Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-05-17
JOINT COMMITTEES
WATER POWER BILL
Unique Measure Is Presented in
the Senate.
STATES POWERS INCREASED
Bill Follows the Public Utility Act
Closely in Providing the Machin-
cry for Regulation by the
Railroad Commission.

Madison-A new draft of the Hust-
ing-Krumrey bill for the control and
regulation Of water powers in Wis
consin came into the senate from the
special joint committee which intro
duced the original measure. The new
bill Is peculiar and unique from the
fact that preceding the main features
is set Of declarations which in eff
feet are as follows:
The use of the navigable waters of
this state are reserved for the benefit
of the people.
All powers developed from the navi-
gable waters of the state are subject
to the control of the state for the pub
lie good.
The state expressly reserves the
right to regulate the use and distribu
ton of such power.
The declarations therefore are based
on the doctrine that wherever a
stream is navigable and therefore
properly open to use for navigation
by the people, the state has the right
to step in and declare the extent to
which navigation may be impeded and
power developed from the flow of
the waters.
The bill places the regulation of all
water powers in the hands of the
railroad commission and declares
allowed to remain in a navigable
stream in violation of the provisions
of the act shall constitute public
nuisance, which may be abated in the
manner already provided by law. It
is further provided that for every day
such nuisance shall remain the own
ers shall be subject to a forfeiture of
$50 a day
The bill follows the public utility
act closely in providing the machinery
for regulation by the railroad commits
sion. Water power owners are given
year in which to apply to the COM
mission for a certificate and fran
chise. The commission thereupon is
to value the plant and fix the amount
of compensation to be paid to the
state for the use of the water power,
which may range from 10 cents to 50
per horse power, depending upon the
conditions under which the power Is
developed, its availability, market, pos
sibility of transmission, etc. The new
bill repeats all existing water power
franchises which are subject to repeal,
either expressly or implied Fran
chises are to be granted for twenty
years, with the privilege of two re-
newals for the same period. with a
readjustment, if advisable, of the
amount Of compensation. No fran
chises may be assigned or conveyed
except upon the approval of the rate
commission. All franchises must be
accepted subject to the terms of this
act
To the state in this bill is express
ly reserved the right to take over
operation and ownership of any water
power when 1t has the constitutional
power to do SO
Considerable interest is being
manifested in the welfare of the
Stern 'home rule" bill, which has
gone to engrossment in the assembly
and which will come up for passage
during the week This bill, which. be
sides providing machinery by which
all cities in the state will be relieved
of the necessity of coming to the leg
islature for the power to make minor
changes in their charteds, will
make all municipal elections non
partisan in nature, has been opposed
by the Socialists and may not yet
be out of danger but it is generally be-
lieved that the opposition will not be
sufficient to defeat the measure.
There has been considerable vote
trading" between the Republican and
Democratic contingents as such in
order to get the bill through, the Re
publicans being ready to concede to
the Democrats a lowering of the per-
centage of votes required at a pri-
mary and as provided in the new
second choice primary bill, and 1t is
likely that this log-rolling will be eff
not deemed to be in violation of AS
semblyman Hull's "log-rolling" bill,
which has been passed and which APP
plies only to individual members of a
small coterie.
Governor McGovern has appointed
the membership of the industrial ac-
cident board. This board, which will
administer the workmen's compensa-
ton law will consist of Prof. John
r. Commons of the economics depart
ment of the State university, Charles
H. Crownhart of Superior and Joseph
B. Beck, commissioner of labor and