The sixty-fourth annual session of the Wisconsin Teachers’ Association
was held at Milwaukee, November 2 to 4, 1916. The chief value of its
published _Proceedings_ is in the fifty-nine papers and abstracts
which it contains. Four of the principal addresses form a symposium on
the subject of progress during the last decade in rural schools,
secondary schools, normal schools, and the University of Wisconsin,
the fourth topic being discussed by Dr. Charles R. Van Hise in his
presidential address. Three important papers deal with recent
achievements in elementary, rural, and secondary education. Notable
addresses by persons from outside the state are those of William Wirt,
John Finley, L. D. Coffman, and Dr. Maria Montessori. In addition to
the papers, the volume contains minutes of business sessions,
committee reports, the constitution and by-laws of the organization,
and a list of members.
The twenty-second report of the commissioner of banking deals with the
year closing on November 17, 1916. During this period state banks and
trust companies gained $774,100 in capital invested, representing in
all an investment of $23,672,350. The total resources of
$298,617,175.61 show a gain for the year of $44,675,247.15. The
increase in deposits amounted to $43,424,626.33. Attention is called
to the increase from 21% to 22.7% in the average reserve held by state
banks. The conclusion of the commissioner, based upon an analysis of
the statistics of which the report largely consists, is that “the
financial outlook for Wisconsin is most encouraging.” In a section on
legislation the passage of a law to create a uniform system of school
savings banks, under state supervision and subject to state control,
is recommended. Most of the report is given over to statements of
state banks, mutual savings banks, trust companies, land mortgage
associations, and national banks.
The Department of English of the University of Wisconsin has issued a
small pamphlet with the title _A List of Books on the War_. Out of the
great mass of books on the subject a rigorous selection of some 270
titles has been made. These aim to include the most important works
published prior to June 1, 1917. Short pamphlets and tracts have been
excluded, and the titles are chiefly English and French. They are
grouped into six divisions: “Background and Origins,” “Course and
Conduct,” “Personal Narratives,” “Thought concerning the War,” “Peace
and Readjustment,” “Miscellaneous.” The selections are discriminating,
and the bulletin should prove of great value to students of the war.
An admirable innovation has been made in issuing the Governor’s
Memorial Day proclamation as a small pamphlet, very neatly put up,
rather than as a broadside of large, awkward size, and difficult to
preserve in a series.
The importance of the dairy industry in Wisconsin is clearly brought
out in a report of the dairy and food commissioner on _Butter
Factories and Cheese Factories Operated in 1916; Dairy Statistics for
1915_. The gross profits in all branches of the industry for 1915 are
estimated at more than $110,000,000. Approximately 235,000,000 pounds
of cheese were produced. More than 124,000,000 pounds of butter were
made in the state, about 20,000,000 pounds in excess of the production
of 1909. The report contains an interesting statistical comparison of
cheese and butter production for the years 1909 and 1915. Lists of
operators of butter and cheese factories, and of cheese factories
operated in 1916 by counties, are included. There is also a list of
condenseries in Wisconsin.
_Agriculture in the High School, A Manual for the High Schools of
Wisconsin_ has been brought out by the Department of Public
Instruction. The authors are Henry N. Goddard and John A. James.
Issued as a guide for high schools giving agricultural work,
particularly for those maintaining four-year departments, the manual
illustrates admirably the new movement in secondary education. A
historical sketch contains an account of the various laws which have
shaped the agricultural movement in Wisconsin. The proper
interpretation and method of applying these laws is made clear. The
practical problems of the needs in the organization and management of
high school agricultural departments are considered in detail, and a
great amount of material helpful to the administration of such a
department--particularly as to the scope and character of the work--is
included. The manual has been prepared with great care, and appears to
be a model of its kind.
The last report of the attorney-general continues the opinions,
January 1, 1916, to December 31, 1916, and the eighth biennial report,
July 1, 1914 to June 30, 1916. The first 65 pages contain a summary of
the work of the attorney-general. An examination of these pages shows
that during the period indicated 68 civil, 59 industrial commission, 2
bankruptcy, and 8 forfeiture cases were disposed of. Thirty-six
criminal cases were disposed of, 23 in lower courts, 12 in the Supreme
Court, and 1 in the United States Supreme Court. The official opinions
of the attorney-general, filling 917 pages, embrace in their scope a
great amount of state activity. In the printing of these opinions
there is no classification or grouping of the material, such as in the
reports of the attorney-general of Indiana, for example. A strictly
chronological order is followed.
