Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-05-07
ADDS $500 MILES
TO ROAD SYSTEM
Trunk Highway Bill Passed by the
Senate.
STATE ROAD TAX TO FOLLOW
Recent Extra Appropriation by Con-
gress Makes 1t Necessary for State
to Increase MiIeage-LegisIa-
ture to Provide Funds.

Madison.-The past week the trunk
highway bill, providing for the addi-
ton of $500 miles of the additional
trunk system, was passed under sus-
pension of the rules In the senate. At
the present time the Wisconsin trunk
highway system has a mileage OF 5,OQo
miles. but owing to the recent extra
appropriations by congress 1t has been
necessary for the state to increase the
mileage and the legislature will also
be called upon to increase the state
aid. Following the bill for the In
crease of mileage will come bill for
state tax for highway purposes.
The Pullen bill which creates the
Office of state humane agents to CO.
operate with county humane societies
and with jurisdiction over territory
In which no societies exist was passed.
The bill carries an appropriation of
$1,000 annually for the expenses of the
new department. The senate concurred
in the Conner bill, IA TO 6, establishing
Frances Willard day on September IS
as an occasion to be observed in school
exercises. The amendment providing
that any school with fewer than ten
pupils be closed and their pupils trans
ported to neighboring schools was
killed It is claimed that the bill
would have closed about one tenth of
the rural schools Amendments were
adopted to make it less drastic, but
the senate even then declined to ap-
prove it.
Senator a. J. Severson, lola, won a
signal legislative victory for new
member in the senate when, by vote
of 10 TO IA, the body adopted the Sew
erson amendment to the income tax
secrecy clause and sent the bill to en-
grOssment Reconsideration was re-
fused, which places the measure be-
yond the amendment stage. Two
amendments TO the secrecy bill were
pending. One placed a limited inspec-
ton on the returns, with heavy penal
ties for divulgng the information The
SeversOn amendment would allow in
spectiOn of income tax returns by any
member of the legislature, or any city
board, the attorney general of the
state, when such inspection is made in
the public interest 1t permits the use
of the returns "as evidence in any ac-
ton pending in a court of record"
The SeversOn amendment was
adopted, 10 to Il, after the measure
had been favored in an address by Sen
atOr SeversOn and opposed by Senator
l. P. Witter, Grand Rapids.
For the Severson amendment-An-
derson, Arnold, Boyer, Bilgrien, Burke,
Conant, Dennhart, Huber, Kleist, Oh
son, Severson, Schultz, Staudenmayer,
Wilcox and Zumach-15.
Against the amendment-Benfey
Bennett, Buck, Clark, Cunningham,
Fons, Kuckuk. Mulberger, Nye, Peter
son. Roethe, Stevens, Wilkinson and
Witter-14.
Severson said that his amendment
was not as limited in application as
the committee amendment. He be-
lieved the measure he had offered
would aid in uncovering the tax dodg-
ers. He said that the committee
amendment sis joke, because it
would punish a man who made the in
formation public" He read letters that
convinced him that this inspection was
needed and declared that he was con-
WINGED that the state was being robbed
of about half of its income tax return
by the present secrecy clause.
Witter made the only speech in OPP
position. He said that he was opposed
to removing the cloak of secrecy be-
cause it would injure business An
attempt was made to put a call OF the
house on and to lay the bill over. 1t
was finally adopted and on final en-
grossment the vote was IS to IL. This
indicates that the secrecy repeal bin
will pass the senate and will be up for
consideration in the house soon.
IT have been surprised at the senti-
ment in the state in favor of an cleo
tive railroad commission, and l believe
that the bill will pass the senate" said
Senator II. Z. R0ethe in statement
"I have had letters from all over the
state in favor of the plan and in some
districts petitions are being circulated
in favor of the idea
Senator Roethe said he was sur
prised at the number Of senators who
had come to him and told him they in
tended to vote for the bill. Under the
terms of the measure a commissioner
would be elected every two years at
the spring election.
Red Flag Bill Is Passed.
The red flag bill battle was fought
over again in the assembly and passed.
oIa-I, x,+o- IL