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Show Hinder iheJj!k of need in conformity with other forms of relief and in accord with the federal welfare program. But, the 'left wingers' succeeded in jamming jam-ming through a straight $30-a-month pension or 'assistance' for all needy residents 65 or over, calling for an expenditure of approximately $2,000,000 a year. This faction also crammed through a full $2,000 home tax exemption which is estimated will reduce the state's revenues by about $2,000,000 a year from property proper-ty taxes. I In the matter of liquor control, a determined fight was made to leeal- Salt Lake City, March 15 'Sit-down' 'Sit-down' strikes may be effective in industrial in-dustrial fields but when the Utah legislature resorted to this expedient In an effort to 'influence' Governor Henry H. Blood in his appointments, it was a fizzle. The governor made his own appointments. The senate finally approved them. The governor govern-or won a complete victory in the most unusual patronage battle that probably has ever been seen in a Utah assembly. The 'left wing' Democratic faction in the legislature got nothing in the way of patronage. Refusal by the house to consider the budget bill, 1 threats of adjournment without ! passing it and balking by the sen- i ate at approval of some nominees, apparently in an effort to force the nomination of 'left wing' faithfuls, fell on deaf ears in the governor's office. ' Governor Blood stood pat on his own selection of nominees, though, in an effort to meet the The 'left wing' leaders contend that new revenues from a markup in liquor prices, the use tax, the bank tax, natural increase in sales tax and other regular revenues, there will be plenty money to meet all proposed expenses. Administration Administra-tion leaders challenge this claim and issued repeated warnings of huge deficits if the 'leftists' persisted in profligate appropriation of funds. However, the legislation accounting account-ing for the difference in the budget passed and the administration's estimate of revenues is still in the hands of the governor and it is freely predicted by administration leaders that unless the governor can see 'where the money is coming from to pay the bills' the executive axe will be used on some of this legislation. legis-lation. The governor announced in the beginning of the session that he would insist upon a balanced budget and administration leaders say the budget will be balanced. ize sales by drink of hard liquor and wines but this lost. However the wets did succeed in liberalizing the liquor act by permitting drinking in hotels and restaurants, though this is forbidden in public owned buildings, build-ings, parks and stadiums. In the matter of beer, the liberals were victorious in having the limit taken off licenses and placing the licensing exclusively in the hands of cities, towns and counties. In addition a bill was passed taking the enforcement enforce-ment of liquor laws out of the hands of the liquor commission and placing plac-ing it in a new state legal department, depart-ment, under the attorney general. This bill, however, has not yet been approved by the governor. A direct primary law, that nobody no-body seemed to want, but a majority majori-ty felt had to be enacted to keep party promises, was passed providing provid-ing for a nominating primary, a run off primary and a final election. As an aid to the small, independent indepen-dent merchant of the state, the legislature half way, he submitted new lists for the liquor board, the public service board and head of the road commission. The senate found that the governor gover-nor would 'sit it out' longer and more comfortably than they could, so Saturday night and Sunday they climed off their uncomfortable 'seats' and approved the governor's nominees. The 'left wingers' did succeed in shaping some important legislation to their own liking, in opposition to administration plans, and closed the turbulent twenty-second session by adopting the largest budget ever passed in the history of the state-a budget for $7,651,328.37, an amount more than $1,000,000 in excess of the governor's budget estimate of available revenues for the ensuing biennium. i I In its closing hours the legislature confirmed as appointees to the public pub-lic service commission, Walter K. Granger of Iron, administration leader in the house, Ward C. Hol-brook, Hol-brook, administration leader in the senate and Otto A. Weisley of Salt Lake. On the liquor commission the senate finally approved James W. Funk of Richmond, Herbert Taylor of Salt Lake, and Henry Jorgensen of Sandy. To take the place of E. E. Howe on the road commission, who was turned down by the senate, George Abbot of Tremonton was approved. There were four major issues before be-fore the legislature, welfare, home tax exemption, liquor control and direct primary. In the welfare legislation the administration sought to keep old age assistance on a basis legislature enacted a series of fair trade practices acts designed to put into operation in Utah the price control and fair practices features of the late N. R. A. Labor gained enactment as a state law of the Wagner act which makes the industrial commission the labor relations board for the state and gives it court powers in handling disputes between employes and employers. em-ployers. Labor also got an 8-hour day for underground miners, regular paydays law, and laws requiring registration of 'strikebreakers' and of unions. Also it got the right of 'peaceful picketing,' besides a checkoff system of paying union dues, farm and teacher organization dues. A law also was passed empowering empower-ing the board of agriculture to create milk ma.rkpt.inir riisti-iMn in the state and to control prices and standards of products in these districts. |