Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-01-16

, thar reserved title to them WleD they SOLD
! their cutoyer holdings 10 settlers. These
I companies now paw no taxes on these tn
developed properties. | an told 1t IS en-
! urely 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
! 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 had come
| a substantial consensus of opinion that
water power legislation is desirable for
| the accomplishment of at least three prin-
| cipaI objects and | 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 10 be dealt with by you and | feel
that / cannot do better than renew the
recoInm | 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
chises are granted. In all authorizations
to build dams il 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.
coo year for five years Tor the purchase
Of forest lands. All of this money has
been spent or contracted Tor to biock 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
Il FE,pT.
are several times this amount of land
in the northern part of the state better
adapted 10 forestry than to agriculture.
Much of 1t is increasing in value. and the
large holdings especially suitable for for
cStry purposes are being cut up into small
er ones and sold piecemeal. If therefore,
est reserve it should act promptly by pro
yiding at this session sufficient funds to
acquire the necessary lands.
But If 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 4 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 loIOfeSIdIiDU
therefore | respectfully recommend Il con
tinuing appropriation to be derived from
the levy of a fraction of a mill tax for
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-
hold growing timber on land that is bet
ter adapted TO this purpose than TO agri-
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 England is so novel to our system of
jurisprudence and involves such difficult
problems of administration that the Iegis-
Iature 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
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
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 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
ognltion of an obligation actually due them
in return for their service to the state
as bearers of children.
PRISON LABOR
One of tie subjects investigated by the
Board of Inhlir Affairs 1nrjDo he =
year is the ACCESSIBILITY of abolshing the
present system of prison contract labor
ut Waupun.
The objections to the present arrange
ment seem to me to be serious enough to
desc we 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
70 work hard enough and ut employments
productive enough to enable the inStftu-
ton to realize a substantial profit each
year
BOARD OF CONTROL.
When the State Board of Control was
created twenty two years ago there We're
six institutions under supervision. Now
there are ten. Meanwl lie the inmate poD=-
uiation of these institutions has more than
doubled. As Il result the work of the
Board has greatly Increased. 1t spends
now over million dollars Il year. In adj
ttltion TO the management of these insti-
buttons it paroles inmates from the In
dustrial School for Boys. the Wisconsin
State RefOrmatOry and the State Prison
II administers in part the probation law
Ii is also charged with responsibility for
the proper business management of the
new binder Irvine plant at Waupuu. All
these duties new and old have crowded
upon the members of the Board until they
are OyerwOrked
l respectfully recommend that the law
be so amended as to authorize the Board
of Control TO appoint such numbers of
agents or deputies 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 unoccupied farm lands
in the northern part of the state is a
problem that has engaged the attention
of the Board of Public AffGirs for more
than 4 year. There are about 100000
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
both. We should not only invite settlers
to Wisconsin but should encourage and
they have come here in order that they
may become successful farmers and indie
pendent. self reliant citizens.
The prime need of new settlers is CAPT
tai EOE the uicSL part tltSS are men Oh
small means and the banks and other
lending agencies about them are either I'M
willing or untitled to supply them with ne
ceSsary funds to enable them to farm their
lands in 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 longtime
! loans to farmers on the security of their
| lands.
ABSENT VOTING.
| cilitieS in recent years the steadily grow
| ing tendency - conduct business upon a
/ large scale and hence over wide areas.
| lower railway fares and better accommo-
dationS have greatly increased the amount
! of travelling done and the number OF per
| sons therefore who are necessarily absent
/ from home election day. Travelling
! statesmen. railW ay employees, mail clerks.
/ and many others are now compelled to
choose between sacrificing two days of
/ election week from their employment or
| losing their votes. Many who are away
! from home at the beginning of the week
are required TO travel hundreds of miles
| or submit to Acknowledgement. This CON