River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-07-19
BILL To REGULATE
(. TRUSTS SIGNED
Measure Approved by Governor
viii Cut High Cost of
Living.
ORIGINAL BILL WAS AMENDED
Changed by Legislature So as to In
cIude Foreign az Well as Domes-
tic Corporations-To Check
Unlawful Prices.

Madison.-The Whittet bill regulat-
ing combinations, trusts and monopo-
lies has been signed by Governor
Philip. The idea of the bill is to help
reduce the cost of living. A hearing
was given this bill by the governor at
which e. Fl. Bottum asked the governor
to veto the measure. Discovery was
then made that the original bill as
drawn would only apply to an attempt
Of a domestic corporation to unlaW-
fully boost prices.
Governor Philip suggested that
the bill be recalled and amended so as
to make the terms Of the measure ap-
DIIcable to individuals and to foreign
and domestic corporations. Both
houses of the legislature have recalled
the bill, incorporated the amendment
suggested by the governor and within
an hour after this legislative action
Governor Philip gave the measure his
approval. The measure is an impor-
tant one.
Checks Price Boosting.
This bill is designed to check unlaW-
full boosts in prices. It is said that 1t
may be used against manufacturers,
who, it is charged, have recently In
creased prices far beyond the cost OF
manufacture and reasonable profit.
The penalty section Of the measure
allows q citizen to begin an action
against any price-boosting concern,
and If the facts of a conspiracy to in
crease prices is established, then the
law permits a penalty recovery Of all
amounts paid for the goods; besides,
he is allowed to keep the goods free OF
cost. The bill is one Of the most
sweeping antitrust acts enacted by
any legislature and will probably be
freely used during the coming year
against price-boosting combines in this
state.
The legislature recalled the cOntinu-
alton school attendance bill. AS the
measure passed the legislature it pro-
vided an increase in the weekly at
tendance of children going to the con-
tinuatiOn school from four to eight
hours a week, and an increase in the
number of months of yearly attend
ance from eight to ten. Governor
Philip felt that the bill was so far
reaching that he asked that it be re-
called and amended so that the mini
mum attendance shall be eight months
a year, or in cities having a longer
school term, the length of term which
other children must attend school, In
the city of Milwaukee this would mean
nine months. No attempt was made
to disturb that feature of the bill in
creasing the weekly attendance for
children between the ages Of fourteen
and sixteen years to eight hours
week. Children between the ages of
sixteen and seventeen years will only
be required to attend continuation
school four hours q week under the
present bill. Governor Philip an
nounced today that he will sign this
bill as soon as it reaches him.
The legislature has recalled from
the governor the bill which relates to
servants and which provides that no
girl under eighteen years of age could
be employed without having first OBJ
tanned a permit from the industrial
commission. The governor declined to
sign the bill under those conditions
pointing out that this would prohibit
the employment of girl in farm
kitchen and would work hardship in
many cases. Under the provisions Of
the law as it was passed, if a woman
engaged the service of a girl under
eighteen to mind her baby for an hour
while she went to q moving-picture
show she would have to get a permit
from the industrial commission. This
provision WIS stricken out and it is
said that the governor will now sign
the bill.
Vetoes DonneIIy Bill.
Governor Philip vetoed the Don
nelly bill passed by the legislature, re-
straining the alienation of personal
property for longer period than dur
Ing the time of the lives of two per-
sons in being and 81 years after their
death. The bill proposed to place the
same restraint on the change Of own
ership of personal property as is now
on real property.
The measure would, if it became a
law, tend to restrain the making Of
longtime trusts of personal property.
The governor in his veto message SAID
that he objected to the bill because
charitable institutions and associations
were not exempted from its provisions,
and because it would tend to create
such litigation to determine whether
it was valid.
To Aid Dependent Children.
Governor Philip has signed the bill
sranting aid for dependent children.
This is revision of the present law on
the statute books. Under the terms
of the new law any judge of Juvenile
court or county judge may cause an
investigation to be made to determine
whether a child is dependent To as
sist in making Investigations and ex-
aminations, the judge of the juvenile
court or of the county court may ap-
point a board of child welfare for his