The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-15
MUCH INTEREST IN
TODAY'S HEARING
Many Bates Men Likely to
Appear in Support of
Measure
PEOPLE AT HOME
WITH GOVERNOR
Question Whether Legislature Will Pass
Measure Making Office of Highway
Commissioner Elective Doubtful One
-WOrIman's Compensation.
Especial to The Reformer.)
MONTPELIER, Feb. i

MONTPELIER, Feb. -.
Oycrshadowing everything else in in
terest and Importance around the state
house today is the public hearing set
for this afternoon on H-222, the bill
which would make the Office of highway
commissioner elective by the legislature
instead of appointive by the governor as
it is now. This was the bill introduced
i'm answer to Governor Hartness's declar-
alton that he would not reappoint Stod-
dard Bates az commissioner.
There is no one who cares to predict
what the developments at the public
hearing viii be, but indications are that
there will be many Bates men at the
bat as there was hardly sufficient notice
OF the meeting to allow people from any
distant point To come To Montpelier. and
1t is from the people away from Mont
pelier that the governor Is receiving his
maximum support.
That public opinion is strongly with
the governor is indicated by the remarks
OF representatives who have been home
over the weekend and have heard from
the people who sent them to MOnrBelier.
The words of one prominent member are
indicative of the situation. He said
I'm in Il mean situation. 'Stod' has
been good 10 us and my town The Sc
leCtmen want me To support him but the
people IN my town voted for HartnesS
and n good many of them tell me that
they want me To vote as they did /
don't like to have to make the choice
between Bates and the governor.
However. sooner or later the choice
will have TO be. made in some way or
other from all indications. There is no
| sign that the governor is weakening in
any degree. The public hearing this aft
ernoon will in all probability be strongly
anti HartneSs. In order that those who
uphold the executive NAV have an OPP
purtnnity 10 be heard it is probable that
another public hearing will be held,
/ probably Feb. D. If this second hear
| ing is called it will mean that no action
/ on the measure is contemplated until
after that date.
Adding to the complexity of the high
way tangie is the bin introduced in the
senate this morning by Senator Taylor
/ Of Caledonia county. which represents
quite a departure from the present ar
raneement 1t provides for the creation
/ of a state highway commission to be
1 composed of the highway commissioner
and six additional members appointed
+ by the governor to hold office for six
years. two of the memberships to be des-
ignated biennially.
The bin provides for classification
j Ai iHt highways INTO state roads. STATE
aid roads and town roads. The state
/ roads are to make a system of connected
main roads, the state-aid roads are those
/ well calculated to serve as feeders" oi
the state roads. while the town roads
shall include all other public highways
The state Is TO construct and maintain
at its own expense the state roads. j,
to give financial assistance to the towns
| building state-aid roads while the town,
will he financially responsible for tn,
town roads.
The house sat long beyond the noor
hour today to clean up its calendar :,
/ that the afternoon might be devoted Il
the public hearing on H-222. Among thu
81 bills introduced in the lower brancI
this morning, with AIr. Barber OF Brat
itiehoro in the speakers chair, was on,
from Mr.. SteaIns of Johnson to repea
/ the section of the general law relatin.
to the establishment of Il central norma
school. II was under this law that tn,
state board of education proceeded whei
it determined on burlington as tn,
proper site for central teacher trainin:
school of collegiate grade
/ The bill introduced by Mr.. Parmele
tof st. AlbanS 10 increase the amounts
paid to employees under the workmen'
compensation act was favored by TIN
house today after it had been amende,
in a considerable degree. Whereas Nj
Il Parmelee wanted SD a week the maxi
mum payment instead of the $3.50 tn
present law allows the house decided Il
make the maximum Sla week and tn
n q