Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-02-10
foMMiTTEE REPORTS CHASE
\ HIGHWAY BILL FOR iNDEF-
MITE PosTPoNEMENr.
W.T. REcoMMENp FORTY
FEET As MINIMUM WIDTH
Senator Balksma AnaIyxss Pitt John
stem Road Dill and Declares II Weak.
80 Measurs Than One Advocated BY
Rsaetionariss Two Ysars Aso--Irter-s
!. ct II Hishwat legislation.
Special to Tines Republlcan.

s Les MONIES, Feb. 10. - Narrowing
sTowa's roads from sixty-six feet to fifty
\ ut as provided in a bill by Senator
Chase, Of Hamilton county will not be
permitted by the senate committee on
highways Of the Iowa legislature If the
committee can help 1t. The bill will be
reported out for indefinite postpone
ment today.
The committee will report out for
lpassage a bill by Representative Wen
Strand, Of Page county which will fix
iorty feet as the minimum width which
my road can have instead Of thirty
ftfet as Is permitted under the present
INV.
fSenator Nicholas Balkema, Of Sioux
sbpunty, chairman Of the senate high
Nays committee, fs analyzing the Pitt
Winston road bill as originally drafted
lid the house. He declares that 1t Is a
Weaker law than the one proposed two
Vars ago by the Johnston crowd.
This bill as it is now proposed
pnld absolutely nullify all of the aid
Antages Of the present highway COM
ii1ssion law" said Senator Balkema
Yesterday. 1.-The highway commission
under the proposed law would have
lily supervisory powers. He would be
n pected to do the drainage work of
!e state but the funds at his command
2Nbuld be entirely inadequate to do the
itNk."
YThe bill is still being held up in the
luse committeeman may be amended
tther before it is reported out on the
N for Of the house. The friends Of the
have claimed right along that they
1Esned to pc sure off enough votes &c
t3ss their highway measure before
Eanging 1t out for passage.
t3nterest in the highway law contin-s
fls to be uppermost in sthe minds Of
Me legislators. It is being confidently
NEGLECTED that, the Pitt-Johnston bill
sNJll never pass THE senate even il it
Mould get blythe. house ana there it
3ylll have a hard fight for Its life. On
Me house side McFarlane, OF Black
awk, and EiWood, OF Howard, are
aiding the opposition to the anti
4 tghway oonmission crowd. Their
lction Is ven organized and includes
II pine Of the strong floor leaders in the
,ouse.
Anti Cisarst Law Safe.
An effort to repeal the present anti
|s,igaret law appears to be doomed to
sEefeat Senator Rule, OF Cerro Gordo
Ii0unty, introduced such measure in
Rhes senate Of the Iowa legislature mot
fbng since but his bill Will be reported
Out for indefinite postponement by the
,renate judiciary committee today. Sen
ator Rules bill would have permitted
che sale Of cigarets to adults but would
license the dealer.
'SA bill will be introduced by Senator
ktmball providing for the sale of the
old lake bed Of Swan Lake, in Emmett
county. which has been drained. The
ways and means COMMITTEES will report
to the senate q statement as to the
states work In making surveys and
draining lake beds as authorized by
the Thirty sixth general assembly. The
state has received from the sale of lake
beds $37.055J35., It has issued drainage
bonds to the amount of $2s.43426. The
cost Of surveys has amounted to $751;
1868. II the Swan Lake bed is sold
the money will be used to take up these
drainage bonds.
There are now several insurance
bills both In the house and senate bear
ing on the state FIRE rating law which
will be Withdrawn and their provisions
embodied into one law If the plan of
the house committee on insurance is
carried out. At a meeting held yester
day afternoon subcommittee was
appointed by the house insurance COM
mittee to confer with sub insurance
committee from the senate on this
matter. The idea is to draw up one
bill which will be able to knock out the
present anti discriminatory fire insur-
ance rating law.
Harding Signs Dry Amendment.
The joint resolution providing for
the submission OF the prohibitory
amendment to a vote Of the people has
been signed by Governor, Harding and
yesterday was delivered to the secre-
tary Of state to be filed with the meas
ures passed by the Thirty gem
eral assembly.
= = III Z he amendment was passed by the
senate and house in the form approved
by the attorney general. In the meas
.ure no date was fixed for the election.
e The temperance forces have asked for
Ii special election to be held Oct. 10,
dD17, at which the amendment will be
passed upon by the voters "a bill au-
thorizinE the election on this date has
been introduced in the senate by Sen
ator Wilson. author Of the amendment.
The bill now u N charge Of the COM
naittee on constf tutionalA amendments
and will be reported out for action by
the senate next week.
81 Senator Wilson does not contemplate