The report of the dairy and food commissioner for the year ending June
30, 1916, illustrates the vital need of protecting the public against
the sale of adulterated and misbranded foods. It contains the reports
of the state chemist, dealing with the inspection of beverages, canned
vegetables, dairy products, dried fruit, and drugs; of the assistant
dairy and food commissioner, and of the inspector of weights and
measures. Special attention is called to the new dairy and food laws,
and the new era in the dairy industry of Wisconsin which these laws
introduce. As a result of unsanitary conditions in cheese factories
and meat markets, and misrepresentations of foods, 79 convictions were
secured. Druggists to the number of 226 were selling spirits of
camphor not standard. Between April 17 and June 30, 2,221 factories
were inspected. It was found that 35% of the butter factory operators
and 24% of the cheese factory operators were complying with the
license law and the new regulations. Much has been done in the
economic interests of the public by the inspector of weights and
measures, for the number of inaccurate computing scales decreased from
17% in 1914 to 8% in 1916.
_The Country Church an Economic and Social Force_ is an interesting
bulletin edited by the Agricultural Experiment Station of the
University of Wisconsin. It points out that the thriving church in a
rural community tends to unify agriculture, which in turn serves to
nurture the church. The country or hamlet church thrives best where
population is constant, and successful farming is advanced through the
influence of the church upon daily habits. It is suggested that
principles for the re-parishing of rural districts might be
established through a joint commission of the national religious
bodies, with a view toward creating stronger churches for the farmers.
Several descriptions are given of Wisconsin country churches in which
the religious leaders are fostering a progressive agriculture through
coöperative social development. The remarkable story of a great
country pastor, John Frederick Oberlin, who for sixty years labored
for the social, industrial, and religious uplift of a poverty-stricken
community, is given in illustration of the theories advanced in the
bulletin.
The seventeenth biennial report of the Wisconsin state prison is
largely statistical. The average number of convicts for the year
ending June 30, 1915, was 807; for the year ending June 30, 1916, it
was 906. During the latter period 140 to 180 convicts were employed
and housed outside of the walls of the institution. Under the
chaplain’s direction, school was held from one to two o’clock, three
days a week, during six months of the year. There were fourteen
classes and an average attendance of 110 men. Instruction was given
the illiterate in four grades in reading, arithmetic, writing, and
spelling. Earnings of inmates for the year were $35,696.50. New
prisoners admitted numbered 511; of these 483 were male; 23 were under
twenty years of age, and 117 over fifty years; 495 were white, 12
black, 3 Indian, and 1 mulatto; 230 were Catholic, 148 Protestants,
108 Lutherans, 3 Hebrews, 1 Greek Orthodox, 1 Seventh Day Adventist;
17 had no religion; 27 were illiterate, 41 had high school education,
and 7 were college men; 174 were native to Wisconsin, 28 to Illinois,
29 to Michigan, 19 to Minnesota, 20 to New York, and 11 to
Pennsylvania; 26 were born in Austro-Hungary, 20 in Finland, 34 in
Germany, 10 in Norway, and 27 in Russia. The others came from various
states and countries throughout the world. Statistics are given
concerning occupations, residence by counties, crimes, terms of
sentences, discharges, pardons, population since the organization of
the prison in 1852, the binder twine plant, farm and gardening
operations, and many other matters.
The merit system for the public service of Wisconsin was established
in 1905, and the sixth biennial report of the Civil Service Commission
has now been issued, covering the work done from July, 1914, to July,
1916. The classified service of the state comprises the exempt,
competitive, noncompetitive, legislative employee, and labor classes.
In these classes there are about 3,200 employees. From July 1, 1914 to
July 1, 1916, 4,995 persons took competitive examinations. Of these,
2,903 passed, 2,079 failed; 376 permanent and 147 temporary
appointments were made. That is, 58% passed, and 10½% were appointed
to positions. The number of applicants for positions at state
institutions has decreased, for various reasons. The report contains a
map showing the number and distribution of employees in the state
classified service. It also presents the results of certain studies
aiming to increase the efficiency of the service. Half of the report
consists of financial tables and rules.
The chief functions of the state fire marshal, as indicated in his
ninth annual report, are two: combatting incendiarism, and doing fire
prevention work. Coöperating with the local departments, the fire
marshal has investigated 389 fires during the period covered by the
report, from July 1, 1915 to December 31, 1916. Forty-six arrests were
made, 12 persons were convicted and sentenced, 5 pleaded guilty and
were sentenced, 6 were paroled, and 5 were sent to the hospital for
the insane. In the year ending December 31, 1915, 3,066 fires in the
state damaged buildings and contents to the extent of $5,932,980.
