Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1923-05-16
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Legislature ~

ate, without recommendation as to
passage, the highway committee bills
to raise highway revenues for the BIZ
ennium, as well as the Polakowski
bill framed for the same purpose.
The committee will limit it's state
ment on the bills to an expression of
the view that the measures will raise
the amounts for which they were de-
signed. 1t will leave to the legisla-
ture the task of approving or reject
ing the policies underlying the meas
ures.
1t is said the committee did not
wish to vote on the measures because
an informal discussion revealed that
only two or three Of the IA members
favored the weight tax feature. This
feature was recommended by Gov.
Blaine as the basis for raising high
way revenues.
There is little prospect that with
this kind of report, either the high
way committee bills or the Polakowski
bill will pass the senate. They are
expected to be killed within a few
days
That the committee will finally
turn to the Caldwell bill which has not
yet been referred to it for considera-
ton, is predicted as a result of it's
deliberations. The Caldwell bill does
not include the weight tax. 1t raises
$5,272,500 through a registration tax,
under which autos pay $40 fee as
at present; $3,250,000 by a 2-cent
gasoline tax, and $4,4O9000 through
per cent valuation tax, known as
a privilege tax, which takes the place
of the present personal property tax
1t returns half of the receipts from
the privilege tax to the local units,
leaving to the state net receipts Of
$10,487, 900 to meet federal aid require
ments and carry forward the state
program.
FaVors Guard Heads Pay Cut
Removal of the adjutant generals
office from Madison to the military
reservation at Camp Douglas was fav-
ored by the assembly when it voted
AZ to II, to engross the Price bill. In
addition to changing the location of
the adjutant generals office, the
measure reduces his salary from
$4,000 annually to $4,000 and provides
for a consolidation of the subordinate
offices of the department. The salary
cut would affect the new appointee of
the governor, Ralph Immell, as head
of the guard.
Assemblyman Clinton G. Price, au-
thor of the bill, declared he would
offer an amendment transferring all
historical records of the adjutant gen
erals office to the state historical
library.
Mr. Price defended his bill on the
ground that it would result i'll a say.
ing to the state of more than $4,000
annually. There was no open opposi-
ton.
Nearly 1900 Bills Introduced
With nearly 1900 bills now before
it for consideration, the legislature
has finally put stop to Introduction
of new measures and will devote it's
entire time to disposing of pending
proposals. More than 700 bills have
been introduced in the assembly and
400 in the senate.
A joint resolution has been adopted
making it impossible to introduce new
measures except by unanimous con.
sent of both houses. This makes adj
ditional bills almost impossible.
Now that tax legislation is tying up
important finance committee bills and
forcing the legislature to withhold ac-
ton on many subjects of legislation,
the older members expect that at least
six weeks will be required to clean up
the business. This will bring sine die
adjournment not sooner than the mid
die Of July. The number of bills in
troduced during the present session
is slightly larger than two years ago,
when the legislature adjourned sine
die July Is.
Want Cities to License Buses
A bill to give every Wisconsin
municipality power to license all
motor vehicles operated within its
limits aimed to allow licensing of
automobile busses to and for deteri-
Grafton of pavements, is before the
lower house of the legislature.
Assemblyman o. G. Olsen, Milwau.
kee socialist, introduced the bill,
which was drawn up by Mayor Daniel
w. Hoan of Milwaukee.
The bill provides that mo motor
vehicles shall be operated upon the
public street or highways of any city,
village or town, until local consent
therefor is procured"
Such local consent can be secured
subject to reasonable conditions.
which may include compensation for
the repair and maintenance of pave
ments and bridges, and regulation of
street traffic
Another provision provides that any
municipality may own, manage or OBJ
crate its own lines.
The senate judiciary committee has
introduced q hill nrovidinc, +L,+ ,,ro,