Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-01-16
MESSAGE IS SENT
To LEGISLATURE
GOV. MGOyERN MAKES RECON-
MEACATlONS TO VISION
Sin LAWMAKERS.
MUCH SPACE TO INCOME TAX
Governor Urges Lawmakers to Pro-
coed Slowly in Any Proposed Re
vision of Law-Mothers' Pen
sion Bill Given Approval.


sion Bill Given Approval.
Iadison-G0v. McGovern's mes
sage to the Wisconsin legislature. in
part, is as follows:
BEFORE passing on 10 a consideration Of
shs tIEeF pHDlc matters that I am about
- preset u" yoU- permit me TO greet you
warmly and III the name Of all our people.
70 HEicone you 70 the capitol.
nave frequently commended the work
81 Ihe last Legislature and cOugratU red
lHe peos5ts of Wisconsin upon the amount.
hiGh Quality and enduring character ,f
Lie legISiITigH then enacted. I have felt
ana StiH tsei that TOO much cannot be sad
IA its praise.
LABOR LEGISLATION.
NJ topic occupied more Of the time and
th9HGA of tHe last legislature than th!.
rights - ia50r. On his subject it took
advanced ground - generously fulfilled
LAt platform pledge that in all matters af-
1eELiug workers Wisconsin should be pIac-
ii an the lead IL enacted the first valid
81 hli.Eh compensation law ever put into
effect in America. 1t regulated the hours
81 eHploJmn Mt OF women. 1t amended and
Improved the statutes relative to child
labor and street trades. Most important
at ALL II lifted the whole subject Of the
relation OF employer and employee to Il
new aud higher plane by establishing the
tLu'Ntti@l commission modelled after the
wisconsin Railroad Commission that has
deservedlF won such widespread cOmmen-
aation Through this new commission as
through ITS prototype the public interests
are now adequately protected and the poor
are endbied 10 get Justice without having
practically To hug il in court in an I'm
fFIhdt struggle with wealthy and powerful
adversarieS
I'd" legislature of 1911 was rightly eau
t@uuS III granting to the Industrial Com
mission very much discretionary power III
dealing with exceptional labor conditions
instead rigid rules were laid down re-
speeding child labor women's hours Of en-
plo3 ment and other similar subjects. But
IN the administration OF these laws the
Commission has FOUND Il variety of con
hItlonS in different industries that seem
10 cali for greater elasticity In the en-
Iorcement of the Women'S labor law, for
instance. it has been found that there is 4
Wide difference between the light work on
Il rurai telephone VITA frequent periods
pf rest and the nervous strain ut a city
switchboard InharmoniOuS provisions in
he law have also come to light. Such as
an hour for dinner in the women's law
and only half an hour in the children'S law
Ia respect Of these and similar matters
lt would seem to be advantageous to make
the law more flexible by authorizing py-
eeptions from the strict letter of the stat
ute as at present laid down in every case
where the Commission shall find on pub
lic hearing the requested notifications to
be within the spirit of the law and not
PraJudiCial to the health of the employees
- oe aIeeteu ~ u. me law may be
permitted to stand as it is but the legiS-
la.ure should now, in view of the known
methods Of administration employed by the
Commission ana the marked success that
has attended them. consider the. wisdom
Of authorizing create: opportunity for the
exercise of discretion in clearly exceptional
caSeF This principle of greater adapta-
hiiity should apply to the laws concern
ing child tabor. street trades. women'S
hours of employment and possibly other
similar matters now committed to the In
dHStriai Commission for enforcement
Workmen's Compensation
The WOrkmen'S CONDENSATION act has
hcen fully vindicated by experience on
December Is, 1912. 567 employers and
about 10000 employees had come within
its operation During the month Of No
vember. 1912, a. per cent of the accidents
reported to the Industrial Commission
were subject to compensation under this
plan. Thus nearly half of all industrial
hazards are already covered by the act
" hen il was passed the defences of as
sumption Uf risk and the negligence of Il
fellow servant were taken away from EN-
pioyeFS who did not accept its provisions
other states like Massachusetts. Kansas.
Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, Rhode Island
aud Illinois in legiSlIting on this subject
abolished nos only these two defenceS but
also that of cOutributOry negligence In
~urance rates in these states are now fOunl
to be about the same for those within as
for those outside the operation of such
laws, and marked tendency is manifest
te come under them. With this object
ia view, 1t seems to me the defence of
ruutrlbutory negligence should be wiped
out here also. That no hardship will re-
suit from this eourSe is shown by the
fact that among all who accepted this
humane enactment only one employer has
thus far taken advantage of the Oppor-
tunity it affords to withdraw from the
operation of Its provisions.
number of states. including Michi-
eau. New Jersey, massachusetts and
Rhode Island, have made provision for
compenSatiug employees for specific in
JuTicS such as the loss of an eve or hand
by requiring p&ymens tor definite time
on the basis of : certain percentage Of the
wage received when the injury occurred
our law fixes the amount to be paid on
the basis of actual loss OF wages only
This is not always just and I recommend
IN amendment which viii provide for the
adoption in such cases Of the rule now
followed in other states.
As the law now is no employer can be
come subject to its provisions without first
filing with the Commission notice of his
acceptance. and after he has given such
presumed e. accept the law unless they
specifically notify the Commission to the
contrary. The rule applicable TO employ
cts should now he revised 50 to har-
monte with the requirements imposed up
en- WoTkmCu. At certain date fixed by
law all employers in Wisconsin should
be deemed to tie within the scope and
operation Of the workmenS compensation
acC unless prior g. this time they shall
haw notified the commission in writing
10 che effect that they do not wish t.
do So.
TAXATION.
TaNaulH is one of the most important
SND1eEAS E2tN WbitA legislators have Ia
deal Whether heavy or light. the aver.
age citizen Is ever sensitive TO its weight
No effort therefore should he spared to
eqUaIize the burden. The demand of rura
communities Cor better roads and schools
the requirement Of rapidly growing citie,
for streets. savers and sidewalks and fol
more and better parks and playground,
inevitably call +Or increased expenditure
which must be met by increased taxes
The problem of distributing this burden
so that each SdaI. contribute his just Shar
is by no means ether simple or easy {,
S0lye
The fnSOme Tax.
The Wisconsin method of taxing prop
erty has long ranked among the best II
the country, hut f. necessarily shared tn
defects inherent in all systems of genera
SCISSORS every year, the difficulty of val
Uing many classes of property and tn
hostile attitude of large numbers of PEG
pke we'll able 60 pay resulted in the prac
tiCSl breakdown OF personal property tax
suou. ThereUpon the people Of the stat
demanded substitute and the legislator
Of 1871 took a long step in advance b.
ensCtinE an income tax law.
IN the language OT chief Justice Wins
row who delivered the opinion Of the cour
IN the Income Tax case. this law mark
q very important change in the taxation
policy Of she state and is but Il coucFet
embodiment of 4 popular sentiment whic'
has been abroad for some time
~ might be expected. so radical chang
ia our nScat system aroused strong oppo
S1tion, especially among those directly al
IecJeu by IT. many of whom had not born
their fair share Of tha public burden IN
der the old plan. Notwithstanding thi