The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-26
CUTTING THE TAX
Assembly Advances the Bill to Re-
duce Assessment From. a Mill
to One-Sixth.
About $925,000 Will Be Raised for
School Purposes as Against
$1,400,0O0.
Special to The Journal.

| Special to The Journal.
Madison, Wis, March 26.-The bill cut
| ting the state school tax to one-sixth of
mill, instead of one mill, as under the
present law, was ordered to engrossment
and third reading in the assembly at last
| evenings session. Under the six-tenths
tax, about $685. 900 will be raised for school
| purposes. Before the state tax commits
sion was organized and the assessment Of
property increased, the amount raised was
about $600,000 Last year, with increased
valua ton and the 1-mill tax, about 81 AGO.
! 900 was realized.
A bill prohibiting the running of double
headed trains was introduced by the as
sembly committee on ra ailroads last eve
ming. It Is an exact copy CT the bill pre-
sented early in the session by Mr.. Nor
gar, but withdrawn by kim for some rea-
son. The committee made no recommen-
dation on the bill, and it was referred back
| TO it for action
| Cochems Before the Committee.
H. F. Cochems of Milwaukee made a
second argument before the assembly ju-
dietary committee yesterday afternoon for
the passage of the co-employe bill, appear
ing on behalf Of the railway trainmen.
Mr.. Cochems emphasized the Injustice of
| barring employe from recovering dam
! ages for injuries in an accident for which,
he is in nowise to blame, on the ground
that another employe may have been
partly or wholly responsible for it, s.<
| Thomas H. Gill, representing the Wis
consin Central, "said that, while as per-
sOnal matter he sympathized with the ar
! gument of Mr.. COchenls, there was an
! other view of the matter, and from the
railroad standpoint the law as it stands
is an equitable measure. No action was
taken by the committee. on this any
of the other bills it had under considera-
| tlOn. 49,. e -.
p, Ashland Paving Assessments.
The contest of some of the citizens of
Ashland with the Barber Asphalt COM
pany over payment of their assessments
for street paving was brought before the
assembly judiciary committee yesterday
in a. hearing on the bill, 46 S., which vail
| dates contracts made by foreign cor
| porat tions which had failed to file their
| articles Of association with the Wiscon-
sin secretary of state, as required by
statute, but which have filed their arti-
cles since the contract was made. This
was the, case with the Barber company
Attorney w. M. Tompkins appeared fo1
the Ashland contestants, and said that in
addition, to the company not having filed
its articles, the contract was invalidated
by. the fact that the city had exceeded its
debt limit.
| Attorney Frank M. Hoyt, representing
the Barber company, Said the company
had spent $4,000 in paying the Ashland
streets. No complaint was made of the
pavement. The people who are contestins
payment, he said, knew all the circum.
stances while the work was in progress
and made no contest until it was com
pleted. A suit was about to be argued
in the supreme court on the case. AS
matter of fairness the company should
get it's money. ..
Only a Few Contestina.
George F. Merrill of Ashland said tn,
city had already paid it's share of the cos
of paving, for street crossings, amountin,
to about one fifth of the total,s withou
contest. There are about 100 abuttin,
property owners against whom assess
ments are levied, and of these. he said
only FIVE, or. six are contesting payment
though there are others who are willint
| to take advantage of the situation ant
escape payment if the contestants ar,
successful. AS to exceeding the deb
limit, he said the, city paid it's share il
cash without incurring any indebtedness
therefor.