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Show Hinder hek ppijoi VOW Failure of the senate and house of representatives of the current legislature to agree upon vastly important im-portant legislation has brought about a lawmaking deadlock which threatens unless broken to effectively effec-tively prevent the enactment of new statutes and changes in existing ones deemed vitally necessary to the state's welfare. With only 10 days of the session left, legislators at the beginning of the eighth week found themselves faced with serious impasses in regard re-gard to at least two of the most far-reaching of tax legislation proposals pro-posals the individual income and corporation franchise taxation measures- Other measures, regarded by large groups as of prime import, were threatened with similar deadlocks. dead-locks. What might happen to these controversial con-troversial bills is seen in the fate of H. B- 5, the bill providing an 8-hour 8-hour day for underground mine workers. It died a lingering death when three conference committees failed to agree upon senate amendments. amend-ments. A like fate may be in store for other controversial measures unless un-less the legislators of upper and lower houses become more agreeable agree-able to compromise. At the beginning of the eighth session week the two tax measures were in the hands of compromise committees, known as conferees. These committees were appointed after af-ter both houses had refused to recede re-cede from their positions regarding property tax offsets and personal exemptions in the income tax bill and offsets in the corporation franchise fran-chise tax measure- Indications are that both branches will refuse to yield, with "bitter-ending" resulting in the killing of both bills- In the meantime while conferees confer-ees are conferring charges and countercharges are the order of the day- These heated verbal exchanges tend to keep agreement waters much riled widening the rift between house and senate, apparents almost j from the beginning of the session, with the lower body favoring "leftist" "left-ist" legislation and the upper house veering more to the conservative. Almost equally as controversial as the much-debated tax measures are such bills as H- B. 4, effecting material ma-terial changes in the present state industrial act through increasing and otherwise altering workmen's compensation in case of accident and H. B. 16, levying a tax of 4 cents per 1000 cubic feet on natural gas- Both passed the house. Perhaps Per-haps not so controversial among house-passed measures, but certain of senatorial amendment are the produce dealers' license and control and "truck" bills. All are important import-ant and how they can wend their way through the devious channels of amendments, concurrence, conferees con-ferees and final agreement Is puzzling puz-zling even the most sanguine legislators- When matters controversial are discussed on Capitol Hill the talk invariably includes the liquor question. ques-tion. And, say the conversationalists, conversational-ists, if liquor control goes the way of "oblivion via the disagreement route," then a special session of the legislature must be held. But controversial largely from personal and sentimental viewpoints as it is, there is much more hope for agreement on liquor control than on taxes or legislation favoring or hitting certain groups from a financial finan-cial standpoint- In brief, some solution so-lution of the vexatious liquor question ques-tion is ardently desired by every legislator- Hence, the great majority major-ity will be willing to compromise to give way on some moot points if necessary to final enactment of a liquor control measure. One point is not open to much debate- That is that the lower house will give way to the extent of abandoning its much favored state store plan. Nor, declare the experts in legislative affairs, will the senate insist on a private license li-cense system- It will be satisfied with state stores with by-the-drink sales in hotels, restaurants and clubs. The house will probably agree to this after much oratory by the bone-drys and the ultimate result will be passage of a measure very much resembling the original committee com-mittee of 49 legislative draft. President Herbert B- Maw of the senate came out with a state warehouse ware-house plan which in theory at least is similar to the Holmes compromise compro-mise liquor proposal- Legislative opinion was that the Maw plan would not sway ardent house advocates advo-cates of the state stores system from their first love. The senate is expected to act speedily on the liquor question inasmuch in-asmuch as the trade regulations committee considering the passed H- B. 41 is composed of 11 members, mem-bers, enough to pass a favored measure meas-ure with one more vote- Thus a senate liquor bill H. B. 41 amended amend-ed will likely be passed in the upper up-per house and reach the lower branch this week- The strong influence exerted by Governor Henry H- Blood among legislators, reflected, as it is, from throughout the state in expressions of regard and esteem, has never been more apparent than during the past several days of the current session. The Blood influence, graciously exerted ex-erted was on view in the prompt and unquestioned passage by both house and senate of the governor's suggested measure that would make $750,000 available for state uses without resort to additional tax levies. The Holbrook bill making it possible to refund the $2,000,000 bond issue floated in 1933 at lower interest rates and with the time for first payment extended to 1940, car-I car-I ried out the chief executive's ideas-And ideas-And incidentally, the governor's suggestion will go far toward saving Utah much embaressment in case the legislature fails to enact important import-ant revenue-raising legislation through having made at least three-quarters three-quarters of a million dollars available avail-able for