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Show Senator. Tietjen Reports ' Our Senate got down to work In real earnest thli week and ' committee aislgnmenta have been made at well as sub-commltlee assignments. 1, have been appointed chairman of the Appropriations Sub-Committee to audit the departments here In the State Capitol Including: Judiciary, Oovern-or'a Office, Hoard of Examlnerr. Attorney (leneral's Office, Secretary of State, State Auditor, and State Treasurer, along with Re-presentatlres John V. Itowberry of Tooele and Lee W, Malehout of Salt Lake City. We will get the Governor's Budget Message next Tuesday, , which 1 understand will scale down materially the request made by some of the departments. This Is going to be an economical minded legislature, and I feel that many of the requests that will come In will be denied. The Senate passed a bill to Increase the exemptions from $300 to $600 for dependents In the payment of State Income tax and to make It retroactive for the year 19S2. I favored the Increase of exemptions and I felt It was necessary In order to allow an ex- emptlon more In line with the ' aubststance allowance as reported by the Welfare Department; but ' Inasmuch as It would use up the surplus In the general fund to make It retroactive for 1952, and also make It liable that a tax be put on property for the Uniform , School Fund, I voted against the , amendment to make the measure retroactive for 1952. I feel the Income tax Is the most Just tax A lia-A rn (Via otatllln linnba n t A n"v iiiv oiaiuir uuuno ami the property tax Is at the present time bearing about half the burden of our tax program; so I was not In favor of going too far with the Income tax adjustment and endangering the property tax levy. However I supported the bill Itself as amended, even though 1 . was opposed to the amendment. There Is a bill to Increase the gasoline tax one cent and 1 thought perhaps the surplus we had In the general fund could ' have been used there to more ad-j, vantage' as most of our farmers - have motorized equipment and the taxes on the gasoline which our farmers have to pay Is now amounting to about one-fourth of their gas bill. I know our farmerc are having a hard time making ends meet with dropping prices' for livestock, poultry,, and farm products In general; so I was reluctant to decrease the Income tax too much and up the gasoline tax. However, our majority party was willing to go along with the Governor's desire and the bill was passed accordingly. I am supporting the rest of the Governor's bills to transfer funds frorathe general fund and Emergency Welfare Fund to make u the difference In the Uniform School Fund. Also a short form 'for filing State Income tax which will be based on the'Tcderal return. I understand Uils form will be about the site of an ordinary postcard so It would make It simple and easy tor our people lo file their Income tax. Also a bill to give until April 15 for payment of State Income tax. This will give a little longer time to prepare It as well as a Utile more time to get the money after the heavy Federal payment which comes March IS. I have been working the last week with the Agriculture Department to get a bill out requesting proper meat Inspection of animals both before slaughter and after to be stamped "Inspected and Passed", or "Inspected and Condemned". In the past this has not been compulsory In our State, but It has In other states and other countries; and our Agriculture Department has lacked authority to require It In our State. Also included In the bill Is a provision for cooking all garbage collected from cities, hotels, restaurants, meat markets, etc. for feed to swine. The feeding of raw garbage has been responsible for hog cholera, foot and mouth disease, which has spread to catjle, also a new disease "V. n." While there may be some opposition from commercial hog feeders as to the expense of cooking the garbage, yet the experience In other states and countries that the death rate In their operations has saved them much more than the cost of cooking. These diseases that result from feeding raw garbage have sometimes caused epidemics that have cost thousands of dollars to rtamp out. It Is good legislation and should be on our statute books. Reapportionment will be before us the coming week and undoubtedly will be the hottest battle In the legislature. There are many different views and there Is a question whether the legislature will be able to unite on a single plan. There Is a growing feeling .that we should get a constitutional amendment which would provide for one Senator from each county, and I helped sponsor such a bill In the Senate. Our Associated Civic Clubs of Eastern and Southern Utah have been working on two bills to provide for about the same thing and I have asked our Attorney General to give me a ruling as to their being constitutional. If they are so determined, I think we can get support for these bills. Lawrence W. Jones of Monroe who ras elected Secretary of the County Officials Association, at a large dinner and entertainment for the legislators and county officials of the State. Ambrose Myers. Chairman of the Republican Tarty of (Jarfield County, was at the Capitol on business last week. Also Thomas Dodds of 1'anguttch and Iiorna Mlneer and Lola Zent of Escalante. I am glad to have any of you from Southern Utah call on me when you come up to the Capitol. If you do not find me here, I will be glad to see you - at the Utah Hotel where I am staying. |