controlled Senate this
session. The greatest overall gain in
80 years at a single Legislative ses-
sion was accomplished in the benefit
schedule of Workmen's Compensa-
ton. This is actually not as good as
it sounds but in view of the type of
Senate with which we had to deal it
is a considerable accomplishment.
Small gains only were realized for
the single man. The weekly benefit
went from $265O a week to $500
week.
We had anticipated that we would
be able to get $4,000 a week, but in
view of the fact that the Governor
In his message to the Legislature
asked for small or no gain at all
for the single man under Workmen's |
Compensation and in view of the fact |
that the program introduced by the |
Commissioner of Labor anticipated |
no gain at all for the single man added |
to the fact that the bill introduced |
by the Senate on Workmen's Com
pensation, Senate Bill 100, contained |
no gain whatsoever for the single |
man, we did obtain considerable gains
IN the S1.50 increase. In fact this is
as large a gain as has been realized
in any one bracket in any one session
in the past.
$1,000 INCREASE, A MAJOR GAIN
The major gain was the bringing
up by $1,000 a week of the benefits
to the man with five dependents. This
was more than was ever, in the past,
aoo0pa,01icbod o,d II, Wow of +bo fo M
that we had to overcome some of
the most violently repressive pro-
visions ever introduced in Workmen's
Compensation in Montana Legisla-
ture and still go on to make this gain
indicates that we had some very stall
wart friends working in the Senate
and on the Senate committees.
While the Senate Compensation !
committee had a nominal Democratic j
majority, on it were Senators Man !
ming and Lehrkind who proved to !
be even more reactionary than the :
stalwarts in all Labor '
Legislative matters. In fact Senator {
Lehrkind followed so closely the pro- t
gram advanced by the Anaconda /
Company lobbyists that it was i'm
possible to distinguish between them. 9
Senate Bill 12O was introduced and :
authored by Lehrkind, Manning and +
Bremen and it was passed by the y
Senate. We asked our friends in the .
Senate to vote against it Il don't ;,
know the exact number of votes that :
we're recorded against it but believe !,
hat about 20 Senators did vote h
against Senate Bill 1909 E
HOUSE FORCED IMPROVEMENTS o
When SD 100 was received in the q
House it was sent to the House Com Il
'ensation Committee and there p
amendments were proposed by our e;
friends in the House which brought W
senate Bill 120 back to the level of C
he bill, House Bill rs, originally tt
obtaining our program in the House. NJ
his amended bill was then passed tt
ack to the Senate and the Senate q
efused to concur in the House ul
and the bill was sent g.
0 joint conference committee. F
On the joint conference committee