Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1919-02-06
municipalities May Be Freed of
Heavy Cost.
COMMISSION TO LOSE POWER
Wilcox Measure Repeats Part of Act
Which Gives Rail Body Au-
thority to Order AL
terations
BY FRED L. HOLMES.

present session o. the legislature.
This bill, which has been offered on
| this subject, provides that the expense
of grade crossing over railroad
tracks cannot be ShOuldHred on a mu-
| nicipality. At the present time when
grade crossing is dangerous, applica-
ton is made to the railroad commits
sion, which determines the method of
separation and apportions the costs.
SO many cities have had, to pay costs
| for these crossings that many munich
palities have declined to make appli-
cation for the Wiping out of dangerous
crossings.
Senator WilcoX's bill relating to the
powers of the railroad commission re-
| peals section 1797-12f, which gives
| the commission power to order altera-
lions in grade crossings. 1t amends
a subsection and reads:
1.-THE commission shall fix the pro-
/ portion Of the cost and expense OF
| such alteration, removals and new
crossings, including the damages to
any person whose land is taken, and
| the special damages which the owner
of any land adjoining the public street
or highway shall su~ain by reason Of
| such change in the grade of such
street or highway or by reason of the
removal of distractions to view at
such crossing, to be paid by the rail
| road company or companies, and the
| ri on, nj i
| est, except that in all cases where the
| highway or street road was in use as
| a highway or street when the railroad
| crossed the same no part Of such cost
! or expense shall be paid by the muDi-
cipality. In fixing such proportion the
commission may order the amount of
such cost and expense and damages so
| apportioned to be paid by the parties
! against which the appOrtionment shall
| be made"
The new mattsr is the exception
| that where the highway was in use as
a highway when the railroad crossed
the same no part of the expense shall
| be borne by the municipality. This
| bill revives one of the warm contests
Of the session of 1917, when Senator
| Wilcox endeavOred to secure the pro-
t4tiOn for the municipality provided
| in his present measure. The effort
! two years ago was defeated by a vote
| in the senate Of II to Ii and one pair.
Senator Anderson has filed for revi-
sion bill, offered by request, which
broadens the power of county boards
| to appropriate such sums as they may
deem just to the family of any sheriff
| or deputy sheriff killed while in the
discharge of OFFICIAL duty. The present
act provides that such appropriations
may be made in case of the killing of
pursuit and capture of persons charged
with crime. This specification of cir
cumstances is stricken out by the bill,
which would leave the way open to
appropriations to families in case of
killing of such officer while engaged
in that or any othe discharge Of duty.
It is understood that the request Of
the normal teachers is for raise APP
proximately 80 per cent over the sal
airy status Of April 1917. The sub
ject will eventually~om to the hands
of joint finance committee for decision.
Senator Bentley has in preparation a
bill to include occupatiOnal disease in
the scope Of the workmen's cOmpen-
sation act.
Senator Bilgrien is collating facts
to form a basis for legislation to eff
fectually standardize cheese, promote
the production of high-grade article
of each kind and protect it against in
ferior outputs. Control of some of the
industry by Chicago packing interests
is mentioned as calling for action
Senator Benfey's biz amending the
compensation act by Striking out the
term accidentally" injured, makes the
| Wisconsin law similar in this respect
to the WOrkmen's compensation acts Of
Massachusetts and California. The eff
| feet of the amendment will be to allow
compensation in those cases Of occu-
| patiOnal disease where the disease is
| shown to have been clearly due to the
| employment in which the worker was
| last engaged.
Many cases Of Occupational disease
have come before the industrial COM
mission, in most of which compensa-
! ton has had to be denied for the rea-
son that it could not be established
that the injury was accidentally" sus-
| tanned: A case of this kind occurred
recently at large manufacturing
| plant in Milwaukee, where three men
| employed in q sandblast room in Mil
waukee died of tuberculosis in rapid
succession and the doctors testified
| that in all these cases the disease was
| due to the inhalation of dust in con-
| nection with the work The Industrial
| commission was obliged, however, to
deny compensation because the injury
was not accidental. Similarly, case
of T. n. T. poisoning is now pending
before the commission, and many
cases have been brought involving lead
| poisoning There are many cases Of
| lead poisoning, however, which would