River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-01-18

property shall be removed from the
tax roll. According to the report OF
the Commission that class of property
yielded $5,680,728 in taxes in 1915. In
view of the growing demand for public
I improvements, all of which will neceS
state the expenditure of large sums
of money, the state cannot afford to
reduce it's revenues. If the system is
changed and personal property is
exempt, the loss of revenue must be
made up in some other way and the
greater part will naturally fall upon
our real estate. Our income tax is al
ready high The same people who pay
the income tax to the state pay an in
come tax to the national government
and it would seem that the amount
that is now demanded from that class
of tax payers should not be further in
creased. To do SO would, in my judg-
ment, interfere with the industrial de-
velopment of our state.
Highways.
One of the most important subjects
that you are called upon to consider
during this session is the matter OF. de-
vising an economical and effective sys-
tenn of highway construction. The de-
mand for better roads is general. 1t
is, however, a project that involves
tremendous expenditure of money and
we should, therefore, approach it in a
spirit of conservatism. The size Of the
undertaking is best understood when
in
fact that the state has over 10000
miles of highways, the greater part of
which need to be rebuilt if we expect
to bring all of our public roads to a
satisfactory standard.
/ wish particularly to impress upon
you the necessity of making provision
for the proper maintenance of the
roads that are built. Nearly 5000
miles of state aid roads have been
built since the beginning of the state
aid system, at cost of about $16,000,-
900. No provision was made for the
maintenance of these roads, with the
result that sections which were built
two and three years ago are worn out
and the investments has, therefore,
been lost.
The Congress of the United States
has appropriated a sum of money to
aid the states in the construction OF
post roads. The total amount that will
come to our state from that source is
$1,925, 416. The appropriation covers
period of five years and is made avail
able in the following sums:
For the fiscal year 1916-17.. $12S.36l
For the fiscal year 1918 ........... 256'a22
For the fiscal year 1918-19.. ......... 385,OS3
For the fiscal year 1920. ......... 513,444
For the fiscal year 1920-21. ......... 64l,8O5
Under the provisions of the act
which appropriates these amounts the
aid from the government can be used
only for the purpose of construction
and no part of it can be used for pur-
chasing right of way, for engineering
cost, or any other preliminary work.
The law provides further that the
state must spend at least an equal sum
for the same purpose, the road must be
continuous, and must, therefore, be
part of a trunk line system, the plans
for which are subject to approval by
the United States Commissioner Of
Agriculture.
In order to secure federal aid it is
necessary for the state to undertake
the building of a system of trunk line
roads as a separate PROJECT and rec
ommend that you appropriate sum
of money for this purpose which will
equal the sums that will be contribut-
ed by the United States government.
Insomuch as the counties in which
these trunk lines will be located will
be especially benefited, recommend
further that you pass a law that will
require appropriations in an equal sum
by such counties, the same to be ap-
portioned among the counties upon a
mileage basis.
If this plan is followed we will ex-
pend over 100000 in the construc-
ton of federal aid roads in the next
five years. The appropriation passed
by the last legislature provides for an
annual expenditure of $785,OOO in state
aid. If we add the contributions made
by the counties and towns we will
spend over $12,OOO,O00 under that sys-
tenn during the same period. The
sums that I have named, plus the
money that is being expended by coun-
ties Independent of state aid, will give
our road building organization as
much work as it can intelligently sup
ervise.
Education.
The law which provides for the en-
ployment of supervising teachers in
our rural schools is beneficial and is
admitted by educators to be an adj
vance step in rural education. / be-
lieve, however, that we will improve
this service and the results that we
will derive from it if we require some
special training as qualification for
this position.
I also recommend that the minimum
salary fixed by law for rural school
supervising teachers be increased to
sum large enough oenab1e county
superintendent to compete with vii
will be a standard for the army, the
plans for which were secured from