Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-05-15

railroad rate commission shall have
power TO supervise and regulate all
telephone, power, light, and heat COM
panies. Telegraph companies are not
included In the bill as they are pro-
vided for In another measure.
| Under the bin all utilities must give
reasonable and adequate service at a
reasonable rate. The commission has
power TO make investigation OF the
property values OF all utilities and fix
re rate to be charged accordingly
Sirhout regard to the capitalization Of
the company. If a part Of the plant
Is not In use, this is not to be counted
In the valuation, but only the actual
working property.
System of Accounting.
Provision is made for safeguarding
the utility through a clause permitting
an appeal to court for final de-
termination. A uniform system Of ac-
countsng will be provided by the com
mission. and this must be adopted by
the utility under regulation. Utilities
must give complete information
when wanted, such as the amount Of
stock, the names of stockholders, the
amoIInt of stock held by each. divi-
dends per year, the amount of surplus,
depreciation and undivided profits.
Cities are given opportunity to order
extensions OF service and to state
what sort Of product shall be fur
nished; thus. If this city desires water
gas, ii can have it, but it is left to
the commission TO fix the quality and
standard. Hearings on the bill will
begin this week and while arguments
on the bill are expected to be long
drawn out. no doubt of its final pas
sage is entertained.
Insurance Bills Rounding Out.
Last week witnessed the final hear
ings on the insurance bills and they
will probably be reported in this week
Ten of the twenty-four recommended
by the legislative insurance investi.
eating committee have already gone
through both houses and will soon be-
come laws. as it Is understood they
meet the approval of the governor.
These bills provide among other things
against writing participating and non
participating insurance, requiring in
surance companies disseminating bust
hess to file deposits covering the
policies in force, requiring copies of
application, etc. The big fight hat
has been waged for weeks between the
aetuaries eS the large insurance com
panies on one hand and the insurance
committee ON the other has been
chiefly over the bills limiting the ex-
pensc Of companies and requiring
them to put into all policies tables of
estimates showing how the premiums
are expended. This latter idea Is not
new ore to students OF insurance,
but If enacted Wisconsin will be the
first state to put it upon the statute
books.
Park Extension Revived.
After being quiescent for several
weeks the scheme for the extension
of the capitol park by wiping out all
that part between the present park
and Lake Monona has been revived
and found expression in a bill intro
duced by Senator Whitehead. The
project has been hanging fire. in the
hope that the senatorial contest might
be ended so that the plan might be
given more serious attention. but it
was thought unwise to defer 1t any
longer. In the meantime, however,
much quiet lobbying has been done
for the bin and it is said majority
of both houses has been committed to
IL ~ oh t. Sha
biggest and most startling ever pro-
posed in state, contemplates taking
over from one and half to two mil
lions worth of property and the at
torney general is authorized to conduct
the necessary condemnation proceed
ings. However, options have been Sc
cured on large part Of the property,
which includes many of the leading
business houses of the city and some
of the most arIstocratlc of the city's
homes.
Capitol at Same Site.
The bin contemplates leaving the
capitol where the present state house
stands In order that the work already
begun on the new building may not
DE IOr IduSnI. i ne cOibiDlSslOu IS
given authority to issue no1-taxable
bonds to run from five to twenty years
and to take over the property and rent
it and apply the proceeds to the with
I drawal Of the bonds. 1t Is not ex-
pected that the ground will be finally
/ cleared and parked much under ten
/ years should the measure go through.
/ When the scheme was first sprung 1t
/ was under the claim of the patronage
/ of some of the big moneyed men of
/ the state, such as Senator Stout, for
mer Senator Hatten, Isaac Stephen
/ son, G. f. Pfster. Levi Withee, the
/ Cargills. of Lacrosse, and others.
/ These 1t was given out sub rosa were
/ willing to come forward with tens and
/ hundreds of thousands in aid Of the
/ scheme Of identifying the capitol city,
some of them as a sort of conscience
restitution for having dipped so deep
/ into the states plne lands in the past.
/ The bill, of course. cannot take note
/ of this. but way Is made for such
/ assistance to come in in a provision
| for the reception of such other funds
as can be legally applied" The bill
Is cleyer.y drawn" said one member.
A. o. BARTON.