The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1917-02-07
GOV. HARDlNG'S
SPECIAL MESSAGE
Asks for Special Committee to Revise
and Report on Existing Tax
and Revenue Laws.
TO AMEND THE ROAD LAW
Senator HoIdoegei Introduces Bill for
Prevention Of Deep Cuts and Fills
in Highway Construction.
(By J.W Jarnagin)

DES MOlNES, Feb. 3-The past
week was largely given over to the
Consideration Of, bills by committees
Interest centers in a highway bill soon
to be presented by Chairman John
ston's committee which is said to
eliminate objections to the Johnston
bill two years ago. 1t is said to de
clare in favor of accepting the money
proffered by the government, but il
replaces the highway commission by
substituting a state engineer. The
bill is carefully drawn by a sub-com
mittee and will pass censorship by a
caucus of those opposed to the high
way commission before it is intro
duced. ~- :.
Gov. Hardins's Special Message.
Friday noon in the presence of a
joint session of both houses Gov. Hard
ing read his first appeal to the general
assembly. He asked the appointment
of special committee to revise and
report on existing tax and revenue
laws; similar committee to investi
gate, state, municipal and county gov
ernment, and to report its recommen
dations of laws to eliminate overlap
ping authority, useless work, unneces
sary expense and needless offices and
officials; the appointment of com
mission to revise the code; an apprO
priation of 100000 under his personal
control to check the report soon to be
made by the interstate commerce com
mission fixing valuation on all rail
roads in the United States; awrns as
sembly that suffrage amendment
should receive careful consideration
and asks the legislature to complete
pressing legislation, including road
law revision and to adjourn ifor sixty
days, to meet then to adopt the recon-
mendations of the three committees to
be appointed in lien with his sugges
tionS.
After the Cemenk Trust.
Weaver of Polk, claiming to have
evidence conclusive that combina
tion of cement dealers have boosted
the price 81 per cent within a year and
exActed cone sssions. and restytctl lcHj
s,ss e*sRass pHslis 4s Ssifag. Sss sasalSs
ed q Joint resolution which provides
that the attorney general be directed
to inquire into the existence of any
combination to maintain cement prices
and to inquire as to whether there are
! sought to be imposed illegal restric
tions by cement manufacturers in re
straint of trade and in violation Of
law and public policy, and to report
his conclusions to the general assem-
bly, by written opinion and in the
event such combination and restric
ti6ns are found to proceed with the
! prosecution of the guilty parties.
Convert County High School lnko
State Normal. ...
The only county high school in the
state is at Panora, Guthrie county
The buildings, equipment and grounds
are valued at 100000. Foster in the
senate and Reed in the house have in
troduced bills offering this property 6
free gift to the state on condition thai
normal school be established and
that $4,000 year for support be pro
vided. d
Measures Now Pending.
A large number of bills have beer
introduced in both houses. Among
the more important the past week may
be named the following: Increasing
per diem of members of boards of su
pervisors to $40; increasing salary o
supreme judges from $4,000 per veal
to $500 per year, and increasing sal
ary of district judges from $3,5OO tt
$4,000; requiring issuance OF number
plates for auto license annually after
Jan. 1, 1919; amending consolidated
school election laws so that towns ant
all outside territory vote separately
on proposition; making titles more
than tewnty-two years established in
-contestable; fixing penalty OF $500 OF
six months Imprisonment for issuing
checks upon banks where party has nj
account or insufficient funds, If inten
is to defraud; placing moving picture
shows under censorship, subjectine
them to being deemed a nuisance tt
be abated by Injunction; repeating the
anti-cigarette law and providing fol
the licensing Of the sale of cigarette!
and cigarette papers,; making deput!
county superintendent appointive b!
the county superintendent with a
proval of the board of supervisors ant
providing for fixing OF deputy's salar!
by the superintendent; maximum houl
bill for women. limiting their work tt
ffty-four hours a week, not to be more
than ten hours a day; establishing al
eight-hour day for laborers in the EN-
UlOy VI lllc SCdtS VI dAy VI 40 pollIASel
divisions; appropriating $4,000 TO
the establishment and maintenance o
a child welfare station at Iowa City
permitting banks to loan on real es
tate up to SO per cent OF capital ant
surplus; establishing teachers anr!u
ity system and appropriating $15O,OO'
therefor.
To Amend Road Law.
Senator HoldOegel of the Calhoun
Webster district has introduced a bill
that has for its object the prevention
of excessively deep cuts and fills il
highway construction. The bill place
the final consent for such work unde
the highway commission. Under tn
existing laws the highway commission
cannot prevent county supervisors o
engineers from making cuts or fill
which change the grade of a road o
highway by at least 20 per cent. TIL
=, purpose of the section of the existing
flaw was to prevent the highway com
: .t p.