Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-01-17

and partly by great lumber companies
chat reserved title to them when they sold
their cutoyer holdings to settlers; Inese
companies now pay no taxes on these un'
developed properties. | am told Il Is gu
tirely practicable quite accurately 20 us
limit these mineral areas and TO ascer ~ !.
their value for purposes OF taxation In as
should now be done. All such properly
should be made to bear its just proPor1lon
of taxes.
Water Powers.
At the special session of the legislature
less than a year ago | called attentIon
to the fact that out of all the controversy
concerning water powers there nad come
a substantial consensus OF opinion tnat
water power legislation is desirable sor
the accomplishment of at least three prln-
cipal objects and / then recommended lne
enactment of a bill that had been care
fully prepared by the Joint Committee Cd
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 tnal SO
far as hydraulic energy is required lot
public purposes the state shoulds reserve
the right to compel the maximum deVelop-
chises are granted. In all authorizations
to build dams it should also require IN
cases where the energy may be USED eiIheT
within the state or outside its borders tnat
its own citizens shall be given the pref
erenee.
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 SoV.-
coo a year for five years for the purchase
of forest lands. All of this money has
been spent or contracted for, to block up
the forest reserves heretofore acquired.
have been purchased. and at the present
time the total area OF the state Torest re-
serve is over 200 acres. However there
are several times this amount or Iand
in the northern part of the state better
adapted to forestry than to agriculture
Much of it is increasing in value, and the
large holdings especially suitable Tor lot
estry purposes are being cut up into small
er ones and sold piecemeal. Ii therefore
the legislature wishes to increase the Tor
est reserve it should act promptly. by pro-
vidtng 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 metnod
ers cannot pay the regular rates OF taxa
ton imposed each year upon the full value
of a growing forest and still secure fair
return ON their investments. This crop.
because it takes so long to raise, should
be taxed more moderately than other forms
of real estate.
Concerning the subject of reforestation
therefore I respectfully recommend a con-
tinuing appropriation to be derived from
the levy of a fraction of mill tax Tor
period of twenty years for acquiring land
to complete the forest reserves in the
northern part of the state: and that 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 agrl-
culture.
MINIMUM WAGE
A bill 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 Engand y 50 n nvI 20 our System 81
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 a law for the establishment of
mothers pensions. The fundamental idea
underlying this proposed reform is that
the home is better place for children
than a public institution, and that the
mother is their best as well as their nat
ural guardian. 1t has also been found
cheaper for tax payers to compensate the
mother in proper cases for the care of
her own children than to support them
independently Of her. However public
allowance of this sort should only be made
to mothers who in the judgment Of a
court are worthy of the custody of their
children and ordinarily it should not be
children from neglect. This aid to needy
but deserving mothers should not be re-
garded as charity. but rather as the rec
ognition of an obligation actually due them
in return for their service to the state
as bearers of children.
PRISON LABOR.
One of the subjects Investigated by the
Board of Public Affairs during the past
year is the ACCESSIBILITY of abolishing the
present system of prison contract labor
at Waupun.
The objections to the present arrange
ment seem to me to be serious enough to
deserve your earnest consideration. In the
first place, the prison should be self sup-
porting. There is no good reason why
the law abiding people of Wisconsin who
have once suffered injury, BY, infraction OF
their criminal statutes should be further
burdened by the maintenance of these
criminals after they have been caught and
sentenced. Under proper conditions the
state prison should not only be self sup
porting, but the convicts should be made
to work hard enough and at employmentS
productive enough to enable the inStitu-
ton to realize substantial profit each
year.
BOARD OF CONTROL.
When the State Board of Control was
created twenty-five years ago there were
six institutions under supervision. Now
there are ten. Meanwhile the inmate pop
ulation of these institutions has more than
doubled. As a result the work of the
Board has greatly increased 1t spends
now over a million dollars a year. In ad-
dition to the management of these insti-
tutfons it paroles inmates from the In
duStrial School for Boys, the Wisconsin
State Reformatory, and the State Prison
1t administers in part the probation law
1t is also charged with responsibility for
the proper business management of the
new binder Irvine plant at Waupun. All
these duties new and old have crowded
upon the members of the Board until they
are overworked.
| respectfully recommend that the law
be so amended as to authorize the Board
of Control to appoint such numbers of
agents or deputies as may be needed at
fixed salaries, to make inspection of these
county and local institutions under its
direction.
SETTLEMENT OF FARM LANDS.
The settlement of nnoccupied farm lands
In the northern part of the state is n