Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1912-05-08

this law dealt thus awaits further legisla
| tive action.
| The topic is no longer novel Out of
| all the discussion however has come an
agreement that water power legislation is
desirable for the accomplishment of at
| least three principal objects.
| First is the need of public control of
the location. obstruction, height and
| strength of dams, their sluices and spill
ways, in the interest of Improvement in
navigation and safety to life, health and
| property With the facts of the catas-
| trophe at Black River Falls still fresh in
| the public mind, caused as it was by the
| breaking of improperly built dams at Dells
] and Hatfield, the importance of this con-
| s1deration needs no argument. Privately
| built and privately owned as these dams
| were the public is now called upon to
/ foot the bill of expense incurred by reason
| of their faulty construction, While IN ad-
| dition irreparable harm has been done to
| innocent individuals and distant commun-
| tiles. The incident is not isolated in the
| history of the country and the lesson is
| obvious. There should be no recurrence
| of it in Wisconsin. In the exercise of its
| police power the state has ample authority
| to regulate the whole subject in the inter
! est of public safety and the general well
| fare.
The second reason for legislation upon
| this subject at the present time is the de-
! STABILITY of providing way now for at
| tanning ultimate ownership and operation
| by the public of all water powers in the
! state whenever the people shall so desire.
This object can be accomplished by pro
| v1d1ng just and satisfactory means for the
! condemnation of dams. water power sites
! and riparian rights by public utilities,
municipalities and the state itself when
| ever it shall have the constitutional power
| to acquire and operate them. Naturally,
| this transformation will come about slow
| ly; but beginning should be made now.
The third argument in favor of the pas
sage of general law fer the regulation
of water powers in lieu of the former
policy of enacting multitude of private
| and local acts, is the deSirability of prompt
| development of water powers which in the
| northern part of the state at least are now
| one of our main natural resources. For
| about six years development of this sort
| has been practically at a StandStill; at
| least no permission has been granted by
! the state to build a dam during this time.
| This delay may have been unavoidable
while the people were making up their
minds as to what should be the future
| policy of the state relative to this sub
ject; but this has now been. done and the
! work of outlining such policy and giving
| it legal recognition and sanction should no
| longer be delayed.
| There is no necessary conflict among
| these various objects. Under the decisions
| of our Supreme Court the owner of the
! bank of river is entitled to the use
of the energy of the stream between his
| upper and lower boundary so long as he
! does not interfere with dominant public
| rights. But he may not intrude into the
| stream to build a dam which may affect
| navigation or endanger the health, life or
| property of others without permission from
the state, any more than the state can
! take his property without returning full
of every water power therefore these two
! rights meet-One public and the other pri-
vate-and they should be harmonized upon
| a basis that will prove just and fair to all
l trust that legislation having this pur
| pose in view will be enacted at this special
! session. The Joint Committee on Water
Powers and Conservation has had the mat
| ter under consideration and is prepared
believe to submit the result of its deliber
attons to you.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
| The new weights and measures law
chapter 566 of the Laws of 1911 was en-
| the correction Of unfair practices that had
grown up because of the lack of effective
! public regulation. The legislative prob
| lem then presented was how to protect the
public and secure fair dealing in trade
with the least hardship to producers and
| dealers 1t was a pioneer problem. The
| data as to existing conditions were frag-
mentary and there was considerable doubt
as to how the new law would operate in
practice. In the main it has worked we'll
| In some cases however complaints have
been made by producers and dealers to
| the effect that some of the provisions of
| sections 1868 and 4432 impose unneces-
sary and unexpected hardship at this time
Particularly in the case of berry boxes
and peach baskets they say they have not
had sufficient notice to enable them to
comply with the requirements of the new
|
chased long in advance of the season when
| they are used and there being no uniform
| ity whatever among the laws of the sew
! eral states the supply for each must be
| bought separately. 1t appears also that
! some Of the provisions of the sections just
mentioned are unnecessarily severe, and
| that there is uncertainty and ambiguity in
| some of the penalties imposed. These COM
! plants have received the careful cOnsid
| Grafton OF the Dairy and Food Commits
sioner who has recommended amendments
| to these sections which it seems to me
| should be adopted. They propose no abate-
ment of the protective features of the law
| but will relieve it OF harsh and unneceS-
sary requirements.
SALE OF PUBLIC LANDS.
II the enactment of Chapter 452 of the
Laws of 1911 it was undoubtedly the in
| tention of the legislature to restrict the
| sale of public lands to actual settlers But
the statute was not drafted so as to ex-
press this purpose and applications have
| been made to the land commissioners I'M
| der circumstances which Justify an infer
! ence that many parcels of public land
| were desired by single individuals for pur-
poses other than immediate settlement.
| recommend such amendment of the law as
will prevent all speculation in public lands
| and limit sales to actual settlers
| AMENDMENT OF ELECTION LAWS.
The provision of the new apportiOnment
! act whereby it went into effect April 1,
| 1912 introduced an element of uncertainty
| respecting the election the following
dav of congressional district delegates to
national conventions aid the nomination
! and election of members of this legislature
| chosen to fill vacancies. There has also
been some conflict, of opinion as to what
| is the proper method under existing law
| of placing the names of candidates for
delegates to national conventions upon the
| official ballot. To set all such questions
at rest 1 recommend the enactment Of
| law that will validate the nominations
made and elections held on April End of
up Permit me also to urge that the pro-
visions of law for the placing of names
of candidates for delegates to national con-
ventions upon the official ballot be so
amended as to remove all uncertainty in
| the future; and that the time for the meet
| ing of such delegates to nominate candi-
dates for presidential electors be changed
| from the third Tuesday in April to the
| third Tuesday in September. or some other
convenient time. In attempting to comply
| With the law as it now is, the delegates of
| each political party met as required by law
| but found that, although there was no seri-
| oun controversy as to who were entitled
! TO participate in the making of these nomi-
nations. the official canvass had not been
| completed so as to permit the fact to be
| definitely determined. The proposed chance