River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-07-12
FLOOD OF BILLS
. BARSADJOURNMENT
Legislature Will Have to Continue
Session Until the 18th
of July.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY WHITTET
Speaker Declares Measures Are in
Hands of Printer and Will Re-
qure Ten Days Before They
Can Be Given Governor.

Madison.-The discovery that up
wards of 100 bills are still in the hands
of the state printer, and that it VIII
require ten days time before these
measures can be presented to the gov
ernor to be passed upon, has sent a.
glimmering all hope Of the final adj
journment Of the legislature at an
earlier day.
Il do not think it will be possible to
have sine die adjournment Of the
legislature before July IA, SAID
Speaker Whittet on Friday. ''There
are upwards Of 60 assembly bills
which have not yet been sent to the
governor and, including the senate
bills, there are probably 40 additional
measures to be passed on by him. l
cannot see how it will be possible to
have an adjournment before another
ten days"
Nevertheless both houses are hold
ing nominal daily sessions, at when
the only business transacted IS the
sending of bills to the governor
through the committees on enrolment.
The perfunctory sessions of each
house are attended by three or four
members. s33..9& l 3s ss e 3s &c OFT
1.-THE legislature of 1917 was signal
ICED by the enactment Of more con-
structive highway legislation than has
been enacted at any session in years.
The joint highway committee OF the
two houses gave deep thought to high
way legislation and the three joint
committee bills which were enacted
mark very distinct advance over pre-
vious legislation"
Highways of the State.
This is the statement of A. E. Hirst,
engineer for the state highway COM
mission, in reviewing the highway
work of the legislature.
"The most important enactment
was the state trunk highway bill Chill
AIS, chapter 1859. This law was
enacted to enable Wisconsin to take
advantage of the law providing for
federal aid for roads, which federal
aid in the period from 1916 to 1920, in
elusive, totals nearly 100000. In
L.
highway commission shall lay out a
system Of 5000 miles Of main high
way, intercOnnecting every county
seat and city of over 5000 in popula-
| ton in the state. This system of roads
is called the state trunk highway sys-
! tenn and on it must be expended all
| construction funds amounting to
| $6,0OO,0O0) available from the federal
government, the state and the coun-
ties in 1915 1919 and 1920.
''The state and federal aid available
is divided between the counties, one
third on the basis Of area, one-third on
the basis Of road mileage and one
third on the basis of valuation. The
maintenance of this system after May
1, 1918, is to be performed by the
counties under the control of the state
highway commission, the funds for
the maintenance being provided from
automobile license fees, which also
furnish the states one-third share Of
the cost of construction.
'"This law, providing as it does a
comprehensive and well-laid out sys-
tenn of trunk lines, for the concentra-
ton of construction on this system,
and for the adequate maintenance CT
unimproved portions of the system
pending it's final reconstruction, should
give Wisconsin a system Of well main
tanned roads connecting every impor-
tant center of population. If well adj
ministered, Notwithstanding the fact
that the funds provided for cOnstruc-
ton in the next three years are by no
means adequate to complete the sys-
tenn, the law will produce tremen-
dous improvement in practically all of
the main lines of travel in the state
and will make them travelable with
safety and comfort by midsummer,
1913.
Must Spend Part on Trunk Lines.
Immediately upon the passage of
the state trunk line bill it became evil
dent that many of the towns and
| counties were deliberately abandoning
all projects for construction and main
tenance on roads which they assumed
would be on the state trunk system.
Money previously available for its
improvement under the state aid law
was moved to other roads in many
cases. The joint committee consid-
cred this matter and there was for
mulated and passed bill 650-S, which
| provides that one-half Of the state aid
funds available in each county must
hereafter be expended on the state
/ 20, cvSteTn unity this system is