The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-17
SENATE NOTES

The Barr good roads bill. introduced
in the senate by Barr of Bourbon, is
known the administration good
roads measures. 1t is a codification or
all the road laws of the state and Iur-
nishes framework for an improved
road system. The bill segregates the
county road levy from the bridge levy
and creates state highway commits
sion. consisting of the governor. dean
of the State Agricultural college, and
the secretary of the state board OF ag-
riculture. This body is authorized to
provide for a state engineer.
Under the terms of the bill the
state commission has general super
vision over all of the roads of the state,
but gives the county engineer, who
is 20 be appointed by the board of
county commissioners. supervision
over the township roads. The board
of county commissioners, under the
supervision of the state highway com-
mission, lays out system of county
roads, the number of miles of which
depend largely upon the number of
miles of roads in the county.
The law also creates a township
highway commission, consisting of the
trustee. clerk ard treasurer of the
township. 1t provides for a levy of
from one-ha1f to two mills for county
road purposes, and three mills for
township road purposes. This does not
include the bridge levy. which IS sep
I
posed bill.
| The bill also provides that any levy
over TWO mills shall be submitted to
a vote OF the people of the county.
| In creating the state highway COM
| mission and revising the system of
county roads already designated, it is
| hoped to secure uniform system of
county roads and intercounty roads
1 connecting county seats. A map fur
/ nished by the state engineer of all the
1 county roads in the state shows that
in each county there are from two to
ten of what is called dead -ends," or
! county roads that are started out of
the county seat and go nowhere, not
connecting with county roads running
out to county lines from other coun-
ty seats. Under this system the state
would secure a uniform system of well
! connected roads.
The proposed bridge bill. which has
/ not yet been introduced, will proba bly,
[ provide for a levy of two mills. with
/ twenty per cent added as contingent
/ fund to take care of emergencies but
| would only apply to reconstruction
work made necessary by floods or 9TH
err unusual things 1t also provides for
taking care of bridges costing more
than ten thousand dollars.
Legislative recognition of the dan
gers from infantile paralysis is taken
in bill introduced in the senate by
! M1lligan of Anderson. The measure
places the disease among those labeled
as communicable and provides for
the quarantine of cases discovered by
health authorities. The Milligan bill
makes it mandatory upon health Of
ficers to follow given plans in taking
care of cases, providing for a fine OF
from s25 to $500 for failure to obey
the law.
A system of fees to be charged by
the public utilities commission for
making certified copies of parts OF
its records is provided for in a bill
, introduced in the senate by Kimbal
of Labette. The idea is to aid in
making the commission partially self
sustaining.
, : The receivership bill introduced il
the senate by Kimball of Labette does
not take away from the courts the
: power of appointing receivers for de-
funct public utilities but it leaves then
: without discretion in the matter. The
bill provides that when application fol
a receiver is made to a court, this
court shall notify the public utilize:
commission. The commission would
then make an eXhaustiv e investigation
of the affairs of the utility and il
justifiable would report back to the
court and suggest the receiver to be
appointed by the court.