Watertown leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1909-1911, 1909-02-26
TO BETTER POLICE
FORCES IN STATE
BILL IN LEGISLATURE FOR COM.
PETENT CHIEFS IN SMALL
TOWNS.
COMMITTEES RUSH WORK.
Anti-Free Lunch and Anti-Treat Meas
ures Attract Liquor In
terests
PROVIDE AID FOR LIBRARIES.

MADISON, Wis, Feb 25.-[SpeciaLl
Despite interest attendant upon the
senatorial investigating committees
work yesterday afternoon, members of
Senate and Assembly working commit
tees got down to hard work and took
action on several bills. The result will
be that on Saturday the Legislature may
look back upon a work of considerable
advance.
The police of every city in Wisconsin
will be interested in bill 37A, which
was recommended for passage yesterday
by the lower House committee on cities,
Of which G. T.. Estabrook is chairman.
Chief John T. Jansen of Milwaukee is
a strong advocate of the measure, which
was introduced by Mr.. Barnett. 1t is
designed to improve the police service
of smaller cities 50 that their depart
mentS may become Il part of the com
prehensive system being organized III
Wisconsin for the detection Of criminals.
Chief Jansen of Milwaukee has been
at the forefront of this work and he
explained to the committee the neceS-
sity of having the smaller cities work
with the larger ones in tracing Grim
nals. He pointed out, too, the advan-
tage to be gained by the smaller centers
through a working agreement with the
police of the metropolis. The bill of Mr..
| Barnett creates police and fire commits
sions in cities of the fourth class. Here
tOfOre they have been in existence only
in cities of the first. second and third
classes. The idea is to put a stop to
political influence in appointing heads of
fourth class city police departments.
The job is to be placed in the hands of
commission and this plan, it is be-
lieved, will put an end to the appointing
Of incapable men. 1t also will lengthen
their terms and thus give the appointees
full itv in,
the work of chasing criminals.
Bading Has Bill
The Assembly committee on public
health yesterday recommended Assem-
blyman John 7. Farrell's bill, known as
the opthalmia moratorium bill, which
compels doctors and midWives to treat
newborn infants eyes for the prevention
of blindness. The bill makes it a pen
atty punishable by fine or Imprisonment
for the attending, physician at an ac
couchment to neglect to give the babies
eyes proper treatment as laid down in
the bill. The measure has the approval
of Health Commissioner Badlng of Mil
waukee.
The committee referred the Reynolds
pure food bill to the committee on dairy
and food. Other bills were laid over
for a week.
In the Assembly committee on banks
and insurance. bill 56SA relating to
amounts to be paid by insurance com
panies when insured property is totally
destroyed by fire, was indefinitely post
pOned. Bills 417A and AGA were laid
over until March 3. The committee on
libraries recommended for passage liza
by Mr.. Ledvina, which provides aid for
libraries in villages and small cities
The Assembly committee on education
will hold Il hearing on Friday at
o'clock on bill 445A which makes
changes in the school board of Milwau-
kee. Several school directors are eX-
pected to come out for the hearing.
Anti-Treat Law Proposed.
The Senate Judiciary committee yes
terday recommended two bills for pas
sage, bills 1868 and 220S. The latter
bill confers upon county board of cOun-
ties having 100000 population the pow
er to fix salaries of clerks OF municipal
courts.
The Jones anti-free-Iunci bill and the
Ingram anti-treating bill came before the
Assembly state affairs committee this
afternoon, the hearing being largely at
tended by representative of brewery
and liquor interests. The taxation com
mittee also had visitors when bills in
creasing the highway taxes in the north
came up for consideration. Northern
Wisconsin lumbermen particularly are
against the bill 156A which makes a
raise in the highway tax through the
thinly populated districts of the lumber
regions. The Hull bill for the payment
OF the inheritance tax into the common
school fund also was given Il hearing to.
day by the taxation committee.