Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-09-02

Wisconsin Solons Quit Work After
Long Meeting.
SESSION LASTS PA DAYS
Six Hundred and Ninety-One Senate
Bills and 865 Assembly Measures
Are Given Consideration-628
Laws Are Enacted.

Madison.-The Wisconsin legisla-
ture adjourned sine die Monday aft
ernoon after being in session 224 days.
Less than q half dozen members of
both houses were present at the close,
the actual work of the session having
been completed over a week ago. The
legislature gave consideration to 691
senate bills, 865 assembly bills and
nearly 200 resolutions. Six hundred
and twenty-eight laws were enacted
and signed by the governor Only one
proposed change in the constitution,
out Of a score proposed, was indorsed
This would permit a sheriff to succeed
himself an unlimited number of times.
Consultations of several state de-
partments mark the principal work of
the legislature. Several kindred de-
partments were consolidated under
conservation commission of three
members; the state fire marshal's Of
nee has been merged with the fnsur-
anee department; several branches of
government dealing with the subject
OF agriculture have been consolidated
the engineering and architectural work
Of the state has been consolidated IN
der an engineering department, and
the work Of the state BARRIERS board
has been given to the state board of
health. A new printing commission
has been created to supervise the
printing of documents. This commits
Sjnn will hn oF%
superintendent of public property and
a state editor. The governor has ap-
pointed H. P. Myrick of Milwaukee to
the latter position.
The finances of the state educational
institutions will be turned over to a
committee composed of the governor,
secretary of state, state treasurer and
a representative each OF the boards Of
normal and university regents. The
governor proposed a central board of
education, but the Staudenmayer bill
to create a commission to look after
the finances only was adopted. The
normal regents have not selected their
representative on this board, but he
in all probability will be Theodore
Kronshage of Milwaukee. The univer-
sity regents have selected Regent Gil
bert E. Seaman of Milwaukee as the
university representative on the board.
The second important accomplish
ment of this legislature has been the
curtailment of financial expenditures.
Close estimates made by the executive
Office would indicate that the taxes
have been cut about $6000,000 this
year. 1t is now announced that there
will be no necessity for state tax.
A number of important laws have
been changed or modified at this ses-
sion. Many of the restrictions in the
Husting water power law were re-
moved. Farmers have been exempted
from the terms of the workmen's COM
pensation act. The blue sky law
has been revamped to remove the old
feature of the law requiring. the rail-
road commission to supervise and au-
thoriZe stock issues. A law was passed
prohibiting fee splitting among ply
sicians.
Three important vetoes have been
made by Governor Philip. He vetoed
the Bosshard bill to prohibit tipping in
the state; the Helm bill, which would
require all political organizations to
file expense statements, and the Cros-
by bill for the creation Of a state mar
keting commission and to establish a
system of direct marketing between
producer and consumer.
All of the fish and game laws have
been codif1ed at this session of the leg
islature. This was one of the last bills
to be passed upon by the legislature
and has received the approval of the
governor. Fish laws were scattered
promiscuously throughout the statutes
and it was becoming more difficult
to determine what statutes applied, so
many special laws had been enacted
with reference to certain districts. All
Of these laws have been brought to-
gether, the antiquities removed and
the features classified so that it is no
longer difficult to determine whether
there is an effective law on the sub
ject.
More than score of important
changes have been made in the insur-
ance laws at this session of the legis-
lature. One Of the more important
laws modiies a law passed in 1907
which resulted in over twenty insur-
ance companies retiring from the state.
The new law changes the method of
computing the reserve, and several of
the companies that retired have al
ready made application to return.
M.rnad State Madio-I EN,rninar