Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1919-04-16
House Makes New Rate $3.50
Per Week.
MOVE TO FREE ENEMY ALIENS
Score of Petitions Received in Lower
Branch of Legislature Urging
Passage of the Gilman
Resolution.

the state to $3.50 per week. With the
passage of this measure the Kuckuk
bill, aimed to increase the tuition to
50 a week to the nonresidents, is dis
posed of and probably ends, for this
session, at least, all legislation with
reference to school tuition fees.
An apparent concerted drive for the
release of political prisoners manifest
ed itself in the lower house of the Wis
consin legislature when a score of pc
titionS were received asking for the
passage of the Ehgman resolution.
This resolution memorialiZeS congress
to release all political prisoners. The
resolution was given hearing nearly
six weeks ago, but there has been no
report from the assembly judiciary
committee on the subject. The recent
petitions came from Berry, Madison,
and the counties of Wapaca, Shawano,
Rusk, Outagamie and Sheboygan and
the city of Superior. The petitions
all went to the committee on judiciary.
The senate advanced the Nolan bill
extending the right of suffrage to
women and providing for referen-
dunn vote in November, 1920, with
only Senator Bentley dissenting. The
bill was placed upon the calendar of
April IS for final consideration. Sen
ator Henry Roethe has foung so much
opposition among farmers of his dis
trict to the daylight law that he
has introduced a resolution memorial
izing congress for its repeal. The bill
was sent to the committee on state
affairs for a hearing.
A comprehensive measure which
will enable speedy public ownership
and operation of all public utilities
and electric railways in the state has
been prepared and was offered in the
senate by Senator George B. SkOgmo,
River Falls. The plan proposed in his
bill. Senator SkogmO believes, will OBJ
viate the difficulties created by con-
stitutional limitations upon the bOr-
rowing power OF cities, put public own
ership on a broad foundation in keep
ing with the teachings of later eX-
perience in the public service field and
will enable public acquisition of utili-
ties and electric railways Immediately
as rapidly as the railroad commission
can fix the compensation to be paid to
the owners.
"The measure which [ will offer
is on the theory that the question of
public ownership of utilities and cleo
trio railways has been resolved in the
affirmative and proposes a recognition
of that policy by the state" says Sen
ator Skogmo. 1.-THE many bills intro
duced in this session and recent pre-
ei0us sessions of the legislature and
many laws already enacted show that
public ownership is demanded by the
public, and it is high time for the leg
isIature to pass some comprehensive
measure recognizing this demand and
providing the machinery and financial
means to enable it to be realized. The
main reason why public ownership is
not more generally an accomplished
fact liz the state is that previous laws do
not provide a workable plan available
to all communities and the means to
finance public purchase, regardless of
existing local Indebtedness and future
local needs for which local public cred
1t must be reserved.
The control of all matters pertain
ing to acquisition and operation of
utilities and electric railways by the
district is placed in a board of direc-
tors to be elected by popular vote in
divisions of the district, but subject
in some respects to control or advice
Of the railroad commission. The Off
GERS of the district are chairmen of
the board and clerk, treasurer and
counsel of the district. The board is
authorized to employ from year to
year general manager of operation,
to have immediate charge of consruc-
ton and operation and be directly re-
sponsible to the board.
A labor policy is provided for which
shall include the eight-hour day, right
of employees to organize and be rec
ognized and to bargain collectively re-
speeding wages and working condi-
tions.
With his election to the second vice
presidency of the Northwestern Mu-
tual Life Insurance company, Mflwau-
kee, M. J. Cleary insurance commits
sioner, presented his resignation to
Governor Philip, who Immediately an
nounced that he would appoint Platt
Whitman Highland to succeed Mr..
Cleary.
Demand for Automobile Licenses.
The department of state has broken
all records in issuing automobile Ii
censes this year, having sent out more
than 10000 automobile licenses and
e 400 trr1ck licenses. During the same