State Capitol News . . .
2 Price-Fixing Bills Axed ,
LJNCOLN — The legislature
plunges on toward adjourn
o ment with hopes still alive that
work may be completed by June
This meant about 16 bills would
have to be cleared off general file
this week. Then it will take at
least another week to herd the
measures through the two separ
ate enrollments, select file, and
final reading and passage. Be
cause all this takes just so much
time some senators were betting
| it would be June 9 or 10 before
they can pack up and head home.
But slow as its progress some
times seemed to tired senators,
the legislature steadily plowed
through a lot of controversial
bills which had been held off be
cause they’d run into trouble be
fore.
Some problems were disposed
of simply by axing the meas
ures. For instance, the legisla
ture killed two price-fixing
bills.
One would have guaranteed a
6 percent profit on cigarets. The
other would have cut out the list
ing of prices of eyeglasses and
spectacles in newspaper adver
tisements.
The legislators also killed a
measure which would have allow,
ed citizens to sue the state in
cases where they were injured or
their property damaged because
of the negligence of the state or
its employees
So citizens with a claim against
the state will still have to file it
and trust to the mercy of the leg
islature’s miscellaneous appro
priations Committee that they’ll
collect anything.
A big blackboard at the front
of the chamber showed a fast
dwindling number of bills on gen
eral file (initial consideration)
but an even stronger portent that
the end of the session is not too
many days off was the growing
restlessness among the lawmakers
themselves—shorter tempers and
less patience with long-winded
oratory. The drive down the last
stretch is likely to rival the hectic
opening days’ tussle with the pro
perty tax problem from the stand
point of controversy. The dyna
mite-laden diversion bill alone
could touch off a Donnybrook
fair.
Some of the tension was eased
briefly last week when the dark
ening legislative mood was re
lieved somewhat by a first-class
birthday party with cake and cof
fee. The honoree was Sen. Charles
Tvrdik of Omaha, dean of the
legislature from the point of ser
vice, and speaker of this session,
who was observing his 50th birth
day anniversary.
* * *
Victory—
But some controversial bills
survived.
One was the truck tolerance
bill and its passage constituted
the biggest triumph of the session
for the truckers. It would allow
them tolerances of 5 percent on
the legal load limits on axles and
overall weights before penalties
apply.
A similar bill had been passed
by the 1951 legislature, but veto
ed, to the truckers’ chargin, by
Gov. Val Peterson after the ses
sion ended.
Actually the bill advanced
from general file by this legis
lature was a bit better for the
truckers than its predecessors
because certain interior limita
tions were removed.
Opponents attacked the meas
ure as a grab by the truckers and
said it would cost the public more
in having to pay for thicker pav
ing and heavier bridges.
But the bill’s backers said it
would allow truckers to carry
a full load and not be penalized
by inaccurate weighing scales
They spoke of the provisions that
truckers caught by the safety pat
rol with more than the 5 percent
tolerance would have to unload
down to legal limit on the spot
and said this made it a real crack
down measure.
* * *
County Bills—
Also voted along were bills re
lating to the counties.
A mill levy statute was changed
to allow the general fund levy in
counties under 9,000 in population
to be 5 mills instead of 4 on the
assessed valuations. For counties
over 9,000 the new general fund
levy ceiling will be 4 mills, in
stead of 3. Senator Tom Coffey
of Alma, who proposed the
change, said at least 11 hard
pressed counties needed the extra
leeway for their main operating
levy.
The senate also revived a meas
ure which would allow county
boards to set the salaries of all
county officials except themselves
and county judges. And it amend
ed another measure to shear off
the county assessor and county
clerk from boards of equalization,
starting next year.
The bill as voted out of com
mittee would have applied only
to Lancaster and Douglas coun
ties.
Sent along its way to final pass
age was a measure setting up
county boards of education. A
reason frankly given for the coun
ty school board was that in giving
it the duties of the county re
organization commitee some
progress might be gained toward
cutting down the multiude
of surplus school districts in Ne
braska. Sen. Glenn Cramer of Al
bion said that all too often these
committees had been elected for
the express purpose of fighting
reorganization.
