Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1917-02-07
To Amend Road Law.

highway construction. The bill places
the final consent for such work under
the highway commission. Under the
existing laws the highway commission
cannot prevent county supervisors or
engineers from making cuts or fills
which change the grade of the road or
highway by at least 20 per cent 7
purpose of the section of the exist
ing law was to prevent the highway
commission from ordering excessive
cuts or fills, while permitting counties
to do the work il they so desired. The
county supervisors, advised by the
county engineer in several counties
have ordered enormous cuts and fills
and the commission has been power
less to refuse the specifications. The
measure passed the senate after an
interesting and somewhat acrimonious
discussion by vote of 27 to IS. Friends
of the retention of the state highway
commission aver that this vote fndi-
Gates the alignment in the senate on
the road question.
To Pension Teachers.
Two years ago Prof. Jacob G. Gray
son of Council Bluffs, member Of the
house introduced bill providing for
the pensioning Of school teachers un-
der certain restrictins endorsed by the
State Teachers Association. The bill
failed of passage. Representative
Shortess of Tama has introduced a
bill similar to the one that was re-
jected, but with the Objectionable fea-
lures eliminated. Senator Kimball will
introduce the bill in the senate.
Under provisions of the measure any
teacher who has served twenty-five
years or more may retire upon life
annuity Of $12 for each and every year
of service. Teachers who have served
twelve years or more may retire with
a similar annuity if mentally or phys
ically unable to continue teaching. No
annuity may. begin until the teacher is
50 years Of age, unless tor disability.
The bill requires every teachers who
retires under provisions of the pro-
posd law to contribute $500 to an ar
nuity fund, to be invested as other
school funds by the state and the in
,.orest from which. is to - die.-ih,ltea
among the penefcaries of the system.
Wants to Sell Ground in Capitol Ex.
tension.
Senator Ball Iofa the Jefferson-van
Buren, district has fathered a bill au-
thorizing the executive council to sell
six city blocks from the grounds in
cluded in the capitol extension. He
contends that it would still leave City
acres in the tract and he thinks that
is large enough. Representative Row
ley of Van Buren, has INTRODUCED a
similar bill in the house and Senator
Whitmore of Ottumwa is back OF q
measure that will cut off the tax levy
for improving the grounds to the ex-
tent planned. 1t would prevent the
levying of taxes aggregating $75o,o0O
in the next five years.
ChirOpractics are Busy.
That Chiropractic treatment of hu-
man ills must be legalized is tho raj
lying cry of the disciples Of that cult
The osteopaths made a fight for rec
orgnition few years ago and won OFT
The chiropractics have secured J. il
Patton, a prominent attorney of Grin
nell, to present their claims to the
proper committees and already some
of the most prominent practitioners Of
the state have been interviewing mem
bers of the legislature. Davenport is
the birthplace of this system Of treat
ment and the methods and principles
utilized have spread to about every
state. Hitherto the regular physicians
in the two houses have prevented re-
cognition.
Amending Insurance Law.
One of the most important pieces OF
legislation apparently is the insurance
law passed by the last general assem-
bly,. Several members of the house
and senate were elected on the issue
of repeal. Senator Caswell of the
N~or,fo,x9 IN ,,s.o, Nonora dict rict ho G
introduced q bill in the senate and
Representative Shortess of Tama has
introduced the measures In the house
which gives to the insurance commits.
sion the power to send out experts to
investigate complaints of unjust rates
fixed on individual cases by the rating
bureaus and to order new ratings il
the Investigations show them needed
The commissioner now has authority
to change the rating of whole classes
fof risks but not for individual case:
and most of the agitation against the
nti-discriminatory law comes from
cases of individuals who feel them
selves aggrieved and have been unable
to secure any satisfaction in their com
plants to the rating bureaus.
Bogus Seed Corn to BE Outlawed.
Senator Harry C.. White of the Ben
ton-Tama district is considering bill
which will provide for the prosecution
of seed c0mnanies selling seed not Ill