The Ely miner., 1919-01-31
st. Paul, Jan. %, 1919.

The fire swept district of North
ern Minnesota gets the relief it
needs-$1,8 $4,000. Both senate
and house committees on appropri-
ations were hostile when, first ap-
preached for the demands made on
this legislature are already enormous
and the legislature will appropriate
more money than at any previous
session in the history of the state
but a public hearing in the senate
chamber at which Senator Besette
and the writer presided jointly and a
hearing before the two appropria-
tion committees the following day
won over all opposition. The state
will issue certificates Of indebtedness
for the amount, the certificates to run
five years and one-fifth of mill will
be levied each year to provide funds
to repay the amount. The bill, when
prepared by the Attorney General,
will be introduced in the senate by
Senator Bessette and in the house
by the writer.
Salary Bills.
The St. Louis county delegation
has been organized with Senator
Adams as chairman and Represent
ative Erickson as secretary. It's, a
pauper bunch and doesn't need a
treasurer. Senator Boylan, Rep.
Bernard and myself were named as a
committee to report on all salary in
creases for county officers.
Paved Roads Bill Taking Shape.
The house committee on highways
has begun consideration of the
Minnesota Plan" for q system of
over 5000 miles of paved highways
to met the imperative needs of rap
idly increasing truck and automobile
traffic. The highway commissioner
c. d. Babcock, has submitted bill
for a constitutional amendment
which creates a ''Trunk Highway
System" The bill specifies the ex-
act roads which shall be taken over
by the state and forever improved
and maintained by the state; author
ICES q state bond issue and provides
for the taxing Of automobiles, to pay
back the bond issue and maintain
the roads, The tax on automobiles
is expected to average $18 per car
and will be In lieu Of all other taxes.
There are SO trunk routes pro-
vided for in the bill. No. / runs
from Albert Lea north through Owa-
tona, Fairibault, st. Paul, Pine City,
Hinckley, etc to Duluth and on to
Two Harbors and Grand Marais.
No. 2 runs from Duluth west through
Carleton, Aitkin, Brainerd to Moor
head. No. 8 begins at Lacrosse,
Wis, and runs north along the river
in Minnesota to st. Paul then north
west to St. Cloud, Alexandria, Fer
gus Falls and Breckenridge etc.,
etc. Other routes which are of par
ticular interest to Northern Min
nesota are the following: No. 8
from Duluth through Floodwood,
Grand Rapids, Cass Lake, Bemidji,
Crookston to East Grand Forks;
No. 35 from Aitkin north to Grand
Rapids, Hibbing, Virginia and on to
Ely: No. IL from Duluth north to
Virginia, Orr, International Falls,
thence west to Beaudette. Warroad
and Donaldson; No. A beginning at
the Iowa line south of jackson and
runs north through Redwood Falls,
Sauk Center, Long Prairie, Itasca
State Park, Bemidji and on to Inter-
national Falls; Ne. runs almost
straight nerth from Minneapolis
through Mora and McGregor to Swan
River.
II 10 expected that the bill as pro-
posed will be amended so as to pro-
vide routes from Deer River to In
ternational Falls, Bemidji, via Kel-
liner to international Falls and an
east and west road from Red Lake
east to Northome, Bear River, Cook