Omaha daily bee., 1907-03-11
flGaT OVER ROAD MEASURES
representative Weeks Draws Applause in
Discussion Of Measure.
POOR ROADS EXPENSIVE TO THE FARMERS
Primary Bill Most Important Matter
to Come Before the Legislature
During the Coming
week.
fFrom a SD Correspondent.l

n
DIES MONIES, March 1O.-(special.)-l
Road legislation. which has bothered every |
session Of the legislature is plaguing the |
Thirty-second general assembly. The first !
applause given to any speaker on the floor |
Of the house at the conclusion OF an ad- |
dress was given Saturday to Representative |
Weeks of Guthrie. whe spoke at some |
length on a bill that permitted two per
cent of the road tax TO be worked out
rather than paid in cash. Mr.. Weeks took
the position that working out the road tax
would keep Iowa behind in the progress Of
good road building and that there should
be enacted a law making the county sur
veyor superintend of the roads of the
county on a fixed salary and that the diff
ference in benefit to the roads over the
present method of having the roads made
by the township trustees should be meas
ured by the difference in size Of the county
and the township.
SO far the discussion Of the road prob
lem in the legislature is academic. The
discussion has been confined to minor de-
tails of a mill more or less and some
questions OF whether or not farmer will
get out and use the King road drag as he
should. Representative Weeks told the
house Saturday that in European countries
II costs the farmer u to Is cents to move a
ton Of his products, while in Iowa is costs
the farmers q cents ton per mile on the
average and he declared that not until
! the road question was made something
more and something bigger than a
township affair would the roads of the state
ever be what they should be. He wanted to
see the thing put on a scientific basis with
the county surveyor at the head Of a county
department Mr.. Weeks was the author of a
an -
commissioners. The bill was defeated some
sessions ago when he introduced it, and
later Representative Jones introduced
similar bill attaching the department to
the Agricultural college and 1t was thus
enacted.
Generally speaking It may be said that
the northern part of the state is in favor
of the present aw which requires that the
of the present law which requires that the
building of roads and their maintenance
be under the direction of the township
trustees who hire road superintendent.
The southern part Of the state, and notably
Marion county, is in favor of the old
method of working out the road tax under
! the direction of the township trustees and
in the discussions It is customary for one
to condemn the method of working out the
tax as being open to the liability of a tax
payer SSnulilB a boy anu u team OF ponies
to work the roads while the other side
declares that the farmer who uses the
roads is the best expert on making them. 4
Another Monument Claim.
An interesting claims case was pre-
sented to the claims committee yesterday.
B. Humbert, of the commissioners on
the Missionary Ridge monuments. is ask
ing 1909 from the state because of having
spent nine months and more of his time
experimenting the construction OF the
monuments. He gave two months free,
but owing TO the disasters in the building
of one of the monuments, by which the
contractor lost money, Mr.. Humbert lad
TO remain nearly all year. The bill is
! regarded as eminently fair.
Means Hard Fight.
There Is likely to be a pretty fight on
the employers liability bill in the senate.
1t changes the rule as to Joint liability
where notice is given the employer OF
defect or danger. The large corporations
do not want the rule changed, even where
notice is required.
No stock imitation.
Imitation of stock of Iowa corporations
will be dangerous, II the bill which came
TO the senate with favorable recommends
tion is passed. 1t requires payment for
stock in cash, or II in something else,
then upon approval of state officials.
Refuse to Limit Law Practice.
| The judiciary committee of the senate
refused to entertain seriously the bill by
/ Senator Saunders to forbid practice as
p, lawyer by one not admitted to the bar. It
was aimed at practice by all sorts of
people in Justice courts. but the judiciary
| committee is anti-monopoly IN character
suRragist Resolution.
| Woman suffrage is before the senate and
must be met. Senator Ericsson reported
! from the committee on constitutional
amendments this resolution with favor
| It is now up to the senators 20 decide
what they will do. Senator Gale is author
| of the resolution.
Business for Next Week.
| without question the most important
business the legislature has on hand for
next week is the primary elections bills,
1 which are on for special order for Tues
day next in both houses. The bill is the
same in both branches. II is on for
special order for Tuesday morning in the
senate and Tuesday afternoon in the house,
and when the bills are finally disposed OF
and passed the legislature will draw
sigh OF relief and consider that the big
gest task Of the session has been disposed
Of But this Is not all that is down for
the coming week. There is every. indica-
ton Sthat the coming week viii be the
most fruitful OF legislation so far as put
ting laws on the statute books OF any