Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-04-26
MEASURE follower
EXPRESS CHARGES
introduced by w. E. Hurlbut of
Winnebago County.
EXPECT TO SAVE 81, 600 A DAY
Passage of Bill Will Affect Every Pat
ron of Companies in the State
Penalty Involves Fine of
500 to 1000.

Madison.-The lowering of express
rates within Wisconsin Is per cent,
with an expected saving thereby Of
81, 900 a day to Wisconsin patrons, is
provided in bill introduced by AS
semblyman w. E. Hurlbut of Winnie
bago county.
Nearly all monopolies have in some
form or other been dealt with by the
legislature or railroad commission in
the past, but the express companies
so far have escaped such action al
though remedial litigation is pending
with the railroad commission. The
bill seeks immediate relief from al
legged excessive charges, calling for
the enforcement Of the reduced rates
on August l next.
Based on the earnings of the com
panies in Wisconsin business in the
past year, Assemblyman Hurlbut fig
ures a saving to the people by his
bill of over $1,000 a day, or a quar-
ter million dollars year. Every
patron of the express companies in
the state will be affected by the pas
sage of this bill. The penalty in
wolves a fine of from 500 to $1,000
for each offense
After several weeks Of inVestiga-
ton, the election committee of the
assembly is about ready to reintro-
duce its substitute for the various
corrupt practices bills offered early
in the session, and the measure prob
ably will go on the calendar for some
day next week
The bill as finally drafted repre-
sents not only the combined efforts
of the members Of the elections com
mittee but the suggestions of all of
the leading members of the house
and senate, several state officers and
the recommendations of students of
the subject all over the United
States.
Il feel that this bill is the result
of the most thorough investigation
that has ever been given any subject
in the same amount of time by leg
islative committee, said Chairman
Thomas A. Roycraft I'VE found the
report of the senatorial investigating
committee most valuable in getting
at actual conditions as they have OBJ
tanned in the past. and our own ex-
periences as well as those of other
members and state officers served us
we'll in our work. We have taken what
We deemed proper from both the Clark
and Kay bills introduced in the as
sembly, and many Of the provisions of
both these measures will be found in
tact in this substitute"
A joint resolution emanating
from the senate judiciary COM
mittee, for final adjournment of the
legislature on May 5, has served it's
evident purpose-to awaken the mem
bers to the necessity of moving faster.
More than half of the bills intro
duced remain in committees, and this
would not occasion any excitement If
all were unimportant. The fact that
many of the minor measures usually
saved for killing toward the close OF a
session have come out, and usually to
their death, has become painfully evil
dent The senate has now done little
work for two weeks, one of which was
virtually a vacation with not more
than three members here at any one
time. This the senate could afford to
do as long as the assembly insists !
upon occupying the hours in debate |
and upon reconsidering a large pro-
portion of its action on bills, and re-
versing itself in half these cases, be
sides continually referring measures
that the house is unwilling to pass on |
until committees have had another |
crack at them. However, in the last |
few days the assembly has shown a |
disposition to quit persif1age and de- |
vote itself to more serious business, |
and affairs will move with more dis
patch in the coming week
The most important measure com
ing up this week is the workmen's !
compensation bill, which will be re-
ported out for passage together with |
one Of the four amendments offered |
in the assembly. This amendment is
designed to preserve the law from |
entire destruction in the courts in |
case the clause abolishing the fellow |
servant and assumption of risk doc
trines in cases of employers of more
than four persons is declared uncon- |
stitutional This discrimination in |
favor of employers of less than four
persons, which was inserted to placate |
farmer opposition to the bill is be- |
neved to be the only feature that |
might be dangerous in the event of a |
court contest, although opinions of |
lawyers differ widely on this point
The James woman suffrage bill, |