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Show Statehouse Report ... by C. SHARP Republicans staged an unprecedented move Jan. 12 when Senate President Haven J. Barlow, R-Layton and House Speaker Franklin Frank-lin Y. GunneliK, R-Logan, gave State of the State messages themselves. They sipoke before a joint meeting of the two houses a day after Gov. Calvin L. Ramipton gave his message Bath lawmakers used the occasion as a spring board far hciped for Repubilipan gains in 1968 and for gubernatorial gub-ernatorial amlbitions. They oalled for economies in state government looking look-ing toward reduction of state income tax and to allow al-low repeal of the inventory tax on merchandise sold wit.hlin Utah. Favor Farm Relief Taxation programs to alleviate al-leviate the burden on agriculture agri-culture lands also were favored No mention was made of Homestead exemption as advocated to the tune of $100 valuation reduction per home by Gov. Ramptin. (Incidentally the homestead home-stead exemption proposal seems to be finding favor. Sen. C. Taylor Burton, R-Salt R-Salt Lake, chairman of the Senate taxation committee, however, is studying alternatives.) al-ternatives.) Cost of living increases for teachers and incentive programs for superior teachers tea-chers were advocated. Positive steps to coordin ate promotion work for the (State Travel Council and ,the Industrial Promotion Commission were urged. Called a "Rehash" . Sen. Ernest H. Dean, American Fork, a former candidate for the Democratic Demo-cratic nomination for governor, gov-ernor, termed the Barlow Gunnell effort a "rehash of the governor's messapp." Social workers took issue is-sue with Speaker Gunnell's remarks. IThe speaker had called for a "shift away from irresponsibility ir-responsibility in minority, rights, crime and public welfare," and! "a new look at the state's responsibility toward those who habitually habitual-ly abuse the welfare program." pro-gram." The social workers wanted want-ed know how anyone was going to stop irresponsible Ibegetting and bearing children they could not sup port. Some of the Republicans were miffed that they had not been consulted as to the platform as presented by the Senate president and House speaker. Majorities Will Rule The handwriting is clear. however, that the GOP majority ma-jority of 23-5 in the Senate Sen-ate and 59-10 in the House will insist on putting many of their ideas into any legislation leg-islation enacted. Still to be determined is whether Gov. Ramptcn or the GOP can claim major icredit for the measures to be written into law. - -K Bids were asked by the State Highway Department (January 14 for the second Irocess road to Bullfrog Basin on Lake Powell. These will be opened Feb. ?7. They call for $600,000 worth of work building a new easier grade surfaced road over a sadld'le of the Henry Mountains from U-95, the Hanksville-Bland ing road southwesterly 6.3 miles toward Bullfrog. Bullfrog Bids Opened Bids on the first phase of !the Bullfrog road were opened January 17. This is for $1.9 million worth of work to begin as soon as posible for the 17.8 miles from the edge of the National Na-tional Recreation Area to Del Monte Ranch. Plans are in the hands of 'the U.' S. Economic Develop merit Adminisration, which ;is paying most of the cost, tfor the third section of the Bullfrog access roadl : Two prominent Democrats Demo-crats won state appointments appoint-ments last week. iS. . Cliff Cockayne, defeated de-feated for reelection last November as Salt Lack assessor, as-sessor, was appointed chief of the right of way division divis-ion of the State Highway Department. He takes this S965 a month position succeeding suc-ceeding S. E. Jacobsen, Provo real estate man, who e.-esiigned. " New Judge D. Frank Wilkins, member mem-ber of the State Public Service Ser-vice Commission since July .1, 1965 and Democratic 'state chairman from 1961 to 1962 and from 1963 to ,1955, will become a Third District judge February 1. Judge Wilkins will succeed) suc-ceed) A. H. Ellett who was appointed to the State Supreme Sup-reme Court succeeding the date Justice Roger I. Mc-jDonouigh. (Uncle Sam placed a price tag of $3.75 million for 436,900 acres of disputed rands below the meander dine of Great Salt Lake sought by the state of (Utah. The state will decide by -March 3 whether to pay this sum or to file a test case in court to settle its claim to title to the relicted lands and if it loses how much it could pay for the title. The land! is important for operations to extract magnesium, potash, lithium lith-ium and salt from lake brines. fKIDS MOVIE SATURDAY The Moab Museum's "Kids Movie" for January will be this coming Saturday, January Jan-uary 21, at 2 o.clock. Two short films will be shown: "The Seeing Eye", a color film; telling the -story of the Seeing Eye, and explains the training of a Seeing Eye dog. The narration is from the dog's point of view. "Boy of the Navajo", is a short film telling about the life of a a Navajo boy on the reservation. |