These figures show the importance of the educational campaign for fire
prevention conducted by the fire marshal. Thirteen newspaper articles
were issued. These are printed in full in the report. Some of the
titles are: _Some Fires and Their Lessons_, _Safe Homes_, _Gasoline_,
_Kerosene_, _Spring Clean Up_, _Safe Schoolhouses_, and _Holiday
Fires_. The report contains tables dealing with values, losses,
classification of property, fire causes, number of fires according to
classification of risk and cause, and other matters.
The biennial report of the adjutant-general deals with the two fiscal
years ending June 30, 1916. It is a survey of the military activities
of the state of Wisconsin during a period of trial and service. From
July 1, 1914 to June 30, 1916, the Wisconsin National Guard increased
from 201 officers and 2,990 enlisted men to a total of 208 officers
and 4,224 enlisted men. Of these the report states that “4,168
officers and men are temporarily in the service of the United States
in response to the call of the President issued June 18, 1916.” Since
the date of this report, the war has placed a new responsibility upon
the guard. The adjutant-general’s report gives information in regard
to organization and strength, legislation, equipment, instruction,
small arms firing, naval militia, medical department, expenses,
military reservation, and pensions. The National Defense Act oath,
making obligatory a three-year term of reserve service by national
guard organizations, was taken by officers and enlisted men of the
guard “with fine zeal and loyalty to their country, their state, and
their organization.”
The first biennial report of the State Conservation Commission is one
of unusual interest. Through a law of 1915 this commission (consisting
of three commissioners and a secretary) succeeded to the powers and
duties of the Forestry Board, State Park Board, Conservation
Commission, Commissioners of Fisheries, and the State Fish and Game
Warden Department. The purpose was to consolidate “all the closely
related duties and problems of administration over forest and stream,
fish and game, and to give powerful impetus to the conservation of the
natural resources of the Badger State.” The result has been a notable
increase in efficiency and economy. The change, it may be noted,
dispensed with the services of twenty-two members of boards and
commissions. A strict civil service régime has been inaugurated. The
report contains a considerable number of papers and division reports
dealing with the conditions, problems, constructive plans and
achievements which are shaping the conservation movement in the state.
A large number of admirably chosen illustrations show the richness,
variety, and beauty of the resources of nature in Wisconsin. These
pictures enhance the value of a report which contains information of
peculiar interest and significance to the people of the state.
The biennial report of the secretary of state is largely a collection
of financial statistics covering the fiscal years ending June 30, 1915
and June 30, 1916. The condition of all state funds, receipts and
disbursements, the net disbursements of the state, the valuation of
taxable property in the counties, and the apportionment of tax and
special charges for 1914 and 1915, collected in 1915, are shown in
detailed statements, and various tabular statements.
Part four of the ninth annual report of the Railroad Commission is an
elaborate collection of financial and operating statistics of railroad
companies for the period from June 30, 1914 to June 30, 1915. The
report is divided into three parts: steam railroads, electric
railways, and express companies. There are 234 closely printed pages
of statistical tables and figures, which lay bare with utmost
exactness and detail all phases of the finances and operations of the
three classes of public carriers mentioned. The statistics are not
confined merely to Wisconsin; for example, the tables exhibiting the
income account of steam railroads for the year ending December 31,
1914, show first the accounts of interstate roads in Wisconsin, and
thereafter the records of the entire systems of interstate roads which
operate in Wisconsin.
The Railroad Commission of Wisconsin has published a digest covering
the decisions contained in volumes I to XV of the official reports of
the commission. The digest therefore covers all the decisions from
July 20, 1905 to February 4, 1915. The compilation has been made by
Harold L. Geisse. Its purpose is “to state briefly and yet clearly the
principles and facts set forth in the decisions of the Commission….”
The subject titles are alphabetically arranged, and carefully
supplemented by cross-references. Precise references to sources are
given for each decision. The value of such a compilation for lawyers
is obvious. It should be noted that the separate volumes of the
reports are each provided with an “index-digest.” For example, in
volume XVI, recently published, this index covers pages 869 to 936.
Volume XVI contains the opinions and decisions of the Railroad
Commission from February 10, 1915 to November 15, 1915. Reports are
given on hundreds of important cases dealing with railway, telegraph,
telephone, express, and public utility problems.
