Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 88, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 April 1919 — TRUSTEES TO DO THE WORK [ARTICLE]

TRUSTEES TO DO THE WORK

GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES THAT THERE WILL BE NO EXTRA SESSION THE LEGISLATURE Governor Goodrich on Monday announced that “ the necessity for a special session of the legislature seems to have been disposed of by the last epinion of the attorney-gen-eral” and said that he has instructed Gilbert H. Hendren, chief examiner for the state board of accounts, to prepare instructions to send to the township trustees, that they are required under the law to act in accordance with the attorney-general’s opinion." Mr. Hendren began at once to prepare the letter. It was to contain instructions that the trustees should look after the work of township roads as formerly, with the exception that they would be under the direction of the county commissioners- , ~ -IThe letter, it is understood, will direct county treasurers to pay over to township trustees the road money heretofore paid to the trustees, and in such cases as where the township trustees had turned over the money to the county treasurer, under the first opinion of the attorney-general on the subject, the county treasurer is to refund the money to the township trustee. The proposal to call a special session of the legislature was due to a desire to correct the county unit road law, which as enrolled and filed with the secretary'of the state, does not contain amendments adopted by the house and approved by the conference committee and by both branches of the general assembly. The county unit road act seemed to take away from the township trustees all road duties, while the Beardsley act gave them authority over township roads. Inasmuch as the increased salaries given to township trustees by a former legislature were based largely on their duties in looking after the roads, it was believed that the county unit road act of the recent legislature, as enrolled, would require the county commissioners to expend considerable sums for deputy road superintendents. Hence, the reason for a special session of the legislature. The attorney-general now constructs the two laws together in such a way that the township trustees have the legal duty of looking after the roads, under the supervision of the county commissioners.