Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-03-25
LEGISLATURE MAY
FINISH BY JUNE |
Solons to Complete Work Two
Months Ahead of Schedule.
FINANCIAL BILLS ARE READY
Two Big Measures Reported to the
House for Action This Month
Resolution Adopted Providing
for Machinery Investigation.

MdQlSon.-In6re are at present
many indications that the work of the
Wisconsin legislature will be conclud-
ed two months ahead of the schedule
for several years past The session
two years ago adjourned on July 16,
and the 1915 session was the longest
in the history of the state. At the
rate the legislature has been moving
things in the ~ast two weeks there is
a possibility of an adjournment by
June 1
For the first time in 90 years the
two big financial bills of the session,
appropriations for the normal and
university, have been reported to the
house for action in March. The third
large financial measure, carrying ap-
preparations for the charitable and
penal institutions, will be reported in
to the house the latter part of this
week. The university appropriation
bill, carrying an aggregate of $685.
961 for the biennium. will be conSid
cred in the senate this week. The
assembly will on the same day con-
slider the normal school bill, which
carries an aggregate for the biennium
of S2.256,955.
There will be an additional bill
which will carry some additional CAPT
tai Improvements for the state normal
schools. This will be decided upon
later by the finance committee. The
Increase at the university for the bien-
MUM is $4,000, and of this sum S22,-
900 increase is for county agricultural
representatives and $4,000 to equip
the infrmary at the university.
The special committee of the legis-
lature which has been investigating
the charitable and penal institutions
of the state will be ready TO make its
report to the finance committee by the
end of the present week.
By a vote of 55 to % the assembly
killed the bill recommended by Gov
ernor Phillip for the repeal of the
state life fund law. BY vote of 40
to 36 the assembly killed the LelSche
resolution for the public ownership of
packing plants.
The house by a vote of 30 to "a de-
feated the Klein resolution requesting
that the state join with the city of
Milwaukee in the erection of a me-
mortal to Abraham Lincoln. The Will
cox bill to have the railroads pay the
entire expense of grade crossings has
been placed on this weeks cal
endar for reconsideration The senate
advanced the Kuckuk bill increasing
the tuition of nonresident students in
| high schools from $50 to s72 a year
The Wilkinson bill, which originally
provided that all legal notices must
be published in English language pa
pers was killed by the senate.
The Wisconsin legislature has
finally adopted the Bennett resolution
asking the legislature for investigation
of the feasibility of manufacturing
farm machinery at the state peniten-
tiary at Waupun. Unless there is
some reversal of the action of the leg
islature within the next few days, a
committee will be appointed to visit
the prisons at Saltwater, Mimi, and
Fort Madison, Ia, 10 ascertain what
progress has been made at these insti-
tutions in manufacturing farm ma
chinery. The resolution providing for
this investigation passed the senate
without opposition, but was unfavOr-
ably reported by the assembly commit
tee on agriculture The house. how
ever. by a vote of "a to A. refused to
=. IL, =
passed.
A substitute for the Wilcox mini
mum wage bill has been offered by the
committee on reconstruction. 1t ex-
tends the minimum wage principle TO
men employees, declares that the }iv-
ing wage shall be held to be sufficient
to enable the employee TO maintain
himself and "a family of average size"
under conditions consistent with the
welfare of the family. To ascertain
this wage and make the clasSificatiOnS
is up to the industrial commission.
which is to put the law into effect
after July 1, 1919, after an investiga-
ton to be made in conjunction with
employers and employees. Employees
not able to earn a living wage are per-
mitted to work under a license at a
wage to be fixed by the commission.