• * *
Boiling—
The senators may have their
eyes on the calendar but they are
also uneasily looking over their
shoulders at the tempests in some
areas over the new tax laws.
The legislators spent an hour
one morning convincing them
selves that they had done the
right thing in passing the laws—
such as the new 50 percent as
sessments laws.
Bui some of them demanded
that the slate board of equal
ization declare that it planned
to pull the low counties up into
line with counties which are
trying to equalize and get pro
per valuations. The board met
and put out a statement that is
what it intends to do this July.
Considering what is being done,
the tempests were surprisingly
few. A storm was brewing oven
the raising of evaluations in Falls
City and two senators — Terry
Carpenter of Scottsblu£f and Jo
seph Martin of Grand Island—ad
vised their counties to sit tight
and let the state board act. But
State Commissioner (Norris And
erson said he was pleased with
progress in most counties.
Gov. Robert Crosby reiterated
again that raised valuations will
only erase old inequalities and
that since political subdivisions
should not demand anymore mon
ey than last year, the levies should
drop. That way the new laws
should cost little or no taxes to
anyone unless their valuations
were too low in past years.
m m •
Beer Cans—
Sometimes the most important
vote a senator casts is one he
doesn’t cast at all. If that sounds
like double talk, consider for a
moment what happened one day
last week when Sen. Terry Car
penter of Scottsbluff attempted to
win a suspension of the rules to
allow the introduction of a bill
to double the state tax on beer
with the added income to be used
to clean the streets and highways
of beer cans and bottles.
The debate raged on for some
time and often strayed far afield.
Perhaps that was because Om
aha’s Sen. John Adams, easily
the legislature’s biggest time
waster, took part. When Adams’
desk-neighbor, Sen. John Beaver
of Beemer, doesn’t explain what’s
happening, Adams is likely to
ramble clear out into left field.
At any rate, when the vote fin
ally came, 15 senators voted to
allow introduction of the bill, sev
en voted against it—and this is
the startling thing—21, one short
of a majority—didn’t vote at all.
These are the lawmakers who
didn’t have an opinion (a few
were absent): Anderson, Aufen
kamp, Bridenbaugh, Britt, Bur
ney, Cole, Cramer, Dooley, Hill,
Kotouc, Larkin, Lillibridge, Brow
ler, McHenry, Marvel. Moulten,
Person, Schultz, Tvrdik, Vogel
and Wilson.
When Clerk Hugo Srb announc
ed that 21 didn’t vote, Carpenter
rose and with heavy sarcasm said,
“Let me congratulate the senators
on their courageous approach to
this problem.”
* * *
Veto
Governor Crosby has vetoed his
fourth bill, this time LB 582,
which would have specified that
vesicular exanthema indemnity
payments would not apply to
nogs which became sick within
60 days after being imported into
the state or which had the disease
before being imported. Sen. O. H.
Person of Wahoo introduced the
bill about a month ago and it
had no trouble in the legislature.
In his veto message, Crosby said
he based his objections on the
fact that no public hearing had
been held on the bill and had
one been held, there might have
been a difference in the meas
ure’s final form. Person accepted
the veto without complaint and
conceded he should have arrang
ed for a public hearing. ‘‘I still
think it’s a good bill, though,” he
said.
* * *
Salaries—
One of the prime pieces of bus
ness before last week’s sessions
was to iron out kinks in the bill
providing salary increases for
county officials. The measure, LB
239, narrowly escaped the axe
last week in a stbrmy parliamen
tary wrangle which saw the mot
ion to kill defeated, 18 to 13, after
a rash of vote-switching. The
same day, the lawmakers voted
to raise Sen. Herbert J. Duis’ LB
9, killed a few weeks ago. The
bill would allow county boards
to set the salaries of county offic
ials, thus taking the legislature
out of the middle. Omaha and
Douglas counties already have
that system. Rising to say I-told
you-so, Duis told his colleagues
that he had predicted “the pop
corn will hit the fan” when the
county salary bill came up.
* * *
Gag—
Governor Crosby has clamped
a gag on one of his best depart
ment heads. State Engineer L. N.
