Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-08-05
STATE hid FOR
SCHOOL TEACHERS
Bill to Assist Rural instructors
Advanced in House.
ENGR0SSED BY z TO | VOTE
Special Aid to Be Taken Out CT the
Seven-Tenths Cent Mill Tax Fund
Measure Denounced by
Woodand

may be given state aid for con-
tinuing work in one rural school dis
trict or for high educational QuaIifca-
tons. A bill TO accomplish this pur-
pese has just been engrossed in the
house by two to one vote. With
its advancement Assemblyman W. H.
O'Brien of Kewaunee declares il is the
harbinger leading the way to Wiscon-
sins having the best rural schools in
the United States.
State aid viii be granted in the
amount of SIS a month to rural school
teachers who remain il the same dis
trict more than one year, $40 a month
for the third year, SIS month for
the fourth year and from $40 to SIS a
month if they obtain an education
equivalent to two years beyond the
average high school course. The bill
provides that the work Of the school
teacher, however, must be satisfactory
to the county superintendent and the
state superintendent. This special
state aid is taken out Of the seven
tenths cent mill tax fund. The meas
ure was denounced by Assent lyman
Weston Woodland of Chippewa county,
who declared that it would operate to
the disadvantage of villages and cities.
By vote of % to 80 the assembly
killed the Burke bill providing for a
county committee Of education to be
elected by the county board. The
original bill passed two years ago pro-
Vides for a county board of education
to be elected by the people. Assembly
man Ellingson has moved a reconsid-
Grafton of the vote by which this meas
ure was killed.
There was a bitter fight over a bill
appropriating $4,000 for the Wiscon-
sin National Guard. The measure was
finally engrossed by vote of IS to 80
The bill to increase the railroad pas
senger fares in the state from two
cents to two and one-half cents was
killed without a roll. call, although
there were a large number of voices
heard in opposition to its defeat.
The assembly backed up On it's pro-
gram of retrenchment and reconsid-
cred the vote by which it struck S10.-
900 from the proposed appropriation
to the Stout Manual Training school.
A letter from Superintendent L. D.
Harvey of the school was read to the
legislature and $4,000 of the amount
originally stricken out was restored.
The assembly passed the Budlong
bill requiring a conductor on vestibule
street cars where the back vestibuIe
is closed. 1t killed a bill to require
motor vehicles to carry liability insur-
ance
The joint finance committee of the
legislature has voted to restore the
appropriation of 100000 for continu-
ing the work of the extension depart
ment of the university. AS the bill
was reported, this department was
subjected to severe cut which
would result in curtailment of it's &C
tivities So many letters were re-
ceived in the assembly protesting
against this action that a separate
bill fixing the appropriation the same
as it has been the past two years has
been agreed to.
The Bichler bill abolishing the Of
fee of state claim agent was sent to
engrossment by vote of II to 7.
The Bray proposal to create a joint
legislative committee to investigate
the assessment and collection of
taxes, and appropriating $4,000, was
killed after an extended discussion.
The vote was 13 to 10. Senator Bray
contended that the existing taxing
system presents many inequalities as
between different subjects of taxa
ton, and that an intelligent study of
the taxation field would bring conclu-
sions of valuable character to be
made the basis for legislation looking
to taxation uniformity.
The senate took a different view on
higher fees to be exacted from non
resident university students than the
lower house adopted when the latter
passed the Rambrecht bill, the effect
of which was to raise such fees to
total of STA per year. The senate
after a lot Of discussion adopted the
Barwig substitute making the total
yearly zee S1OU ana requiring that TO
be entitled to free tuition a student
must have been a resident of the
state for one year. The primary pur-
pose of the amendment, as stated by
it's author, is to prevent evasion Of
nonresident fees by outside students.
He said this has been going on to
large extent and that the university
authorities were powerless to prevent
it