The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-05-09
centraIize Road Building Authority.

/ TO centralize authority and RESPONSE
bility to procure uniformity in road
! building and maintenance, and TO re-
duce the number Of town highway su-
! perintendents, road bosses or pathmas-
! ters from 10000 to 1,200-One only for
| each t0wnship-are the principal OBJ
| jects of Senator HansenS bill, No.
! 474-S which recently passed the upper
| house unanimously and is to come up
! before the assembly at an early date.
| These town superintendent have
| control Of town highways only. Under
! their direction about 100000 is being
! spent annually.
"Everybody's business is nobody's
! business" said Senator Hansen. 1T is
! hard to find the person responsible for
! bad pieces of road with 50 many high
way officials. Eastern, western and
southern states have wiped out small
road district policy. Extreme local
| highway administration of road build
| ing must yield TO town, county and
! state control, if we want TO get 81
/ worth Of good road for every collar OF
! tax"
! The bill repeats provisions of the
/ statute giving town boards the power
| to select one or more superintendent
of highways.
To Elect Superintendent.
Provides for election Of superintend-
ents of highways at spring election.
! Requires the state highway commits
| sOin on request to furnish engineering
| counsel and advice TO town Superin-
| tendents of highways.
| Provides: First, for the election in
| April, 1913, of town superintendent
| Of highways, term OF office two years;
! second, on petition of % taxpayers, the
town clerk requires submission at
| April election of the question as TO
whether or not town boards may ap-
point superintendent Of highways.
Prescribes somewhat in detail duties
of town superintendent of highways.
| Outlines method of accounting and
reporting by superintendent of high
| ways.
! Gives town boards authority to pay
| expense for use of an auto truck by
! town superintendent of highways not
| in excess of $500 a year.
| Salary of superintendent of high
ways to remain as now fixed at $3.50
per day, unless raised by town board.
Superintendent Of highways TO be
under the supervision and direction Of
| town board
| Farmers Win Big Victory.
he 60, e tot n
| very decided victory when the lower
house of the Wisconsin legislature sent
| to engrosSment and then passed under
q suspension of the rules the J. &.
| Hanson bill giving the railroad COM
mission power to pass on the question
| of railroad sites for warehouses. At
| the present time the granting of rail
road sites is entirely within the discre-
| ton of the railroad company. The
| Farmers Equity society, with 404 ship
| ping places in the state, petitiOned the
! legislature to pass q bill giving this
power to the Wisconsin railroad COM
mission The bill was reported for in
| definite postpOnement by the assembly
committee on transportation. After
| full explanation of the matter the
house. by vote of IS to 3, overturned
the committee report. engrossed the
| bill and passed it.
| Recess to Plant Corn.
Plans are being made by members
of the assembly for nominal sessions
in that body for the week of May Z
to IL in order to give the farmers an
opportunity to plant corn. This ques-
ton of an oStensible recess of the AS
sembly was discussed by the body.
Some of the members favor the recess
for the week of April SO to May Z.
II do not think we should take a
recess next week." declared Assembly
man Weston Woodland of Chippewa
county, one of the leading farmer men,
bers. 1--WE do not need help in seed
ing as much as we do In planting corn.
For this reason I do not believe the
| assembly should take nominal adj
jnurnment until the week commencing
May T."
Many of the farmer members, how
ever, have asked for leaves of abb
sence during the present week and
| the probability is that for the next
two weeks the attendance in the as
sembly will be much smaller than
| usual. Over One-thrid of the assembly
Is composed Of farmers.
According to the records, the assem-
bly, is about two weeks in advance of
the senate in legislative work accom-
plished. The assembly worked Easter
week while the senate remained at
home.
Should absence be granted to the
farmer members for the week of May
the assembly will still be in session
| but will consider only bills of smaller
| Importance.
The first step toward carrying out
| the plank of the Republican party plat
| form fayoring a legislative investiga-,
| ton of the subject of social insurance
| will probably be advanced. The as
sembly committee on education and
| public welfare has recommended for
! passage the Chapple joint resolution
/ calling for the appointment Of a joint
committee of the legislature to inves-
| tigate the subject This resolution
provides that committee consisting