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Show 1 ' - - By WILLIAM T. IOLEHEART Utah State Pres.! Association If the voters of Utah don't have new laws to guide them at the next election it won't be because the current twenty-sixth session of the .state legislature isn't trying try-ing to frame legislation that will permit them to know just how to vote for whom. Half a dozen bills ranging from an extension of the country attorney's attor-ney's term to four years, to a headless ballot are already in the hoppers of both houses and as the third week of the session included Saturday, assurances had been given that additional bills will be submitted to clarify the methods of both voting and counting the votes. There will be no more Maw-Lee ballot difficulties or their like, say the lawmakers. The legislature really got down to business this past week with all committees in both houses functioning smoothly and turning nut the new ones for consideration. workmen's compensation act and the occupational disease act. Quite a number of the 112 bills submitted to the house and 123 in the senate give teeth to existing statutes such as welfare provisions provi-sions making parents and guardians guar-dians financially responsible for custodial cases where possible and the house agricultural committee measure centering responsibility for soil and water conservation conserva-tion activities in Utah with the state board of agriculture. The old familiar homestead exemption ex-emption bill emerged again under the authorship of Rep. T. Earl Foote (D-Provo). The financial troubles of the State Liquor Commission Com-mission would be given legislative legisla-tive relief under the legislative proposal of Reps. Selvoy J. Boy-er Boy-er (D-Springville) and Clifton G. M. Kerr (R-Tremonton) . Rep Fred J. Milliman (D-Mammoth) would expedite divorce proceedings proceed-ings for, it is said, the benefit of war hasty brides and grooms while Sen. Sol Selvin (D-Tooele) and Rep. Frank Bonacci (D-Help- While the joint appropriations committees were subdividing their chore of meeting new demands with what money there may be, the demands by no means ceased coming im Among last weeks' new requests for instanse Senator Sena-tor Alonzo Hopkin (D-Woodruff ) , would create a new centennial committee to plan for 1947 and would give that committee $275,-000 $275,-000 to work with. The agricultural agricul-tural committee of the house would create a new dairy department in the state department of agriculture, agricul-ture, and so on with minor appeals to the exchequer. These and others oth-ers are not contemplated in the Governor's budget. Nor are the requests for increased in-creased salaries from everybody in public service from town board members to justice of the state supreme coiu't, including all state elective and appointive officials as well as all employees of the state. The legislature promises to scrutinize scruti-nize those lists rather minutely. Other revenue taxing proposals include the provision for civil service ser-vice and retirement benefits for non-teaching employees of the schools and employees of the state's custodial institutions. There may not be harmony as regards all of these but the past week did produce a notable example ex-ample of what harmony can be when representatives of the state's major industries and of the principal prin-cipal unions of organized labor got together and ironed out their difference dif-ference on proposed broadening of the scope and benefits of the state er) have both introduced a Dili which would prevent racial discrimination dis-crimination in public places. The house gave its approval to fourteen varied measures last week none of which developed much debate de-bate or opposition. They killed two proposals, one for a constitutional constitu-tional amendment that would permit per-mit 18-year-olds to vote, the other oth-er calling for a certificate of inspection in-spection of motor vehicles before transfer of title can be made. Bills they passed included authority au-thority to tax federal property with the consent of federal authorities; au-thorities; enabling counties to set up reserve funds for post-war planning and employment; extending ex-tending the permission for women to work in mines; extension of the soldier voting law; continued abbreviation ab-breviation of the school year to provide farm labor and some others oth-ers of less consequence. The senate disposed of thirteen measures, among them authorization authoriza-tion for pay increases of 15 per cent in counties of the 1st and 2nd class and 25 per cent in all others; reducing the age of girl attendants attend-ants at theatres and other places of amusement to 16; providing for retirement of members of county fire departments, changing the make-up of the state board of health to permit the appointment of three lay members, and various others making minor technical amendments in existing laws. The big controversial measures remain to reach the floors of both houses. Thus far it has been a remarkably calm and peaceful gathering with no broken heads . or hurt feelings reported yet. But I : there are plenty of potential fire- works that may begin to explode I before very much longer. I i |