The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-01-17

/ tHelf cntoEer holdings to settlers. IHeSS
| companies now pay no taxes on these IN
developed properties. | ain told IL IS en-
/ urely practicable quite accurately &c de
! unit these mineral areas and to ascertain
| their value for purposes of taxation. This
| should now be done. All such property
| should be made to bear its just proportion
/ 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 mad come
| q substantial consensus of opinion that
water power legislation is desirable for
| the accomplishment of at least three prln-
| cipal objects and | then recommended the
enactment of q bill that had been care
| fully prepared by the Joint Committee on
! Water Powers ard 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 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
chisps 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 own 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 $50
900 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.
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, 600 acres. However there
nf q nd
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 for for
estrY purposes are being cut up into small
er ones and sold piecemeal. If therefore,
the legislature wishes to increase the for
est reserve it should act promptly by pro-
yiding at this session sufficient funds to
acquire the necessary lands.
But if 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
q 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 it takes so long to raise, should
be taxed more moderately than other forms
OF real estate.
Concerning the subject of reforestation
therefore | respectfully recommend a con-
tinuing appropriation to be derived from
the levy Of a fraction Of 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 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
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 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 q law for the establishment of
mothers pensions. The fundamental idea
underlying this proposed reform is that
the home is a 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
her own children than to support them
Independently of her. However a 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
made unless found necessary to save the
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
no nTtyJe.a h, lse,ti
at Waupun.
The objections to the present arrange
ment seem to me to be serious enough to
deserve your earnest consideration. In the
nrSt 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
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 a 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
dOuDitu AS Il result the WOrk OF the
Board has greatly increased. 1t spends
now over million dollars a year. In ad
d1tlon to the management of these inSti-
tutionS 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
fixed salaries, to make inspection of these
county and local institutions under its
direction.
SETTLEMENT OF FARM LANDS.
The settlement of unoccupied farm lands
in the northern part of the state is
problem that has engaged the attention
of the Board of Public Affairs for more
acres of such land, once in forest but now
practically stripped of its timber. The
problem is how to bring idle men and
idle lands together for the betterment of
to Wisconsin but should encourage and
protect them in every way possible after
they have come here in order that they
may become successful farmers and indie
pendent reliant citizens.
The prime need of new settlers is cant
tai For the most part they are men of
small means and the banks and other
lending agencies about them are either lIn-
willing or untitled to supply them with ne
ceSSary funds to enable them to farm their
lands in a proper manner The state should
relieve this condition by encouraging the
development of agricultural credit insti-
tutions. whether private or cooperative
especially organized for making long time
loans farmers the Spcurity of