The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1933-02-03

Proposals for a slash in automobile
taxes for this year precipitated dis
pute between Secretary of State Mike
Holm and Highway Commissioner N.
w. Elsberg over financial needs of the
state highway department. Appearing
before the house motor vehicles COM
mittee, Elsberg warned that the so per
cent slash approved recently by the
senate motor vehicles committee would
wreck development plans of the de-
partment. No new roads could be
added, he said, nor could the three
large cities expect portion of the
highway fund for upkeep of streets
designated as trunk highways. Holm,
however. stepped forth with series
of figures setting out that the propos-
ed so per cent slash would in no way
impair the highway department. He
claimed it would leave it more than
$6,000,000 for new construction after
all other needs had been financed.
The so per cent slash, he asserted.
would mean but a 100000 reduc-
tion in the highway income.
The committee voted out favorably,
Senator A. j. Rockne's proposal to
collect $2,76S,000 from the state high
way fund to reimburse the state rev.
enue fund for expenditures in collect
ing automobile taxes. Senator Rock.
mes proposal was amended by the
committee to spread the payments
over an eight-year period.
The finance committee took first
steps to comply with resolution pro-
posing a study of the state teachers
college system to determine whether
part of the equipment might be IT'LL
lied to house state wards. The reso-
luton, presented by Senator Charles
N. Orr, st. Paul, emphasized the
growing needs of the state board of
control and the cost of sponsoring the
teachers colleges, which the resolution
states, compete with privately en-
dowed institutions.
State aid for teachers training de-
partments and all Minnesota high
schools would be discontinued and the
departments abolished under bill in
troduced in the house by Representa-
tives H. L. Wahlstrand of Willmar,
William F. Ost, New York Mills, and
Is others. Passage of the measure
would mean saving of upwards of
S250,000 to the state, Wahlstrand said.
1t would effect a cut of about $4,000
for each of SO schools now receiving
state aid for their teachers training
department.
Heartened by the success of seeing
one primary election change passed by
the house, Representative Mark Nolan,
Gilbert, reintroduced his bill to
change the date of state primaries
from June to September. Although
that proposal and another, to provide
for party designation of all primary
election candidates, previously had
been killed, the house approved No
lan's measure for a consolidated party
ballot at the primaries. The bill pro-
vides for printing the names of all
candidates on one ballot, but grouping
them by parties with the ballot to be-
come void II the elector votes for can
didates of more than one party.
bill to control roadside indus
tries as part of the state highway
roadside Identification program was
introduced in the senate by Senator
Herman Schmechel Of Fairfax. No
buildings could be erected closer than
IS feet from the center line of a
highway; filling stations would be
allowed within IS feet of highways,
while signs would have to be erected
so feet from roads. At grade cross
ings, all structures would be pro-
hibited within $50 feet of a highway.
Every employee would be given a
written contract when he takes a job;
employees must be paid in legal ten
der; garnishment provisions would be
changed to provide greater protec-
ton to the worker, and other meas.
ures to benefit employees would be
set up under terms of a series of bills
introduced with the backing of the
state industrial, commission. Labor
members from the Twin Cities are
sponsoring the bills, with the aid of
the Minnesota Federation of Labor,
but they represent the views of the
industrial commission. They said it
is the first time the commission has
made recommendations on bills of
this sort.
The drivers license bill and the
drivers responsibility bill, sponsored
by the State Automobile Association
and safety groups of the state, has
been introduced and is in the hands
of committees. Drivers would pay
an annual license fee of 25 cents and
power would be given the highway
commissioner to revoke licenses after
serious violations of traffic laws.
Representative Ray j. Quinlivan of
st. Cloud is sponsoring the bill in the
house
Creation of wild life refuge in
Marshall county, similar to the Red
Lake refuge was proposed to the
house by Representative F. A. Green
of Stephen. His bill would provide
that the state take over 100000 acres
upon which ditch taxes are delin-
quent. The bill involves IS town.
ships against which s1,000,00O IN ditch
bonds are outstanding. These bonds,
Green's bill proposes, would be re-
tired by issuing state certificates of
indebtedness.
The Twin Cities will become part