The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1937-02-11
(Received too late for last week.


soon, is the $17,0O0,000 relief bill
Public hearings and sub-commit-
tee studies of the bill are nearing
completion and there is a posi-
bility, remote though it is, that
the bill will reach the floor this
week.
1t certainly will cause consider
able commotion whenever the in
PRODUCTION. In the first place it
provides for a very large apprv-
priation and, secondly, it provides
for being financed through bond
issues.
To convince the representatives
from the southern part of the
state that relief needs require
even larger appropriations than
in 1885, may be difficult task.
With general conditions continu-
ally improving it would seem
that strenuous efforts should be
made to return care of the needy
to local hands where it was pre-
viously and where present abuses
could be reduced to a minimum.
BOND ISSUES
Due also to draw fire is the
provision calling for bond issues
for the entire amount. If relief
is going to be a permanent need,
then the policy of meeting de-
mands through continual addi-
tons to the mounting debt must
be curtailed. Considerable senti-
ment prevails that the cost of re-
lief should be added to the cost
of government during the next
two years.
Chairman A. D. Crissey, head
of the Emergency Relief commit
tee, will encounter many an OBJ
stacle and receive series of
headaches before he steers the
bill through the gauntlet to final
legislation. 1t is hoped that it
will be possible to have the
amount pared substantially.
Senator Rockne's statement of
this week to the effect that only
$5,000,000 is needed for relief in
place of 100000 as outlined
by the governor, will undoubted-
Iy serve as another difficult bar
rier to be crossed by proponents
of the measure.
RURAL CREDIT DEBACLE
When, a number of years ago,
the state decided to set up the
Rural Credit department and
finance land purchasing, mem
bers of the legislature did not
realize they were setting up an
organization which was to devOur
some 80 or 40 millions of taxpay-
ers money before iquidated. 1t
is an example of governmental
Encouragement. Created for the
worthy purpose of aiding farmers
in financing homes, political abus-
es crept in to such an extent that
the state now holds the proverbial
bag"
The state has for several legis-
lative years made appropriations
of about 100000 to pay school
taxes in districts where the de-
partment owns land. Because the
state pays no taxes on property,
except by legislative act, much
hardship results especially in
governmental units where the
state owns considerable portions
of the land in a particular school
district, township or county.
Emphasizing emphatically that
he is honestly sincere in his desire
to bring lobbying into the light,
Governor Benson broke preced-
ent and requested to appear again
before a joint session of the legis-
lature. Charges by one of the re-
representatives. that barrels of
money" were being raised to fight
the liquor dispensary bill brought
from the governor the retort that
the liquor bill should be brought
from committee and passed in
mediately before Interests" OPP
posing the measure could organize
and apply force.
His plea, together with the firm
stand taken by delegates of the
-LdDol poA A>>~Ne
convention, perhaps did much to
give weight and impetus to the
dispensary bill.
One of the encouraging de-
velopments of this session is the
seriousness with which the prob
lem of safety on our public high
ways is being considered in the
committees. The sentiment among
legislators is very favorable to-
wards stringent changes which
will reduce the slaughter on our
thoroughfares.
An extremely lengthy measure
has been introduced in the senate
and is in the Public Highways
committee in the house. The bill
is intended to regulate traffic on
the highways and defines certain
requirements in the use and oper-
alton of vehicles.