Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1915-02-02
LEGISLATURE MAY
LAST FIVE MONTHS
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY PLAN
MEANS TO SHORTEN
SESSION.
TO BEGIN WORK AT ONCE
All Bills to be Taken Up as They
Come In-Want Game Laws Re-
vlsed-Water Power Plans
Are Offered.
Madison. Jan. 26. 1915.


While but one bill and one joint reso-
luton of major Importance are before
the legislature, leaders in the senate
and the assembly it is urged that leg1s-
lative committees should begin work
at once. Little Roadway can be made
in committee work until greater
number of bills have been introduced,
but it appears to be the program to
take the work as 1t comes and try to
shorten the session.
Five-Month Session Seen.
Many guesses have been made as to
the probable length of the session, the
consensus of opinion being that it
will continue for at least five months.
If the session is kept within that peri
cd, it will be a gain over two years
ago, when the legislature remained
here more than seven months. Much
delay was occasioned two years ago,
when the La Toilette men led an at
tack on former Gov. Francis E. Nc
Govern, who attempted to remove
Commissioner of Insurance Herman
L. Ekern for political activity.
Want Game Laws Revised.
A complete revision of the fish and
game laws is offered as the basis for
legislation by State Fash and Game
Warden ]. A. Sholts, Sparta, in his
annual report submitted to Gov. Phil
ipp today. Complicated and conflict
ing provisions in the laws are him
drance to effective enforcement, he
asserts.
The deer killed and shipped by resi-
dents and non-residents during the
past three hunting seasons are: 1912,
1888; 1913, 6.969; 1914, 1875.
From incomplete reports, 18,373,768
pounds of fish that sold for $662,042
were taken from Lakes Superior and
Michigan and Green bay In 1913 by
commercial fishermen. From licenses
and tags issued this industry brought
s4,179.25 to the state. 1t is recon-
mended that the license fee system
be changed to the graduated system
depending on the amount of nets used.
Commercial fishing on Lake Michi-
gan shows the following: Nets used,
15,760,318 feet; value of yield, $685.
299; for 1913, nets, 22,SS2,530 feet;
value of product, $73O.2O7; on Lake
Superior, 1914 (incomplete), nets used,
2,613, $50 feet; value of catch. SIC, 74S;
in 1913, nets used, 3,7S8,478 feet;
value OF catch, $79,150; Lakes Michi-
gan and Superior, nets used, 1914, 49,
On the Mississippi river there were
used 433,173 feet of nets and the catch
is valued at $14,602 This is for the
period since June Is, 1914.
The total amount received from va
rious accounts during the year closed
was 1928, 5O6.4O, as against s210,219.37
in 1913. Total department expenses
were $152,012.82, as compared with
1851, 72402 in 1913. Total seizures
were sos and receipts from seizures
$2.453.7O. Total fines imposed were
$l9,0S0; costs imposed, $4,256.5O; war
den fees collected. s9s2.1S; number of
arrests for violations, 992; in 1913,
1000.
Offers Water Power Plan.
Assemblyman Carl Pieper, Menomo-
ME, is working on a water power bill
which he thinks will help to solve the
problem so that the public will begin
to reap some immediate benefits
His bill will enable any government
tai unit that exercises the taxing pow
er-county, city, village or town-to
develop water power for its own use
or for profit. The only restriction in
the bill will be nthe amount of bonds
that may be sold to build reservoirs
and plants. This limit will be % per
cent Of the assessed valuation of the
unit making the issue.
Heretofore municipalities have
owned utilities of this character only
for their own purpose. Mr.. Pieper
proposes to permit northern counties,
towns and cities to acquire water
power sites, build plants and sell the
power they generate to private con-
Germs, such as paper mills and fac
tories. He thinks many localities
which have power sites will develop
them under his bill as a means of
building up industrial centers and that
public ownership Of water powers will
become the rule.
The state road school held under the
Dies at Los Angeles.