The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1913-04-17
GOOD ROADS BILL
PASSED BY HOUSE
Hite Bill Now Up to Governor
Cox for Approval.
WOULD ALTER SMITH ACT
House Passes to Third Reading XIII
patrick Act Taking the 1910 Liml-
t1tion Out Of the One Per
Cent Tax Statute.
.. A. DONOVAN.
Special coIupbus Correspondent.

Columbus, Ohio.
ABE Hite bill leVying one-half Of
~ one mill annually for road con-
struction and repair during the
next nine years became prac-
! lily law when the house formally
eed to senate amendments. The
really takes the place of the pro-
Led good roads bond issue which
rs defeated as a constitutional
amendment last fall. 1t is expected
@ raise annually nearly $4,000,000 for
! system of inter-county and market
roads and an aggregate OF approx
mately $35,00O.0OO in nine years.
The house passed the Mills bill al
lowing cities to issue bonds Of 800
denomination for self-supporting -mu-
nicipally owned public utilities. The
purpose of the bill would be to market
such bonds among the people general
ly whenever the municipality was un-
able to find good market among big
bond buyers. The Mills bill would ex-
empt such bonds from the operations
OF the Longworth act, limiting the
bonded debt of municipalities.
Would Change Smith Law.
Action of the house in passing to
third reading the Fitzpatrick bill TAX
ing the 1910 Limitation out of the
Smith one per cent law marks the
first step toward what is believed to
be general assault on the bill. The
Fitzpatrick measure is one of those
demanded by flood stricken communi-
ties. The 1910 limitation as it stands
prevents any community from raising
more revenue than was raised in the
year 1910 plus an allowance Of s per
cent for each intervening annual Pc
riod. This restriction has proven
more CALLING than any other in the
tax limitation law and there has been
constant demand for its removal ever
since the Smith one per cent law be-
came operative. The next efforts will
be to exempt from the operation of
the Smith law the state levy and all
levies for interest and sinking fund
purposes. These changes are ap-
proved by the association of city on.
ciais known as the Ohio Municipal
league.
Antl-coal Screen Bill.
Unprecedented bitterness Of feeling
Is resulting from the fight between
coal miners and operators over the
Green anti-screen bill which passed
the senate some time ago. The con-
fict reached a climax when the oper-
ators succeeded in having the house
adopt resolution providing for the
appointment of a commission by the
governor to, investigate the general
question of the screening of coal. The
effect of the resolution would be to
postpone action by the house on the
anti-screen bill That bill proposes
TO have miners paid for the coal they
dig before 1t is passed over a screen.
The present practice of operators is
TO pay for dug coal only after the
slack and small pieces have been
screened out. Several days ago the
house defeated the investigating reso-
luton on the ground that it was meant
only to delay the Green bill After
adopting resolution to delay the bill,
the house passed the measure to third
reading.
Gov. Cox Addresses Assembly.
'No proconceived notions of DO
litical principles should keep us
from doing the plain duty to the
state" Gov. james M. Cox told the
legislature. 1t is seldom governor
is invited to address joint session
of the assembly, but that honor was
paid to Gov. Cox when he was asked
to tell the story of the flood to the
lawmakers, and outline relief and
reconstruction legislation. Nearly the
full membership of both houses was
present when. in terse sentences, Gov.
Cox told the story of the food, the
fight the state had made, the difficult
ties encountered, the cries for assist
ance that had been answered, and
closed by saying;
Sunshine Behind Clouds.
"Ohio has been sorely tried by the
most stupendous catastrophe that has
ever visited the state, but behind the
clouds there's glimpse of sunshine
The whole country has risen to the
aid of the stricken cities, and we
have all been aroused by the bravery
Of the people. Ohio is on her feet
again. Bathed and refreshed by the
tears of the people of the nation, she
stands bravely to face the RESPONSE
bilities she must assume on the NOR
row, reminded that the depths of hui
man sympathy of the people can never
be sounded"