The Odanah star. [volume] (Odanah, Ashland Co., Wis.) 1912-1916, 1915-05-14
Many HIGHWAY Bills on Calendar.

Many Highway Bills on Calendar.
Madison.-Highway legislation will
be the principal topic of discussion be-
fore the assembly this week. The
highway bills have been placed on the
calendar for discussion. The Wood
ard bill to give. the county boards
greater supervision over the construc-
ton of highways, the state engineering
staff to be consulted but not to have
on the calendar recommended for pas
sage Assemblyman c. B. Ballard Of
Appleton is opposed to the entire bill
and to the present law. He will ask
for the incorporation of many amend
ments which will limit the scope of
the work. There are many members
Of the legislature, among them Assem-
blymen Caldwell and Harrington, who
believe in a strict county highway
system and will offer amendments
along that line.
Besides the bill directed at the or
ganization and administrative work of
the commission, the committee on
state affairs has also favorably report
ed another Woodland bill fixing the
amount of state aid to be granted at
$SO0,000. Under the present law, the
town votes an amount it deems proper
for state aid, and the county and
state must automatically give equal
amounts each. This spring the towns
OF the state asked for $1,51o,000. II
the law were to remain on the statute
books in it's present form, the state
would have to appropriate that sum,
and there are some advocates of good
roads" in the assembly who will ask
for this amount Of appropriation.
There is probably a larger number,
headed by Assemblyman Aulenbacher
of Washington county, who believe
that the maximum amount of state aid
to be granted should be 100000. An
amendment to the Woodland bill to &C.
complish this purpose has been offered
by Mr. Aulenbacher. This amendment
has the support Of Governor Philip,
who sent special memorandum to
the state affairs committee for an ap-
preparation of that amount.
The Indications are, judged by ac-
ton already taken in the assembly,
that there will be no radical changes
in the income tax law at this session
of the legislature. Two bills to change
the system of collection from a state
system administered by the state tax
commission, to a town system, under
which the town assessors would make
the assessment, have been killed in
the house One of these measures
was presented by Assemblyman Cret-
ney of Iowa county, a leader in the
home rule movement in the legisla-
ture, and the other by Assemblyman
T. A. Stewart, leading Democrat.
The assembly will take up this week,
however, the Grell bill which would
increase the rate of income taxation,
but would also raise the exemptions
SO as to put the state law in conform
ity with the federal statute.
The assembly taxation committee,
through it's chairman, Assemblyman
Harrington, has announced that it will
devote it's time to the preparation of
bill to require all tax receipts to
show the percentage of tax collected
for every purpose state, county,
town and school. The Scott bill on
this subject has already passed the
house, but it has been discovered that
because of the variation in the amount
of school tax collected in each district,
the proposed law will be cumbersome
to administer.