Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-01-30


loses his health More serious than
i all, he is apt to lose his grip on things.
! A substantial sum of money would
help such person to get a new
start
Board of Education Bill.
The sO-called county board of edu
cation bill will be introduced in the
assembly next week in such a form
that members of the state beard of
public affairs believe that it meets the
constitutional barrier discovered by
Miles Riley of the legislative reference
library
In it's original form the bill pro-
vided for the appointment of county
superintendent by the proposed coun
ty board of education Mr.. Riley dis
covered a statute which, in his judg-
ment, made the bill unconstitutional
because of the powers it proposed to
extend to an appOintive official. The
bill was changed to meet the point
raised by Mr.. Riley 1t now provides
that the person who is 10 be appoint
ed by the county board of education
shall be called inspector and not
county superintendent. The proposed
bill gives him considerable authority,
but at all times makes him subject to
the judgment and direction of the
board. In sense, he becomes a
clerk. These who drafted the measure
believe that this change in the bill
will avoid the constitutionality danger
pointed out by Mr.. Riley.
The bill provides certain qualifica-
lions for the inspector to be named
by the county board of education. He
shall have had two years of profess
sional training in a county training
school, normal school or higher in
stitution of learning, and also three
years of satisfactory experience in
rural schools
New System of Taxation.
Assemblyman Laursen of Shell Lake
has introduced a bill which proposes
a new system of taxation for lands
containing mineral rights. The bill
Is of special interest FOR the reason
that in order to tax these rights as
proposed by Mr.. Laursen 1t would be
-NSCN''hSsAy
yet dug out of the ground. He is pre-
pared to inform the assembly that
this can be done with full Justice to
the Cwner of the mineral rights.
He would have the land valued on
the basis of the amount of ore in the
ground the scheme being to extend
the present general property tax
fn aP oh
The bill provides that the owner of
the land shall make a return on his
mineral reservations. In the event
that the owner fails to do this, the
assessing officer is given the right
to investigate and fix value on the
property. The measure provides that
the valuation fixed by the assessor
cannot be changed except by the
board of review.
Mr.. Laursen says that two systems
of taxation of ore lands are now be-
ing used. One is the system used in
Michigan, where the idea offered in
the Laursen bill is carried out. The
other is the system used in Mime
sofa, where the tax is based upon the
value of ore after it is removed from
the ground. That is known as the
harvest tax"
Wisconsin has large lead mines in
and around Platteville. Extensive
ore properties are also situated in
the so-called Superior lake region.
McGovern-Ekern Row.
What course of action the senate
may follow in the event that Insur-
ance Commissioner Ekern loses out
in the courts is a matter that is caus-
ing comment among the members of
both houses. There is a disposition
on the part of some of the La Toilette
men, who are in control of the SEN
ate, to have the senate act as a COM
mittee and conduct an investigation
of its own into every phase of the
McGovern-Ekern case. If this plan
is followed, Ekern will be tried on
the charge made against him by Har-
ry c. Wilbur, McGovern's executive
clerk. All Of the principals in the
controversy would be summoned and
asked to testify under oath. There
is a feeling among the La Toilette
men that the senate owes to Ekern
to give him a full hearing at which
all of the testimony on both sides
shall be heard His friends decline
| to recognize that he has been re-
moved as head Of the insurance de-
partment.
The McGovern men, however, de-
cline to break ground. They insist
that the courts will not interfere in
the constroversy. Ekern has been
ordered removed by the governor OF
the state, and he is no longer on the
states payroll They consider that
he is no longer the insurance COM
missioner in spite Of the fact that he
is still acting in that capacity.
Election of Senators.
The Democrats are jumping to the
front in the matter of calling legisla-
~ fba .Jiroct alaot;op ~