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Show " " "" " BY HARRY MARLOWE The Twenty-eighth Utah Legislature wound up the final week of its GO-day session with the House and Sen ate working on each other's bills and hoping for final adjournment ad-journment by Thursday night but fearing they would have to work behind a stopped clock for an additional day or so. Much of the record amount of proposed legislation legisla-tion dies in the two sifting committees, but a good deal of the needed legislation of a non-controversial nature has been placed on the law books. the Senate then cut $930,900 $250,000 from an appropriation of $750,000 to the State Water from the measure by lopping and Power Board, $200,000 from i the state prison allotment of $700,000, $10,000 from the alcoholism alco-holism board fund of $60,000 and 5 off the appropriations to i the University of Utah, Utah State Agricultural College, the Branch Agricultural College, Carbon College extension division, divi-sion, Central Utah Vocational School and Salt Lake Area Vocational Vo-cational School. The semi-windup week also brought the first Senate executive execu-tive sessions, with the result that approval was given to the following appointments by Gov. J. Bracken Lee: P. H. Mulcahy of Ogden to the State Finance Commission, J. WeIJ:on Ward of Willard to the State Tax Commission, Com-mission, Roy W. Simmons of Layton as state bank commissioner, commis-sioner, Hal S. Bennett to the state business regulation (public (pub-lic service) commission, Hugh D. O'Neil of Ogden to the State Highway Patrol Civil Service Commission, William J. Fitzpat-rick Fitzpat-rick of Salt Lake to the State Depository Board, Earl Oss of Provo and Ronald Wiscombe of Layton to the business regulation regula-tion advisory council, George M. Lawrence to the State Historical Histor-ical Society board, Dr. A. R. Christopherson of Salt Lake to the State Board of Health, and Dr. Earl Skidmore of Salt Lake to the children's crippling disease dis-ease hospital. Considerable time was spent in the two houses over the governor's gov-ernor's work stoppage on construction con-struction of the State Crippled Children's Hospital, ground for which was broken on the University Uni-versity of Utah campus several weeks ago. The House went so far as to ask the attorney-general to request an injunction from the Utah Supreme Court against the governor and State Building Board to prevent the work stoppage. The Senate filed reports gathered by Sens. I Rulon L. Jenkins (D.-Plain City), L. N. Marsden (R-Cedar City) and B. Manning Jolley (R-Orem) on the issue. The report carried conflicting opinions of Atty. Gen. Clinton D. Vernon (written (writ-ten by his deputy, Lambert Gibson) Gib-son) and F. Henri Henriod, who made a special investigation for the governor. Mr. Vernon said the contracts were in "good order" or-der" and the work proceding according ac-cording to law. The governor had stopped the building for investigation as to legality of contracts issued. Some of the hottest issues of the session, including welfare, labor and liquor, were left for debate on the final week, and consequently some of it was side tracked to make room for less debatable matters. During the semi-windup week the Senate left the prbposed state mediation board for labor-management labor-management disputes to die in sifting. The bill had passed the House and was advanced in the Senate. But after the upper house, on motion of Sen. Newell Knight (R-Salt Lake), had reinstated re-instated several sections on powers pow-ers and duties of the proposed mediation board, including a section to bind parties to board j decisions, the measure was sent back to sifting. Sen. Marl D. Gibson (D-Price) first moved to strike the enact-i ing clause, but this was not done I because it was a House bill. One of the important bits of, legislation passed by the Senate and expected to receive approval 1 in the House was a measure to ' remove necessity of certain cities to set up school districts. Under the present law, cities of more than 7,000 population as shown by each official census must establish school districts. Under the new law, the minimum min-imum population (for second class cities) would be raised to 15,000. As amended, the new law would also raise the minimum mini-mum population for first class cities from 50,000 to 90,000. Effect of the bill would be to prevent necessity of Orem, Brig-ham Brig-ham City, Price and several other cities over the state to set up school districts. It would' also make it unnecessary for Ogden to increase its school board membership to 11 and to add a pair of city commissioners, commission-ers, as required if it became a first class city. These cities would certainly increase their status in the 1950 census. Of importance to farmerg in the state were the bills to provide pro-vide for refund of gas tax on motor fuel for non-highway use as passed by the House. This legislation was headed for a rocky road in the Senate, along with the repeal of Utah's "little Taft-Hartley," the Clegg-Vest labor law. By the same token, however, the Senate bills to eliminate the present three-man Utah Public Welfare Commission in favor of a director and seven-man advisory advis-ory board, passed late in the semi-windup week in the Senate, Sen-ate, are given little chance in the House. Two bills which could have little trouble in the House, since their unanimous approval in the Senate, would give the sheriff power to act as a constable in towns where there is no con-J con-J stable, especially as to pound-keeper pound-keeper duties. Sen. Ray P. Lund (R-Manti), author of these bills, explained that salaries are so low that it is next to impossible impos-sible to keep a constable employed em-ployed in some towns and the limited duties could easily be handled by the sheriff's office. Still the principal issue before the legislature when the final week opened was the appropriations appropri-ations bill. This measure was introduced on the 47th day and was still reposing in the House on the 57th day. It was supposedly "lost" in the House on the 53rd day, but actually was being held up for the Democrats to set up their strategy on Senate amendments. The Senate first adopted an amendment to allow the governor gov-ernor to cut appropriations up to 5 showing upper house opposition op-position to the size of the $52,-256,278. $52,-256,278. The House turned back the amendment 52-6 and the Senate voted to recede on a straight "party line" vote of 12-11. Sens Lynn Orser (D-Roosevelt) and Alonzo F. Hopkin (D-Woodruff) had previously voted with the! Republicans to put through the amendment. With the bill before the body, ) |