Ress. From now on, the governor
has ordered, all of Ress’ commun
ications to the legislature must
clear through Crosby’s office.
The hasty decision came after
an outraged cry by Sen. Tom
Coffey of Alma, trucker who was
pushing the bill to allow a toler
ance in overloaded trucks on
Nebraska highways. Coffey
screamed “lobbying” after Sen.
Hal Bridenbaugh of Dakota City
placed on the legislators’ desks
copies of a reply Riess had written
to Bridenbaugh’s request for in
formation on the effects of the
overweight bill on the state’s
highways.
Coffey headed straight for the
governor’s office and kicked up
a fuss. “If the highway depart
ment would spend as much time
building roads as they do lobbying
maybe we’d have some roads in
this state,” he complained. Cof
fey’s outrage didn’t seem to help
his bill very much because Sen.
Carpenter managed to get an
amendment tacked on which al
lows the five percent tolerance
on each axle, not on the whole
truck as the truckers asked. Act
ually, the Carpenter proposal is
what the truckers have said they
wanted but they appeared some
thing less than enthusiastic about
it.
But probably more important
is the effect of Crosby’s actions
on other department heads and
upon Ress.
Are any of them likely to ex
press any kind of opinion with the
ever-present fear that some legis
lator with an axe to grind might
use it to lop off the department
head’s tongue? »
O'NEILL LOCALS
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Quinn
and family will leave today
1"*
(Thursday) for their home in San
Diego, Calif., after spending two
weeks here visiting (Mr. and Mrs.
i E. F. Quinn and in Winner. S. D.,
visiting Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Martin.
Miss Patricia Conway spent
May 16-17 in Lincoln with rel
I atives.
ROYAL THEATER
Thurs.-Fri.-Sat. May 28-29-30
PONY EXPRESS
Color by technicolor. Starring
Charlton Heston, Jan Sterling,
Rhonda Fleming, Forrest Tucker.
Here is the story of the daring
young Americans who estab
lished America’s lifeline to the
west—over 1,500 far-flung miles
from Missouri to California.
Adult 50c; children 12c; tax incl.
Matinee Sat. 2:30. Children un
der 12 free when accompanied
by parent.
Sun.-Mon.-Tues.
May 31. June 1-2
_ THE IRON MISTRESS
Color by technicolor. Alan
Ladd as Jim Bowie who forged
the knife that slashed his name
into history! Virginia Mayo with
! a weapon all her own. Her lips
had to be bought with a South
land kingdom . . . and he handed
it to her on the blade of his
bowie knife!
Aduli 50c; children 12c; tax incl.
Matinee Sun. 2:30. Children un
der 12 free when accompanied
by parents.
The Sandhills
Foremost
CATTLE
AUCTION
SALE EVERY
TUESDAY
HOG AUCTION:
Starting at 11 O'Clock A.M.
CATTLE
AUCTION:
Starting at 1 O'clock PJ4
Under the same mangement
for over 20 years.
Bonded— Insured —Reliable
For Highest Net
Results — Sell Them
at Atkinson
—————— *
Atkinson Livestock
Market
Atkinson, Nebr.
Ernie Weller
General Manager
Phone 5141
t *
NAME CONTEST
Jesse Kern will pay $5°°
to the individual submitting the best and most
appropriate name for the new
ROLLER RINK
he is building on Highway 20, East of Ainsworth
Three non-interested judges will make the decision. The
award will be made the opening day or evening.
'i
Many names have been submitted. If you have one to
enter, send it in.
All Names Should Be Submitted, in writing, to
POST OFFICE BOX 251. AINSWORTH, NEBR.
! FAMIIYS FAVORITE/
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I • Alternate Firing Twin
| Advertised in Leading Sporting Magazines
OVi Gallon gas can I
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large. "
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| 19 Piece Fishing Outfit
P Complete precision built as- COMP ETE
fc sortment for fishermen includes:
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* knife, 6' & 9' leaders, plug, C^C)
P sinkers, spoon and fish stringer.
>
I Single Cantilever Tray
f Tackle Boxes
{ 1.89
e Seamless steel construction.
9 Finished in green hard baked
k enamel 1356 x 656 x 456'.
