The Ely miner., 1919-01-31
LEGISLATIVE LETTER
BY R. w. HITCHCOCK.
Representative 6Oth District.

and possibly on to Ely and thence to
Grand Marais.
This, briefly, is the proposed estate
Trunk Highway System" which will
be submitted to the people for .ad-
option as constitutional amend
ment in 1920. If the amendment is
adopted by the people, the state will
Immediately take over the mainte-
nance of all the roads in the system,
thus relieving the counties and town.
ships of all or any expense upon
these roads, and the state will also
begin at once to pave these roads.
Not all of them can be paved at
once, of course, but it is expected
that every mile of the more than
5000 miles of the State Trunk
Highway System viii be completely
paved in ten years.
Other features of the plan, for
which additional bills will be intro
duced, are these: It is expected
that federal aid will be available to
the extent of about $50, 900, 900; that
state bonds will be issued at the rate
of about $7,000,000 a year for ten
years when the paved construction
will be finished; that an average auto
tax of $18 per car, in lieu of all
other automobile taxes, will be levied
based upon horsepower, weight of
the car, price of the car and age of
the car; that this auto tax will pro-
vide all the necessary money to re-
tire the bonds, pay the interest on the
bonds, maintain the roads and leave
$50, 100000 in the State Trunk
Highway Fund when, at the end of
thirty years, the hast bond is retired,
that counties will be authorized to
bond in order to match federal aid
now available for the purpose of
laying paved roads Immediately over
some of the proposed State Trunk
roads, the counties to be repaid by
the state, after the constitution is
amended in 1920, for all expenses
they have been to to in such pay
ment.
This is the outline of the "Min.
nesota Plan" for good roadside
most extensive and comprehensive
plan ever proposed by any state in
the Union. Open hearings on this
plan will be held, the first on Wedpes-
day, Jan. 20, when county COM
missioners, town supervisors and all
others interested are invited to at
tend and assist in the discussion.
First Junket.
The first junket of the session.
junket for which the members
paid out of their own pockets-was
to the Northern Minnesota Editorial
association at Wadena last Friday.
A full carload of senator's and repre-
sentatives, including Speaker Nolan,
made the trip. Highway Com
missioner Babceck, Senator McGarry
and the writer spoke to the con-
yention on the good roads program.
A very interesting feature was an
hours thrilling talk by H. v. Jones
of the Minneapolis Journal on his
visit to the Western front.
Embarrassment of Riches.
Woman's suffrage has passed both
houses-and strangely enough, every
woman suffragist is thoroughly un-
happy. The federal plan carried in
the house by 100 to %. Then the
house promptly passed the Warner
bill for state suffrage by 96 to 30,
The larger part of the women work.
ing for suffrage at the capitol want
the federal plan but do not want the
state plan. They now have both
plans-and neither faction is hau-
py. All the range senators and rep-
resentatives voted for the state plan:
Representative Burrows and Murphv
voted against the federal plan.
Work Increases.
Committees are now hard at work
afternoons and evenings. Both SEN
ate and house will soon take to meet
ing twice day as the list of bills re.
ported by the committees grows.
Over 300 bills have been introduced.