Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-02-11
Legislation
Review and Nature OF Bills Intro
duced in the Assembly.

There are now 25S bills before the
assembly and 155 before the senate as
compared with $50 in the assembly and
Ia in the senate during the same period
of the session of 1895. New business
will be shut off Wednesday and then
committee work and the consideration
of bills will begin in earnest.
Several important measures are be-
fore the committee on taxation and as
sessment and one of these by Mr.. Hall
provides that all persons shall be pre-
sented with schedule which they will
be asked to sign, listing the amount
and value of the securities held by
them. IF the assessor discovers any
property omitted from the list this
property may be assessed at 80 per cent
more than its face value
%*
Assemblyman Frnhlich's measure
provides for the taxation of mortgages
in the counties where the land upon
which :hey are held is located. The
object Of the bill is to reduce the taxa,
ton against the mortgagor of the prop
erty to the amount which he absolutely
owns in equity and it is hoped through
this proposed law to escape the double
taxation of property.
-
Assemblyman Davidson proposes the
telegraph companies to pay some share
Of the public expenses by taxing them
So, 81, and 81 on each mile of wire they
have within the state. (222 A.
-
University affairs are to he thoroughly
investigated during the present session
and some members think the best inter
ests Of that institution would be sub
served by the retirement of President
Adams. Following the adoption of the
joint resolution asking report from the
regents as to the number of professors
and instructors employed, their hours
of work and the number of pupils to
each came a more sweeping resolution
for further investigations into the affairs
and management Of the institution
Mr.. Burlington of Fau Claire introduced
the measure and it asks that two sem
ators and three assemblymen be author
lied to examine and sift the figures fur
nisbed by the regents. The bills calling
for the regular appropriations will be
1 YN-ncnnfoI norly 17oSyt yynnly o,1
Stout has already introduced a bill ap.
propriating 100000 to furnish and equip
the new State Historical library.
-
1t seems that Mr.. Hall has decided
that the anti-pass issue can be handled
better through a joint resolution pro
yiding for constitutional amendment
against railroad passes and frank than
by attempting to call up his joint reso.
luton for committee again. His last
anti-pass measure will require the mem.
bers to vote aye or nay ard put the
members on record. He also introduced
bill creating board of railroad com.
missiOners to prevent discrimination in
rates, similar to the Iowa railroad com.
| mission law.
-
Assemblyman Frink of milwaukee,
! believes in q different solution of the
pass problem and introduced a bill tC
compel railroads to furnish state officials
with transportation and providing pun.
ishment should the officials allow any
one else to use their passes or frank.
-
Several measures looking to the pre-.
vention of serious competition between
convict and free labor are before com
mittees. One, by Senator McGillivray
provides that convict made goods shall
be marked or branded and another
seeks to have prisoners employed or
public roads. Senator bennett fathered
bill G19 S. prepared by a committee
appointed by the Wisconsin anti-con,
vict labor associations and this will be
pushed by the labor organizations. The
bill aims to have all convlcts employed
on work for the state or public and
provides that when the convicts are en-
ployod in manufacturing, the goods
shall not be put in competition with
free labor goods but shall be supplied
to inmates of the various state insti-
tutions.
-
A measure which proposes al Al to
sell $4,000 acres of timber land compos-
ing the state park in Villas county will
likely meet with strong opposition.
Those favoring the bill say the timber
has been injured by forest fires and will
have to be cut in order to save it.