9 _
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Keeps Minnows Alive
Bait Buckets
98c
Made of Sulphite waterproof
fibers. Holds 2 to 3 dozen
minnows. Specially hardened.
*7-10*8
RSI rr-— _
New Popular Design |
Vz Gallon Jugs j
1.69 j
Keeps food hot or cold for ‘
hours. Replacable glass lining f
with Rberglas insulation. -
2s-aaa» fl
P-7833
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; v GasCons
[ 89c
| Square con witfi 8*
P flexible spout. Holds
x one gallon. Painted
P red for safety. __
8
Utility Boxes
1.49
Has seamless steel
cover, rounded corners,
automatic latch with
lock. Made of steel.
Casting Rods
2.98
5 ft. solid glass rod.
Has aluminum handle
with cork grip. One*
piece construction.
Fish Scales
1.98
"DeLiar" weighs up to
8 lbs., measures up to
24'. Compact pocket
size. Handy to use.
■
Catfish Bait '
50c <
Popular bait for over 4
25 years. Made of *
dough treated to catch A
the big ones. ™
A
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| PHONE 8 f
fc BUILDING-THROUGH BUSINESS-FOR A BETTER AMERICA! g
| support Junior Achievement J
■ * _B?
.. DANCE..
AT O’NEILL
American Legion Auditorium
Saturday, May 30th
ACES OF RHYTHM
ORCHESTRA
Adm.: Adults $1, Students 50c
takes the'sting out of
high living costs!
72 Pairs Men’s
CUSHION SOLE SOCKS -
Anklet style, absorbent white cotton.
IOMj-12.
i"
21 Men’s
CLOTH HATS -
Cotton twill. Water repellent finish.
Tans. Regular 1.98 value.
Each ..97c
16 PRS. MEN’S
RAYON SLACKS... pr. $5
Cords and sharkskins. Most all sizes 32-40. Just
right for the summer.
13 Boys’
DRESS HATS
Wool felts. Small boys’ sizes. Blue
only. Reg. 1.98 value.
Each .97c
4 Girls’
SPRING COATS -
Rayon gabardines. Sizes 7 - 10 - 12.
Values to 10.95.
Each..$5
7 Girls’
SKIRTS
Quilted cotton. Red or green gingham
plaids. 7 to 14 range. Reg. 2.98 values.
Each 1.47
2 Ladies’
TOPPERS -
All wool, spring styles. Values to 29.95. ;
Each...$13
2 Ladies*
COATS
All wool, full length. Spring colors.
Values to 34.95.
Each..$15
21 Ladies*
HOUSE DRESSES -
80-sq. percales. Assorted sizes and
styles. Reg. 2.98 values.
Each.' 1.77
One Group
COTTON FABRICS -
Assorted fabrics. Percales, broad
cloths, piques and sateens. Values to
59c yard.
Yard .25c
7 Ladies’
SPRING SUITS -
Rayon gabardines. Values up to 17.95.
Each.57
19 Pairs Child’s
BOXER JEANS -
Blue denim. Elastic waist band. Sizes
1-5. Sanforized.
Each pair.97c
8 Ladies’
RAYON DRESSES -
Spring styles. Values up to 8.95.
Hurry!
Each .$3
15 Ladies’
RAYON BLOUSES -
Assorted styles and sizes. Hurry for
best pick!
E»d-.-.1,97
4 Ladies’
TOPPERS -
All wool, spring styles. Values to 24.95.
Each.S1Q
2 Ladies’
JACKETS -
Grey corduroy. Sizes 12 and 18. Dras
tic reduction!
Each.52
5 All Wool
BLANKETS
72 x 84 size. Green or blue Rayon
bound.
Each...56
17 Ladies’
PURSES —
Pring styles. Patents, black or brown
plastic calfs. Assorted styles
“ .—1.67
————Plus Tax
49 Pairs Men’s
COTTON SOCKS -
Regular length. Nylon re-in-forced for
longer wear. Grey only. Sizes 10%
Pair.33c
11 EACH
RUGS.ea. $3
24” x 36” size. Cut pile rugs. Nonslip backing.
Asst, colors. Hurry!