Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-02-04
HIGH LICENSE
FOR TRUCKS
Senate Body Plans Higher Fee
for Autos That Carry
Freight.
HEAVY DAMAGE TO ROADS
Legislation to Be Enacted Limiting
Load Which Can Be Carried
To Ask Congress to Limit Mil
itary Appropriations.

MadisOn.-If the plans of the senate
highway committee are approved, an
increased license fee will be charged
for the. operation of motortrucl1s over
the highways of the state of Wiscon-
sin.
Senator Stedenmeyer Of Portage
county, member of the committee
on highways, announced on Monday
that special hearing would be given
one week from Wednesday on the mo-
tortruck situation. Governor Blaine
in his message to the legislature urged
legislative action, claiming that the
motortrucks were doing great damage
to the highways and that some ar
rangement must be made to lessen the
damage. Aside from the increasing
of license fees for motortrucks it is
likely that legislation will be passed
limiting the weight of load which mo-
tortrucks can carry over highways OF
the state.
The senate committee on state af-
fairs has recommended for passage the
Dennhardt resolution urging congress
to limit appropriations for military
purposes. Only one vote was cast in
opposition to the resolution by COM
mittee member.
Announcement is made of the APP
pointment of j. B. Morrissey as SUI
perintendent of public property for
Wisconsin. He will assume his new
duties on February 10. His home is
in Superior, where for 20 years he was
the general agent Of the Duluth, South
Shore & Atlantic railroad.
wisconsin automobile drivers will be
required to pass a competency test be-
fore being permitted to operate their
cars, if a licensing system proposed in
a bill soon to be drafted by Senator
George L. Buck OF Racine is enacted
into law.
A licensing system similar to that in
operation in several states will be in
troduced by the Racine senator. 1t is
aimed at. reckless driving and at curb
ing the number of accidents which are
said to have resulted from incompe-
tent handling of automobiles. Care
less driving on the part of licensed
person would result in withdrawal of
the license by the court, which would
also impose a fine Licenses would be
renewed yearly.
The proposed Wisconsin law would
provide that any person over specific
age, which will likely be set at sixteen
years, would be required to make ap-
plication for a license to the county
clerk. After he had demonstrated his
ability to handle car his application
would be sent to the secretary of state,
who would then grant him license
separate and distinct from the regular
automobile license which would con-
tinue to be required.
Local authorities would control ac-
lions of the driver through the license.
Should he prove reckless or incompe-
tent his license could be revoked for
the year. 1t would be renewed yearly
on request. Senator Buck believes that
his plan would give automobile drivers
more reason to be careful and would
be the mort practical method of re-
will also propose that all automobiles
must be insured against accident His
compulsory insurance bill would re-.
duce the amount of litigation that re-
suits from accidents, he said.
Male persons only, as. provided by
statute, will continue to be employed
in the Wisconsin legislature. A move
to extend equal rights to women was
forestalled when the author of bill
permitting employment Of women by
the legislature agreed to withdraw his
measure.
Assemblyman F. ]. Peterson of Mil
waukee introduced the bill which
would strike out the provision of the
statutes which restricts legislative en-
nloyment to men. After consultation
with Chief Clerk Shaffer, who has been
holding his position since 1907, Mr..
Peterson decided to withdraw his pro-
posed legislation.
A free textbook bill which has been.
the bone of contention in many of the
recent sessions of the legislature is
again before the body. in the form af
a bill offered by Asemblyman e. II,
Johnson, Frederic.
The new bill provides that every
board of education or district board
shall purchase at the expense of the
city, town or village district, such text
books as are used in the grades below
the high schools under their jurisdic-
fion This would not include the
parochial schools of the state.
Governors Salary Bill.