The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-07-19
FIGHT
In The WIS
CONSIN SECTOR
Rv John NJ WORK

by JOIlN M. WYNN
The reactionary wave that struck
the country last November did not
miss Wisconsin. AS a result, the
public ownership are having a
tough struggle to get any relief
from the state legislature now in
session.
OF course the Socialist party has
always stood for public ownership
OF electric plants, but in 1926 it
emphasized the need of public
ownership of the production and
transmission of electrical energy
and began a drive for the same.
Due to its efforts the 1927 legis-
lature appointed an interim COM
mittee to investigate the question
and report in two years. There
was one aggressive socialist, Thos.
M. Duncan, on the committee. Il
held hearings at which the well-fed
private power interests were nu-
merouslX represented, while the
people were but sparsely repre-
sented. The committee went to
Canada and studied the Ontario
plant at first hand. It reported to
the present legislature, three to
two, in favor of public ownership.
In May, 1928, at its annual CON
ventlon, the League of Wisconsin
municipalities, of which Daniel M.
Hoan, socialist mayor of Milwau-
kee, is a very active member of
the executive committee, decided
by unanimous vote, to begin a
drive for public ownership of cleo
trio power. 1t secured the SER
vices of the Public Ownership
League of America in the prepa-
ration of measures and an exhaus-
tive brief for presentation at the
hearings held by the judiciary COM
mittee of the lower house of the
present legislature. At its session
this year the League of Munich
pallties again unanimously endors-
ed public ownership. The measures
which it had helped to prepare
were duly introduced in the legis-
lature. At the hearing before The
Judiciary committee the prosperous
looking representatives of private
power were again present in full
force. The League of Municipali-
ties saw to it that the people were
also fairly well represented. Ii
was stiff battle, but in figures
and arguments the municipalities
had it all their own way. They
were up against en- almost evenly
divided committee.
The bills and joint resolutions
included a constitutional amend
ment enabling the state itself to gC
into the power business, a bill tC
enable the municipalities to 90 in
to competition with privately own
ed power companies, and a bill Il
enable contiguous regions to form
power districts for public owner
ship.
AT this writing, the judiciary
committee has, by a vote of siS
to five, recommended for passag,
the constitutional amendment civ
ing the state the right to develop
own and operate electric utilities
By six to five vote it has aIsC
defeated the bill for municipa
competition with private plants anC
the bill for the creation of power
districts.
All of these measures will b.
brought before the house, the two
latter as minority reports, and 3
hard fight will be made to pasy
them. If passed, they will have
TO run the gauntlet of the senate,
and If passed there, they will have
to run the gauntlet of the govern.
or's office. In case they lose any
OF these rounds the public owner.
ship forces will bring them ur
again in the legislature of 1881
and In the meanwhile they will en-
d.eavor to see that the people LET
the hostile members of the Iegis.
lature stay at home.
1t should be added that about
elghty-five cities and villages In
The state already own and operate