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Show i he Utah Legislature The fiah legislature, convening for the twenty-first session, was the recipient of an elaborate message mes-sage from Governor Henty H. Blood. A varied and comprehensive program pro-gram of Intense public interest was mapped out in the message. f tab citizens from one end of the fctate to the other are discussing the bill Introduced In the legislature providing for state liquor stores. One of the strong points of the bill Is the provision forbidding the sale of liquor by the drink, even In eating eat-ing houses or clubs. Purchases of licpior can only he made at slate stores and in sealed containers according ac-cording to the terms of this bill. A senate bill Is expected to furnish furn-ish a substitute plan for the one as outlined above and will provide a different way of taking care of the liquor sales. The senate bill would provide for the private sale of liquor liq-uor under strict supervision. It throws up protections against a recurrence re-currence of many of the evils of the preprohibition days and tries to keep the liquor traffic wllhin well controlled and orderly channels. chan-nels. It does not restrict the sale of liquor by the drink In eating resorts, re-sorts, but it outlaws the old-style bar. It would prohibit retail sales on any election day, or on Sundays, except by local ordinance. The liquor liq-uor traffic of the state would be under un-der the supervision of a liquor control con-trol commission of three members, appointed by the governor. The bill would give local option and vest great authority in cities and counties in setting up regulations of their own not in conflict with those of the state. The state fees for licenses would be as follows: To manufacture alcohol al-cohol and spirits, $2500; to manufacture manu-facture wine and beer, $500 ; to Import Im-port alcoholic beverages, $250 ; to distribute, $100; to sell at retail, $50 ; and to sell on trains, $25. In addition to these occupational taxes the bill would impose a tax on the privilege of engaging in business as a manufacturer or as an Importing Import-ing distributor at the rate of two cents per gallon on all beer of 3.2 per cent or less and 4 cents on all beer over that percentage of alcohol alco-hol ; 32 cents per gallon for wine containing 24 per cent or less of alcohol al-cohol by volume ; SO cents per gallon gal-lon on alcohol and spirits below 110 proof and 50 per cent additional on alcohol and spirits over 110 proof. Among senate bills of interest are two by Sen. W. C. Holbrook, proposing pro-posing higher individual and corporate cor-porate Income taxes. Resolutions appeared ap-peared in both bouses calling for a constitutional amendment permitting permit-ting an increase in the tax exemption exemp-tion on homesteads to $2000. Sen. Holbrook also introduced bills amending the election machinery. machin-ery. One of them would bar elective elect-ive or appointive officials from holding any other public office, and would bar employes or appointive officials from participating In political po-litical primaries. The object of the bill is to prevent the buliding up of political machines by public officials. of-ficials. A bill in the house would make far-reaching amendments to the state industrial act. Under it a workman would receive compensation compensa-tion for occupational diseases, as well as injuries, and other benefits to workers and their dependents would be increased. The measure provides that compensation com-pensation insurance would have to be handled by the state and private insurance companies would be barred. A bill to allow county commissioners commis-sioners to lease tax-sale property where there is no sale for the land has been sponsored by Rep. Twitch-ell. Twitch-ell. A bill to make the payment of old age pensions mandatory and divide the costs equally between the counties and the state has been introduced. in-troduced. This bill would also increase in-crease the maximum pension to $35 a month. At present, the payment pay-ment of pensions to the aged is optional op-tional with the counties and they must bear the entire cost. The house adopted a resolution fixing definitely the compensation of senate and house employes and eliminating the bonus system. Both branches adopted a measure appropriating approp-riating $50,000 for the expenses of the legislature. Sen. Neslen, from Salt Lake, has offered three measures which plan to increase the taxes paid by insurance insur-ance companies, reciprocal insurance insur-ance exchanges and fraternal benefit bene-fit societies that use a legal reserve basis. A senate measure by Mrs. Mus-ser, Mus-ser, proposes that ftah ratify the amendment to the federal constitution constitu-tion concerned with child labor. Senator Holbrook has offered a bill to regulate tobacco sales. Some of the problems, concerning which legislation is expected from I he present ftah body, are taxation, taking schools and the courts out of politics, a substitute for the present law licensing produce dealers deal-ers and for the motor transport act, reorganization of state, county, school and municipal government?, public utilities regulation, underground under-ground waters and mines. A letter to your representative in the legislature will bring you a complete com-plete copy of any bill introduced In which you may be interested. |