The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-01-18
STATE GRANGE REPORT.
Legislative COMMITTEE Wants Good
Roads, Increased School Ap-
preparation, &c, &.

From the report of the legislative
committee of the Pennsylvania State
Grange at its annual session at Erie,
Pa, Dec. 1916, 1904, we clip the fol-
lowing concerning good roads, school
appropriation, trolley legislation and
freight discrimination
"All the people have equal rights to
the public roads aud we can not UNDER
stand why ,the farmers should alone
have been compelled TO build and main
tain them. Good roads are also of equal
Importance to all interests, therefore
no class of property should refuse to
assist in paying for them. When in
support of this position your legislative
committee asked the legislature TO tax
personal and corporate property. in
Guiding manufacturing corporations,
the small sum Of one mill for road
purposes, the legislature failed to pass
II. Such a tax would yield at least two
and one-half millions Of dollars annually.
Under our present system of taxation
we still contend that this is the right
way to raise money from these interests
Tor road purposes, 1t must be kept
in mind that good roads cost money
and lots of it,"
We believe that the money so raised
or money appropriated should be divid-
ed among the different townships ac.
cOrding 10 their respective road mileage
Tor permanent road improvements. All
our past road legislation has added
additional taxation. The road law of
l9O3 is failure in nearly all the
counties of the state. Several of the
most wealthy sections seem to be the
only exceptions, If this law is to be of
any use il must have some radical
amendments. There are possibly twelve
thousand miles Of main Travelled roads.
There Is no just reason why poor
townships should be taxed to improve
aud repair these main roads when thev
are used for inter-cOunty and state
commerce. -
While the act Of 1903 makes an appro-
priatiOn Of five hundred thousand
dollars annually for 1903 and 1904 IL
Increases local taxation on real estate
and the loss Of local control 1t cannot
be claimed that the appropriation of
S50O,OOO annually represents money
collected from corporations for the
reason that the state collects taxes from
the counties which by right belongs TO
the counties and should never be paid
into the state treasury
We are opposed to the repeal of the
law known as the Bridge Act of 1895
whereby the state rebuilds bridges
over public streams which have been
swept away by floods. This law is very
beneficial, especially to poorer counties
of the state. We favor national aid for
public road improvement provided it is
not coupled with additional taxation
on the farms. We believe that money
so spent is of more use to the people Of
this LatiOn than to waste it on far off
possession or in building big navy.
We are in favor of peace and believe
that disputes between nations should be
settled by arbitration.
We favor an increased public school
appropriation, at least the S1l ,OOO. 600
should be kept for the public schools
with no deductions therefrOm eXcept
for township high schools. The amount
appropriated at the last session of the
legislature 10 these schools was 100000.
We are in favor of Increasing this TO
100000 If that amount is necessary to
carry out the provisions of the act
creating township high schools.
We demand that trolley roads shall
have the right to carry freight. This
privilege is granted to them in all
states except Pennsylvania and New
Jersey.
We demand thatour legislature enact
a law prohibiting freight discrimina-
tions whether done directly or by in
direct means. Excessive freight rates
and discrimination in rates has robbed
the Pennsylvania farmer of millions of
dollars. We favor the granting of in
creased powers to the Interstate COM
merce commission.
VIM. T. GREASY, Sec.