The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-02-28
HOPE FOR UNDER
PAID TEACHERS
Bill Would Raise Salary to S45
Per Month.
MANY AUTOMOBILE MEASURES
effort 10 Regulate This Class of Traf-
fic-BiII to Compel Telephone
Companies TO Give Public
Good Service.

60 rural school teachers of the state
that there is Il probability that the
legislature will increase their salaries.
The minimum wage at the present
time is $40 a month as established by
che 1913 Legislature. The assembly com
mittee on education has recommended
for passage q bill which fixes the mini
mum at $40. The original assembly
bill on this subject called for a mini
mum salary of $50, but an investiga-
fion by the committee on education in
Dictated that the average wage for
teachers in the state was about $40.
Many receive more than this amount
and many less and 1t was decided by
fhe committee to fix the minimum ar
$45 and this bill viii be before the
assembly this week
Tax Commission Report.
There are 1856 taxpayers In WiscOn-
sin who have incomes in excess of S15,-
900 annually. These constitute one
sixth Of one per cent Of the total num-
Der Of income taxpayers, who are as
sessed for 1896 per cent of the aggre-
person in this group Is S4S65.62.
These facts are contained in the forth
coming report of the Wisconsin tax
commission. For the year 1916, which
tax Is now being collected, q total tax
of 1914 ,393.J1 was assessed. OF this
sum $3,743, 180.16 was assessed against
corporations and 1,601 ,213.35 against
individuals. Corporations pay approx
imately 20 per cent of the tax as
sessed.
A total of 81, 272 individuals paid in
come taxes In Wisconsin this year, and
of this number AZ, 422 had aSsesSable
incomes of 81 900 or less. There are
il persons in Wisconsin who have in
comes in excess of 100000, and these
ii individuals pay slightly better than
II per cent of the entire tax assessed
against individuals. Contrary to the
common belief, farmers of the state
are assessed 1856 per cent of the entire
tax on individuals.
Social insurance.
The creation of a plan OF social In
surance Is provided for in a bill which
has been offered in the lower house by
Assemblyman Henry Oil of Milwaukee.
In its general provisions the measure
follows the one adopted by the Amer
lean Association for Labor Legislation.
Pending also before the legislature are
two joint resolutions, one by Assem-
blyman John C. Chapple Of Ashland and
another by Senator Roy Z. Wilcox of
Eau Claire, asking for a legislative in
vestigatiOn of the subject The Oil
bill provides a complete plan of social
insurance.
Under the terms of the Oil meas
ure social insurance commission con-
trolls the three members appointed by
the governor for a term of six years,
the chairman to get a salary of $1,000
and the other two members to receive
$500 each. Aiding this commission
shall be a social insurance council
composed of six representatives of en-
ployerS and six employees.
Every person engaged in manual la
Dor getting less than 500 q month
must be insured Those receiving in
excess of that much may elect to be
insured. All persons under the act
will receive benefits in case of sick
ness, accident or death, not covered by
the wOrkmen's compensation act. Ma
ternity benefits are also provided for.
4 cash benefit of twO-thirds Of the
weekly wages shall be paid beginning
the fourth day during disability not
more than % weeks in any u months.
One-half of the wages of an insured
person. while in the hospital shall be
paid to dependents.
Would Reorganize Board.
Apparently the officials at the Uni
Versity of Wisconsin are in favor of
the Whittet bill for the reorganiza-
ton of the state board of education.
The present board of education. which
prepares the educational budget for
the educational systems of the state,
is composed of the governor, secretary
Of state and stIte superintendent,
with one representative of the regents
of the university and one representa-
tive of the normal schools of the state.
The Whittet bill provides for the
elimination of the state superintendent
aud secretary of state. 1t would ere
ate a board of seven members, com
posed of the governor, four members
to be appointed by him and one rep
resentative for the university and one
for the normal schools.
Fate of Alumni Directory Uncertain.
Publication of a directory of alumni
of the university within the next year
depends upon the appropriation to be
made by the legislature now in Ses-
sion. There is in the university bud
get an appropriation for this purpose,
but its passage is in doubt because of
other expense. The directory will con-
tain the names of all who have grad
uated from the university and have re-
ceived degrees. This number has
reached a total of over 10000. of which
three thousand have graduated since
the last directory was printed in
1911.
Ask for Richt-of-sfay.
The Wisconsin Interurban Street
Railways company through bill intro
duced in the assembly by Assembly
man Stone seeks sanction of the leg
islature to lay its right-of-way over
lands owned by the University of Wis