Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1907-06-13
GRIND OF THE LAW MILL
What Is Being Accomplished by the State Solons

| The judiciary committee reported
the Milwaukee county tract index bill
back with the recommendation that
| the senate amendment making the
bill apply to all counties in the state
be nonconcurred in and that a COM
mittee ON conference be appointed to
confer with similar committee of
the senate on the bill. The committee
also adversely reported the bill provid-
| ing for civil service for Milwaukee
county The committee on claims rec
commended for passage the bill increas-
ing the state aid for graded schools
from $4,000 to $4,000 a year. 1t
also recommended that all bills carry
| ing appropriations for poultry associa-
| lions be amended so as to- decrease
the appropriations from $500 to 5000
| The committee on cities favorably re-
ported the Roehr bill reducing the
number. of aldermen in the city Of
Milwaukee from two from each ward
to one from each ward and twelve
| from the city at large.
After two hours of discussion the
assembly yesterday adopted the COM
mittee substitute for the original pub
lie utility bill and then ordered it re-
| ferred to the committee on claims.
An amendment was introduced by AS
| semblyman Levi H. Bancroft of Rich
land Center to prevent duplication OF
| telephone exchanges in cities, but af-
| ter some debate it was withdrawn. A
substitute was introduced by Assembly
man John F. Hughes of Reeseville, en-
| bodying the Democratic idea of munic-
| ipal regulation of public utilities, but
it was rejected by vote of II to 16.
! A motion made by Assemblyman w.
J. Aldridge of Milwaukee, Social-Demo-
| crat to refer the bill and substitute to
| the transportation committee in order
|, to give the Social-Democrats more
| time in which to prepare substitute
embracing their ideas on utility regu-
| lation, was lost by viva voce vote.
| The committee on claims is expected
to report the bill back to-day or Fri
| day, and when it does Assemblyman c..
F. Stout Of Westboro will move that
the measure be passed under suspen-
sion of the rules. The bill will prob
ably come up for consideration in the
senate early next week
Madison, Wis, June 8.-The assem-
bly, yesterday passed the so-called pub
lie utilities bill.
The bill is the most radical ever
passed by any state in the Union 1t
| gives to the present state railroad
commission absolute power over all
public utilities, except telegraph and
telephone. The commission even has
the power to forbid the establishment
of new companies when it believes
such new concerns would make the
existing conditions less satisfactory.
The rates to be charged, the nature OF
the service to be given and the like
all are included in the measure.
Assemblyman Bancroft in yester-
| DAVIS debate said he believed tele-
phone companies needed regulation as
much as any other public utility, and
| the state should regulate them be-
cause they are licensed by the state
| and. not by municipalities.
| Mr.. Thompson, Social Democrat, OPP
posed the bill. The vital issue, he
said, was whether regulation should
be in the hands of three men or the
people themselves.
Mr.. LIE Roy said every interest and
individual had an opportunity to be
heard. He believed the bill nearly per-
| feet Wisconsin had a great Oppor-
tunity to become famous, he said. This
bill had been pronounced by able econ
omists greater in all it's features than
the New York bill. 1t would be
! model for other states. The bill was
then passed.