The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-02-14
NEUPOL|CY IN BILL
On MINIMUM WAGE
MEASURE BY ASSEMBLYMAN MA
HON BROADENS SCOPE OF
LABOR LEGISLATION.
ENDORSED BY ECONOMISTS
Measure Does Not Fix Specific
Amount But Leaves This to Be Done
by State Board After Investigation
of Individual Case.


Madison Departing from all for
mer rules laid down in fixing mini
mum wage by statute, the bill pre-
sented by AssembIyman Mahon OF
Eland Junction lays down new pol
icy in labor legislation. The indus
trial commission is empowered to en-
force the law and with certain spe-
cific safeguards to fix the amount OF
a living wage.
Following out the lines laid down
in a bill introduced in the assembly
two years ago by Assemblyman Ma
hon creating the state industrial
commission, the bill presented by
him broadens the scope of that act,
While original in plan, the idea con-
tanned in the measure is being en-
dorsed by leading economists. One
paragraph of the bill says:
Every wage paid or agreed to be
paid by any employer to any female
or minor employe except as other
wise provided in section 1882
shall not be less than a living wage"
These two sections of the act give
a latitude to the measure not APP
preached by any other law, and the
bill does not fix specific amount; il
permits this amount to be determined
by the industrial commission upon
investigation.
Ask Emergency Health Fund.
An emergency fund of $4,000 for
the suppression of epidemics and for
the protection of human life in
times of epidemic disease or of dis
aster threatening disease is asked in
a Dill offered to the Legislature. Such
situations regarding public health as
the Black River Falls flood created
would have Eeen met by the state
board of health had a fund of this
kind been at it's disposal The bill
will provide that the fund shall be
available 'for the use of the board
in furnishing to the citizens of the
state treatments for the cure of tn.
berculosis.'
Ffty-Six Died from Fires.
Reports compiled by State Fire
Marshal T. M. Purtell show that
fifty-six lives were lost in fires in
Wisconsin for the half year ending
Jan. /, 1913. The injured-with
data mplete-numbered fifty
and at the rate based on the United
States reports of Wisconsin fires it
is estimated that about 16S were
probably seriously burned. Eight
were burned from starting or hasten
ing fire with kerosene, and an equal
number received their injuries as
result of children playing with
matches. Two hundred and five
fire losses were reported in January,
with damage of 1907, 525, and insur-
ance carried of $932,445. Eighty
two fires We're caused by defective
heating apparatus and chimneys,
with loss of $101, 665. Thirty fires
are classified as unknown, such losses
aggregating $65,370. Twelve were
caused by fires in adjoining buildings,
such losses reaching $3O,160.
Scheme to Cut Trial Costs.
An important measure ready for
introduction into the senate would
revolutionize the procedure in Grim
inal court cases where the plea OF
insanity is entered as a defense. This
bill has been prepared by the Wis
consin branch of the American Insti-
tute of Criminology and Criminal
Law and provides for the apportion-
ment of board of alienists composed
of practicing physicians, ten to TWEEN
ty in number.
In every criminal action where the
court interposes plea of insanity as
a defense the circuit court and dis
trict attorney shall be notified ten
days in advance of the commence
ment of the trial. The Judge then
appoints three men from the list of
alienists to examine the accused and
they shall be the only witnesses per-
mitted to give expert opinion evil
dence on the trial of said issue" For
this measure the claim is made that
criminal trials will be shortened by
this procedure and the court will OBJ
tain unbiased information upon
which to make a finding. The alien
lists would receive not less than SIS
per day, this to be paid by the
county.