The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-02-19
BILL KILLING
HIGHWAY BODY
is DEFEATED
Good Roads Supporters Rally
and Defeat House Bill No.
233 with Margin
"CLINCHER" PUT ON
Future Discussion Prevented
Good Roads Program in
Senate to be Pushed
"CLINCHER' PUT ON
AMEND BILLS

AMEND BILLS
The senate highways commit
tee, considering the good roads
program bills agreed generally
on senate bill No. AS, with num-
er0us amendments raising fees
on auto trucks and commercial
taxis, making trucks generally
$40 and $50 and commerciali
taxis 80 cents per passenger
carrying capacity in addition to
the regular fees; and cut the
proposed allowance for highway
commission expenses from $751;
600 a year to $150,OOO the amount
now given.
In S. B. 46 it removed the
provision that counties would
get back money already spent
on federal aid roads.
S. b. Al was approved. This
bill changes the highway COM
mission from five members to
three, making the three appoint
ed by the Governor.
With many amendments the
program, bills will go before the
senate. The principle of state
highways is approved.
Impending defeat was turned into
victory by supporters of state high
ways building when house bill No.
233 was killed in the house night
session Saturday night.
The bill, which commanded one
vote more than necessary for pass.
age in general orders Friday, was
defeated by &C noes to AZ ayes, with
five absent. The bill would have
abolished the highway commission
and declined federal aid
One Cass county representative
and the Pembina county delegation
turned solidly against the bill, al
though most of the eastern county
delegations stuck for it.
Rep Harrington, Burleigh, imme-
diatey moved the "clincher mo-
tion," which carried, and revival of
the bill prevented.
The way is now clear for good
roads supporters to push their leg
1S'oSiNS piOS "HlCH has Dceu ly-
ing in the senate for three weeks
to a showdown on the question of
creating a system of exclusive state
highways.
Debate is Brief
Debate on house bill No. 233 was
brief, because of exhaustive debate
the previous day.
Rep. Walker, Oliver county, al
though supporter of the bill, was
the first speaker, reading affidavits
which he said refuted statements
of Rep. Twichell, Cass county, to
the 'effect that surplus war trucks
were sold to contractors for 5000
apiece. Rep. Walkers affidavit claim
ed pSbfit of $1,812.OO on several
trucks sold to the Northern Con-
struction Company of Grand Forks,
the price ranging around $4OO. The
affidavit signed by A. w. Leuhrs and
J. Galloway, claimed loss of $9S. so
on two trucks sold ]. A. Jardine
Contracting Company, Fargo. There
were no otherI sales to contractors,
the affidavit said.
The trucks were surplus war
equipment.
Rep. Twichell, replying, declared
one of the complaints as the sale
of trucks which cost somebody about
$4,000 a piece to contracting COM
panies for $500 to $4O0.
He declared that any one who
knows about road building, knew
that the system of township and
county road building had failed, and
that "the county hasn't got anything
to show for it's expenditures unless
it has a federal aid road.
Retorting to Mr.. Twichell he said
that, 81 haven't the collateral in
terest in this that my frined from
Cass county has"
Says County System Failed
Rep. Sagen, who said he came to
North Dakota in N1s79. also declared
that the township system of build
ing roads failed, the county system
failed and the state system was
found necessary.
Rep. Vogel, Mclean county, said
that "these federal roads are ali
right but they cost too much" and
/ that they were built from town to
town to benefit the tourist and not
the farmer.
Rep. Paul Johnson, Pembina, op-
posing the bill and pointing to the
advantage of federal aid, said:
"When ever would you have had this
Missouri river bridge, the finest
thing in the state, if it wasn't for
federal aid"
Rep. Boyd, Cass county and the
only member Of his delegation to
vote against the bill, explained his
vote saying that 1--WE have a chance
during the next three or four years
to get nine million dollars in the
state through federal aid. "Why
should we turn it down, when we
have in all our platforms asked our
members of the United States Sem
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