River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-01-16

! this
4 percentage seem reasonable to the legis-
| lature the law should be amended accord
! ingly as TO obyiate the necessity of
! changing the amount to be allotted for
| this purpose each session of the legis-
/ lature.
Some states are now employing their
| prison convicts in building highways.
| Colorado has been especially successful in
i the development of this idea. If it be pos
| sfble to apply it adyantageously in Wis
| consin, it is highly desirable; but before
| finally deciding the matter preliminary ex-
periments should be made. l respectfully
| recommend therefore that the Board of
] Control and the Highway Commission be
! given authority and a limited appropria-
/ ton to carry on a joint investigation of
this subject by the use of limited num-
Der of convicts in road work in the north
! ern part of the state, preferably on lands
/ reserved for refOrestation, and that they
be required to report to the next legisla-
! ture the results of the experiment, togeth-
er with their recommendations.
There is some criticism of the lack of
| community IN the stretches OF road now
! many suggestions have been made for the
| more rapid completion of the main lines
| of traffic. One way in which this object
may be promoted is to change the auto
| mobile license tax from a uniform sum
| per car as at present to a reasonable mini
| mum charge for the lighter cars, with a
| propOrtionate increase for the larger auto
mobiles, depending on horse power or
! weight. The proceeds of this tax instead
| of going as at present in large part to
the counties where it is frequently frit-
! tered away without any permanent i'm
| provement to show for it, should be used
| under the direction of the Highway Com
mission in the maintenance and construc-
| ton of the lines of traffic which connect
| the principal cities and villages of the
! state.
CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RE-
| SOURCES.
| In my message of two years ago l call
| ed attention to the disparity which eX
| lists between taxes on mineral deposits and
NStn,1N, %rx-C
! year under the general rule. Minerals, be-
| ing under ground and not readily open
to view, almost invariably escape. This is
! true of all the important minerals of the
| state, whether iron, lead or zinc. The
! facts in detail for each piece of property
in explored areas both as regards guam
! THY and quality of the deposits should be
! ascertained as in Michigan and Minnesota,
and the land taxed the same as other
| property.
Aside from these discovered iron ore
| bodies, there are extensive areas in the
| northern part of the state, some of which
| are known to contain iron bearing fOrma-
! tfOnS. The mineral rights are partly own
| ed by those III possession of the land
and partly by great lumber companies
| their cutOver holdings to settlers. These
| companies now pay no taxes on these I'M
developed properties. / am told it is en-
| tirely practicable quite accurately to de-
limit these mineral areas and to ascertain
! their value for purposes of taxation. This
should now be done. All such property
of taxes.
Water Powers.
At the special session of the legislature
! less than q year ago / called attention
| concerning water powers there had come
q substantial consensus of opinion that
water power legislation is desirable for
| the Accomplishment of at least three prin-
| cipal objects and l then recommended the
! enactment of a bill that had been care
fully prepared by the Joint Committee on
| 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
! chises 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
it's 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
| for the maintenance of the forestry board,
! the legislature of 1911 appropriated $780,
| 600 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
| time the total area of the state forest re-
serve is over 100000 acres. However there
! are several times this amount Of land
| 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
/ err ones and sold piecemeal. If therefore,
| the legislature wishes to increase the for
! est reserve it should act promptly by pro-
viding at this session sufficient funds to
! acquire the necessary lands.
But if we are to retain wOodusing 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
| 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 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
Concerning the subject of reforestation
| therefore 1 respectfully recommend a con-
! tinuing appropriation to be derived from
the levy of a fraction OF a mill tax for a
period of twenty years for acquiring land
to complete the forest reserves in the
ter method of taxing timber land be de-
! vised so as to enable private owners to
|
ter adapted to this purpose than to agri-
| culture.
MINIMUM WAGE
The Supreme Court of the United States
and several state courts have repeatedly
| recognized that inequality of bargaining
power constitutes a reasonable ground on
| which the state may aid the weaker party.
| For example in the execution of judg-
ments Wisconsin was the first state to
| adopt a wage exemption, providing In it's
| constitution of sixty five years ago for pro-
| lection of the working mans necessary
comforts of life" At that time the law
| was generally regarded as an infringement
of the rights of property and was denOunc-
! ed as class legislation. But Wisconsin was
| soon followed by nearly every other state
| in the Union, and the courts everywhere
eventually came to recognize wage exemp-
| tionS as matters of sound public policy,
justifying broad and liberal interpretation
| Modern industrial conditions have
brought this same question of the "neces-
| sary comforts of life to the front in new
form Great corporations employing hun
dredS of scattered tenement house workers
have superior bargaining power that is
already recognized by the state in it's law
| prohibiting the employer from sending out
work to a tenement house that is not Ii
| censed; for 1t he be permitted without reg
| ulation or control to send out work to the
| homes, he can secure free light. rent and
heat besides the advantage of defenceless
| competition among Out-workerS and the
opportunity to evade the wOmen's and chill
| dren's hours of labor law by adding the
time at home to the regular period of en-
ployment in the factories. Undoubtedly
| there are other like cases of depressed
| wages which investigation will in time re-
| veal.
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-