Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1913-01-17

their cutoxer holdings TO settlers. These
companies now pay no taxes on these un-
tirely practicable quite accurately to de-
| limit these mineral areas and TO ascertain
their value for purposes Of taxation. rms
should now be done All such property
snould be made to bear its just proportion
of taxes.
Water Powers.
At the special session of the legislature
less than year ago l called attention
to the fact that out of all the controversy
concerning water powers there had come
a substantial consensus OF opinion that
water power legislation is desirable Tor
the accomplishment OF at least three pr1n-
cipal objects and ! then recommended the
enactment of a bill that had been care
fully prepared by the Joint Committee Oh
Water Powers and Conservation.
AS no law upon this subject was passed
at the special session, the problem re-
mains to be dealt with by you and feel
that | cannot do better than renew the
recommendations / then made
In addition, permit me to say that so
far as hydraulic energy Is required for
public purposes the state should reserve
the right to compel the maximum Develop
ment of the water powers for which fran
ehises are granted. In all authorizations
to build dams it should also require in
cases where the energy may be used either
within the state or outside its borders that
its OWE citizens shall be given the pref
erence.
Forests
The general situation concerning the
forests of the state has not changed great
ly since my message two years ago In
addition to the customary appropriation
for the maintenance of the forestry board,
the legislature of 1911 appropriated $780,
900 year for five years for the purchase
of forest lands. All of this money has
the forest reserves Heretofore acquired.
During these two years about $4,000 acres
have been purchased. and at the present
time the total area of the state forest re-
serve is over 400, 900 acres. II ,r there
are several times this amou ia. land
in the northern part of the ate better
adapted to forestry than to agr ulture.
Much of 1t is increasing in value, and the
large holdings especially suitable for for
estry purposes are being cut up into small
er ones and sold piecemeal. II therefore,
the legislature wishes to increase the for
est reserve it should act promptly by pro-
vidlDg at this session sufficient funds to
acquire the necessary lands.
But if we are to retain wood using In
dustries in the state we cannot afford to
depend wholly on the state forest for ma
terial. Here, as in Europe. private enter
prise also must be enlisted 1t is clear
however that this can be done only after
a change has been made in our method
of taxing standing timber. Private own
ers cannot pay the regular rates of taxa
ton imposed each year upon the full value
of a growing forest and still secure a fair
return on their investments. This crop,
because il takes so long to raise, should
be taxed more moderately than other forms
of real estate.
Concerning the subject of reforestation
therefore l respectfully recommend con-
tinuing appropriation to be derived from
the levy of fraction of a mill tax for a
period of twenty years for acquiring land
TO complete the forest reserves in the
northern part of the state; and that a bet
ter method of taxing timber land be de-
Vised so as to enable private owners to
hold growing timber on land that is bet
ter adapted to this purpose than TO agri-
culture.
MINIMUM WAGE
bin providing for minimum wages
was introduced in the legislature of this
state two years ago but failed of passage
This class of legislation while reported to
be wholesome and effective in Australia
and England is so novel to our system of
Jurisprudence and involves such difficult
problems of administration that the legis-
lature should proceed with caption respect
ing it. But we should not again fail to
do anything whatever in the matter.
MOTHERS PENSIONS.
The platform of the majority party In
this state pledged its members to the en-
actment of law for the establishment OF
mothers pensions. The fundamental idea
underlying this proposed reform is that
the home is better place for children
than public institution, and that the
mother is their best as well as their nat
ural guardian. 1t has also been found
seheaper for tax payers to compensate the
mother in proper cases for the care oil
her own children than to support then
independently of her. However public
allowance of this sort should only be made
TO mothers who in the judgment of {
court are worthy of the custody of theil
children and ordinarily it should not b,
made unless found necessary to save thu
but deserving mothers should not be re re-
garded as charity, but rather as the rec
ognitfon of an obligation actually due then
In return for their service to the stat
as bearers of children.
PRISON LABOR.
Of fhn c,1hi faA :.
| Board of Public Affairs during the pas
| year is the ACCESSIBILITY of abolishing TIL
present system of prison contract labo
| at Waupun.
The objections to the present arrange
ment seem to me to be serious enough {
! deserve your earnest consideration. In tn
| first place the prison. should be self sup
| porting. There is no good reason VIII,
| the law abiding people of Wisconsin VIII
have once suffered injury by infraction o
their criminal statutes should be turtle
burdened by the maintenance of thes
/ criminals after they have been caught ant
| sentenced. Under proper conditions tn
state prison should not only be self-sup
/ porting, but the convicts should be mad
! to work hard enough and at employment
| productive enough to enable the institu
ton to realize a substantial profit eac
year.
BOARD OF CONTROL.
When the State Board of Control wa
created twenty-tw years ago there wer
six institutions under supervision. NOV
there are ten. Meanwhile the inmate pop
ulation of these institutions has more tina
doubled, As a result the work of tn
Board has greatly increased. 1t spend
now over a million dollars a year. In ad
dition to the management of these insti
| buttons it paroles inmates from the In
dustrial School for Boys the Wisconsi
| State Reformatory, and the State Prison
1t administers in part the probation Law
| 1t is also charged with responsibility 70
the proper business management of tn
new binder Irvine plant at Waupun. A
these duties new and old have crowde
upon the members of the Board until the
are overworked.
i l respectfully recommend that the La
be so amended as to authorize the Boar
of Control to appoint such numbers {
agents or deputies as may be needed q
fixed salaries, TO make inspection of tbes
county and local institutions under it
direction.
SETTLEMENT OF FARM LANDS.
The settlement of unoccupied farm land
in the northern part of the state is
problem that has engaged the attentiO
of the Board of Public Affairs for nor
than a year. There are about 5000, 90