Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1903-01-19


| effect under existing conditions. 1t
applies only to corporations organ
! lied in Wisconsin. There are no trusts
| of the first class native to this state.
| Yet few states perhaps suffer more di-
! rectly through the influences of these
artificial monOpolies Of trade than our
own. The state law gives us absolute
ly no protection against corporations
organized outside Of the state, yet de-
pending for their profits upon tribute
| exacted from the people OF this and
other states by disregard or abuse Of
| the comOn rights of our citizens under
! the common law.
In his judgment the coal famine
now existing throughout this state
presents a subject calling for prompt
! legislative inquiry, with full exercise
of the large powers granted to legis-
| lative committees. Such inquiry
| should be conducted with a view to
ascertaining what, if any, combinations
within this state, or agencies of com
I binet lions organized outside the state
! compel thousands of our citizens to
suffer from lack of fuel, which is fur
nished in abundance to other citizens,
although at prices unreasonable and
unWarranted under natural trade con-
ditiOns, even after making full allow
ance for necessary shortage in coal on
account of the miners strike last year.
| If the citizens of this state are being
victimized. by cOnspiracies of men
within as we'll as without the state,
the governor believes that the powers
| Of the state are ample to enact and
| enforce laws to prevent repetition of
the offenses in the future, even if
those who are guilty cannot be pun
ished under existing laws for the
| present WrOng-dOing.
Miscellaneous.
The results of an investigation leave
no room whatever to doubt that the
| bookkeeping and accounting system
which has been maintained in each of
| the departments of our state govern
ment and each of the state institutions
| is superior to that Of Massachusetts,
New York and New Jersey; that it is
| faulty only in that expenditures and
receipts Of the state government, in
| Guiding the staten institutions, have
not been centralized. It has been dis
covered that system of centraliza-
ton may be engrafted onto the exist
ing systems without either mourning
present expense or entailing the per
! petual outlay necessarily to result
i from sweeping them all aside, and
without rendering the whole system
cumbersome and complicated with de-
| tail and circUmlocution.
In the application Of this system
care has been taken with respect to
the university, the normal schools, and
| state Institutions, not to interfere with
systems already established and in
every way cOmmendable further than
to centralize the general accounting Of
the state.
1t is expected that a settlement will
be reached with the United States
government at a very early date and
that the state will recover approx
mately half a million dollars in adj
! justment Of it's civil war claim,
During the last six years with
steady, almost uniform, increase in
the number of persons of school age
| in the state, there has been in the
same period an equally steady de-
crease in the percentage or proper
tomato number of such persons en-
in Ibo
corresponding increase in the number
of persons of school age attending pri-
vate schools. Nearly One-half Of the
total number were enrolled in the
country, village and small city schools
while the average daily attendance ap-
prOximates less than sixty per cent.
of the enrolment. The attendance in
many Of the villages and small cities
is comparatively high, and the newt
able conclusion is that the average
daily attendance in the country
schools is probably not more than
| fifty per cent of the total enrolment.
The teaching force, accommodations,
and equipment provided, were ample
for a full attendance every day.
Wholly disregarding the evil effect OF
such absences upon teachers and fell
low pupils in a progressive school, the
mere financial loss is worthy your
most careful consideration. When ap
| proximately four million dollars is ex-
| pended for school purposes throughout
the state, outside the cities under city
superintendent, g clear waste Of near
| ly forty per cent Of that expenditure
through absence OF pupils, who by
right and by law should be in school,
is not matter to be neglected. 1t is
pointed out that this sum would much
more than provide for comfortable
! transpo: tariOn of all children in COun-
| try districts to we'll built, we'll graded
and we'll taught central schools. The
| legislature of 1901 enacted a law to
provide for transportation Of pupils in
rural districts, and the governor COM