Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1915-05-21

before the senate is carefully drawn,
and will stand close observation. They
insist that the opposition to the Ack-
ley measure has admitted that the
present law is wrong, and is willing to
amend it by wiping out the clause re-
lating to the repeal of franchise and
changing the method of compensation
in cases where a developed water
power is taken over.
Senator Ackley and his friends say
that most of the fight at this session
has been over those two questions.
They insist that had the amendments
been offered by the opposition early in
the session that the whole water pow
er question would have been disposed
of by the present legislature. Now
Senator Ackley and his friends are
disposed to stand their ground for the
Ackley bill and will fight the move to
amend the present law so that the Ack-
ley bill may be discarded.
Change in Taxing Proposed.
A number of important changes with
reference to the state tax commission
are contemplated in a joint legislative
investigating committee bill, abolish
ing the present tax commission, which
is to be introduced at an early date.
In place of the present tax commits
sion, the bill provides for one tax COM
missioner, who will receive salary of
$4,000 year. The governor and the
state treasurer will act in an ex officio
advisory capacity. A change with ref
erence to the present income tax law
| is contemplated In the provision which
allows counties to elect income tax as
SCISSORS. Other changes are: The work
of collecting the inheritance tax, now
done by the tax commission, will be
placed in the charge of the attorney
| general, where it was before; the yalu-
alton of public utility and railroad cor
porations made by a joint staff from
the railroad commission and the tax
commission at present, is to be given
to the railroad commission, which will
collect the necessary data and make
reports to the tax commission when
desired. 1t repeats that clause of the
present law allowing the tax commits
sion to order municipal audits and in
stall municipal accounting systems It
is understood that the present commits
sion is not in favor of this clause and
has utilized the right only twice.
Would Bond Jitney Owners.
Another jitney bill has been intro
duced in the legislature, this time by
Assemblyman Schroeder, Milwaukee.
The bill provides that every motor
driven vehicle carrying passengers
shall take out $4,000 liability insur-
ance The bin was submitted to Lewis
E. Gettle, secretary of the Wisconsin
railroad commission, for his approval
but he declared that he would have
nothing to do with it,
Bulletins announcing committee
hearings before the legislature are
growing smaller. The number of hear
ings scheduled indicates that members
of the legislature will not be over.
worked, unless the proceedings in the
assembly and the senate are longer
than expected.
Practically all of the big measures
have been passed upon in committee
hearings. One of the few bills of i'm.
portance remaining to be discussed in
committee is the Hanson bill, creating
a department of agriculture and engi.
neering.
Salary Bill Adopted.
Assemblyman Smiths joint resolu-
ton, providing for a salary of $500
annually to members of the legisla-
ture, was adopted by the assembly.
The senate passed the Jennings
bill granting the city of Milwaukee
a 600 foot strip of land running
along the shore of Lake Michigan
from Wisconsin street to the harbor
entrance. The senate, 20 to 2, sus-
tanned the governors veto of the
Martin bill.
The Minkley bill. authorizing the
social democratic party to change its
name to the socialist party, was or
dered to third reading.
The senate ordered to engross-
ment and third reading the Fairchild
bill relating to the state board of den
tai examiners. The committees sub
stitute amendment, No. IS. was
adopted.
The senate committee on finance
recommended for indefinite postpone
ment the bill appropriating $4,000
for the Wisconsin Industrial School
for Girls, Milwaukee.
The bill providing for a state con-
servation commission taking in five
different departments was ordered
engrossed by the assembly.
Vote to Pay Old Debt.
At last the legislature has taken
a step to provide for the payment of
that old state debt of $2,250,000,
which has stood against the state for
more than half a century, in viola
ton of the constitution and calling
for an annual interest payment of
$4,000 The step was taken when
the assembly ordered to engrossment
the Helm bill, providing for an an
/ A<a al rsh