governmental purposes-Speedy purposes-Speedy passage of bills making it possible for cities to participate in water projects all urged by Governor Gov-ernor Blood was another evidence of the confidence reposed in the state's executive head. They unquestionably un-questionably saved the Deer Creek-Utah Creek-Utah Lake $10,000,000 project for Utah. Hence Salt Lake City and the vast territory to be served by the giant project may well thank Governor Blood for his keen interest inter-est and decisive action in these of which carries out this column's col-umn's predictions that the governor govern-or would emerge from current legislative legis-lative activities the strongest man in Utah. He is doing more. He is indeed proving himself the balance wheel of the state the right man on the biggest job a Beehive state governor ever handled. Again speaking of the governor. He clearly proved his wisdom and acumen by appointing "Monte" Wilson Wil-son as his legislative advisor the man to delve into and sense the inside of legislation as it is proposed and enacted on Capitol Hill- "Monte," as he is familiarly known to everybody has had to do with state affairs and newspaper work in Utah, knows more about the real inside of legislative and governmental governmen-tal goings-on than perhaps any other individual in the- state. He has been associated with them as a Salt Lake Tribune capitol and legislative legis-lative reporter for many years. And during this time he has commanded the respect and regard of every legislator and departmental executive- "Ask Monte, he knows" has been the advice tendered everyone wanting want-ing information anent this or that in governmental affairs. He is a veritable encyclopedia of information informa-tion relative to state government, but above all a reliable one- His capitol "stories" have commended widespread attention ' and revealed a fund of factual "dope" valuable to newspaper and state alike. And so Governor Blood will have at his elbow an advisor who knows what it is all about an invaluable aid in passing upon legislative and departmental matters. The appointment appoint-ment is but another evidence of the chief executive's desire to know and do what is best for his state- Bills that may yet see the light of day via the legislative hoppers include several if more than one is necessary giving Governor Blood power to coordinate Utah's social security program with that of the federal government. Such measures are deemed necessary neces-sary in view of the fact that the current legislature will very likely not be in position to enact the proper prop-er legislation because of the federal program being as yet undecided. The bills will probably set up means whereby the state can cooperate with Washington after the twenty-first twenty-first session has become history- Another bill talked of and likely to be introduced is one demanding an investigation of special funds held by the University of Utah in alleged defiance of orders from the state auditor's office for their restoration re-storation to the state. Such a measure may be sponsored in the senate this week- Approximately $100,000 is said to be involved. Talking of bills it is deemed practically certain that many, perhaps per-haps two or three hundred, may never emerge from committees-Dozens committees-Dozens will likely never reach the sifting committees, while scores of others will die with the sifters. Tax measures will repose in the legislative archives as unwanted children of their sponsors "wild boys of the road, "wandering around in the legislative hoppers until ground beneath their own weights. Some of these proposed significant and sometimes drastic changes in present state taxation methods.1 Others would raise taxes in strange manners- ture early in the session . . . Senator Sen-ator Ward C. Holbrook of Davis county wants to hold a world's Fair1 and Utah Trail Centennial Exposition Exposi-tion in 1947 in Utah- He has sponsored spon-sored a joint resolution to this effect, ef-fect, but thus far the "big idea" has met with a lukewarm reception. It's too far off for one thing. . The vote on H- B- 137 set a session record for absentees in the lo" house. Eighteen representatives failed to answer the roll call on the measure setting a three-man state road commission. Speaker Granger was among the missing, the first time for him speedy concurrence con-currence on the bond refunding and water project measures showed that house and senate could get together on something worthwhile. Perhaps a word from the governor's office might serve equally as well in other instances. . . . Taxation increases in-creases for individuals or corporations corpora-tions were opposed vigorously last week by 10 civic organizations of central Utah on the ground that government today consumes an unfair un-fair proportion of the income of the people. . . . School finances will be aided materially if the lower house passes the senate-passed measure meas-ure providing that revenue derived from the sales tax in excess of the $2,000,000 aUotted for relief go to making up deficiences in the $25 property tax fund and $5 equalization equaliza-tion allottment- A new committee of nine will investigate Utah's coal resources, feasibility of consolidating school districts and effect of the proposed tax exemption on home-rteads home-rteads if the house approves a bill passed by the senate. o But, when all is said and done, the only material tax changes that will be brought about will probably be the individual and corporation income taxes- There will hardly be time to go into other proposed changes- GRIST FROM LEGISLATIVE HOPPERS A marked change in sentiment regarding re-garding the proposal to exempt from taxation homesteads up to $2,000 in value by constitutional amendment amend-ment has been evidenced of late, culminating in the introduction by Senator Bamberger of Salt Lake City of S. J R- 17, repealing the resolution adopted by the legisla- |