Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-03-28
REFUSES 70 AUDIT 7
COMMISSION PAY
FREAR NOTIFIES STATE CIVIL
SERVICE THAT HE HAS ACCEPT
ED OPINION OF BANCROFT.
NO QUORUM IN EITHER HOUSE
Last Week Was the Most Strenuous
One of the Entire Sesslon-Sen-
ate Is Nearly Cleared Up With
Its Work-AssembIy Behind.


Madison.-Secretary of State James
A. Frear sent an official communica-
ton TO the Wisconsin civil service
commission in which he notified that
body that he has accepted the opinion
OF Attorney General Bancroft as to the
constitutional doubt Of the commits
sion being legally constituted body
OF the state This matter comes up
in relation to the bills of the commits
sion and in effect means that the sec
rotary OF state and state treasurer
VIII refuse TO audit and pay off the
commission from this time on.
The matter win no doubt be tried
Gut in the courts. In his communica-
ton Secretary Frear invites the CO.
operation of the commission to arrive
at a decision.
The senate committee on education
decided tc report out a bill which ex-
tends the time of the university re-
gents to six-year term. This is one
OF the measures of the special educa-
ton committee and is in part an adop-
ton Of the plan submitted. The com
mittee rejected the bill which removes
women members of the board.
There was not a quorum present in
either house at the morning session.
The past week has been easily the
most strenuous of the entire session,
especially as committee work was
piled up by reason of the invasion Of
Madison by the suffragists The SEN
ate is nearly cleared up with its work,
but the assembly is still far from be-
ing caught up"
Renewing the efforts of tx. years
ago to obtain the passage of a law for
certified public accountants with a
state examining board, the organized
Accountants of Milwaukee were repre-
sented before the assembly commit
tee on state and economic betterment
when the Mortenson bill came up. The
bill provides for an examining board
which shall issue certificates to &C
countants after examination. Herman
E. Georgi, former member of the as
sembly, spoke for the bill. There is
SO little opposition to it this year that
the committee is expected 10 favor
the bill. The committee also took up
the Goff bill extending greater dis
cretionary power to the state board of
dental examiners. Theodore Kron-
q. Patzer, its SPECIAL examiner, ap-
peared on the b., as did DR.. w. H.
Hardy of Milwaukee e, member of the
board.
DR.. John B. Andrews bill for the re-
porting Of occupational diseases to
the labor commissioner will be recon-
mended fer passage by the assembly
committee on public health and SAM
tation. There was no opposition to
the bill when it came up.
The bill requires physicians to re-
port 70 the labor commissioner all
cases coming to their notice of lead,
phosphorus, arsenic or mercury poi
sCIing or compressed air illness.
The object of the bill is to make It
possible to compile statistics on the
extent of these industrial diseases.
The assembly committee on taxa
tion held postponed hearing on the
bill to permit the city of Superior to
tax railroad terminals, which occupy
one-third of the acreage of that city.
The terminals are now taxed by the
state as a part of the various railroads
entering Superior, under the ad va
loren laws. Senator Linley declared
that with tax rate nearly three times
L, l., -,
Superior is having hard fight to keep
it's population.
Senator Linley created a stir by his
observation that it seemed queer"
that the tax commission should stand
by the railroads. This dgew a rebuke
from Tax Commissioner George Cur
tbs, Jr., who declared that this was the
first time the motives of the tax com
mission had been impugned.
THE commission is seeking to serve
the people of the state as best it may,
and not any class or special interest"
said Mr.. Curtis. The crux of this
matter lies in the proposition of
whether railway property in Wiscon-
sin shall continue to be deeped to
have a general status, and not be sub
ject for local taxation. The legisla-
tive policy of the state for years has
been against local taxation of rail-
roads.
Fully half the bills introduced
at this session of the legislature
have been gone over by committees,
and most of them will be reported to
the various houses some time this
week, when morning sessions are be-