Though the task of administering the income tax law is not at all
times pleasant or easy, yet, in the opinion of the Wisconsin Tax
Commission, “five years of experience have proved the law workable;
taxpayers generally comply with its mandates without objection; and
the resulting revenue has exceeded all expectations.” A chapter
dealing especially with problems in the administration of the income
tax law, and a series of tables showing the results of the income
assessments of 1913, 1914, 1915, and 1916, form an interesting part of
the eighth biennial report of the Wisconsin Tax Commission. This
report is a detailed statement of the work of the commission for the
years ending June 30, 1915 and June 30, 1916. In addition to the
section on the income tax, the chief features of the report are its
chapters on “Duties of Tax Commission,” “General Revision of Tax Laws
Recommended,” “Assessment and Taxation of Public Service Companies,”
“Inheritance Tax,” “Report of Engineers,” “Municipal Statistics,” and
“Statistics of Assessments and Taxes.” A thoughtful address by Thomas
E. Lyons on the subject “Our Increasing Public Expenditures” is
included. Mr. Lyons finds the remedy for the situation in a closer
limitation of the taxing and borrowing powers.
The Wisconsin state budget for 1917 was compiled for the use of the
legislature of 1917 by the State Board of Public Affairs. In
scientific completeness it represents a considerable advance upon
former publications of the kind. To aid the legislature in
“determining policies, and in working out a definite fiscal program
and in the drafting of appropriate measures,” complete information is
furnished along six lines. These are as follows: a report of actual
receipts and disbursements for the three fiscal years prior to July 1,
1916; departmental estimates of receipts and disbursements for the
current year 1916-1917; estimated treasury balances as of July 1,
1917; departmental receipts and disbursements for the biennial period
beginning July 1, 1917; appropriations available beginning July 1,
1913; appropriations requested by the state departments, boards,
commissions, and institutions for the biennium, beginning July 1,
1917. On January 5, 1917, after hearings and investigations, the Board
of Public Affairs issued a typewritten bulletin with its
recommendations on the budget. The 344 pages of the budget are
mimeographed and bound.
The third biennial report of the Wisconsin Highway Commission deals
with the state aid highway operations in the years from January 1,
1914, to January 1, 1916, together with preliminary estimates of
operations to December 31, 1916. In the first five years of work under
the state aid law, 4,846 miles of all types of roadway have been
constructed in Wisconsin; of this mileage, 2,771 miles have been
surfaced with various materials; in grading, approximately 10,300,000
cubic yards of earth have been excavated and placed in fills; 8,662
concrete culverts have been built on these roads, containing 100,000
cubic yards of concrete; since July 1, 1911, 2,819 county and state
bridges have been constructed in accordance with the plans of the
commission; at the height of the working season in 1916 the daily
employment in the work included 175 engineers, county highway
commissioners, and inspectors, 600 foremen, 6,000 laborers, and 2,500
teams. The daily pay roll for state, counties, and towns was in the
vicinity of $22,000. In state aid roads and bridge construction in
1915, there was expended $4,134,830; in 1916, $4,215,183; the report
estimates an expenditure of at least $4,600,000 in 1917. The report
contains many discussions of phases of the road problem that are of
timely importance. Many interesting illustrations of the types of
construction built under the state aid law are given.
The address on John Muir delivered by President Van Hise upon the
occasion of the unveiling of a bronze bust of the famous naturalist at
the University of Wisconsin has been published as a small eighteen
page pamphlet. At the age of eleven Muir came to America from Scotland
with his father, and settled on a farm a few miles from Portage. He
spent four years at the University of Wisconsin, maintaining himself
by “doing odd jobs during the term and working in the harvest, fields
in the summer.” In speaking of his departure from Madison, Muir writes
in his book _My Boyhood and Youth_, “But I was only leaving one
university for another, the Wisconsin University for the University of
Wilderness.” President Van Hise gives an eloquent account and
interpretation of the life of this noted son of Wisconsin. “The great
public service of John Muir,” writes President Van Hise, “was leading
the nation through his writings to appreciate the grandeur of our
mountains and the beauty and variety of their plant and animal life,
and the consequent necessity for holding forever as a heritage for all
the people the most precious of these great scenic areas. Probably to
his leadership more than to that of any other man is due the adoption
of the policy of national parks.”
_History of the Civil War Military Pensions, 1861-1885_ is the title
of a bulletin recently issued by the University of Wisconsin in its
_History Series_ (vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 1-120). It is the doctor’s thesis
of John William Oliver. As the title indicates it is a survey
beginning with the reorganization of the pension system as a
consequence of the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, and it carries
the study through a period of twenty-four years. Beginning with a
description of the situation before the Civil War, the author examines
the succession of acts passed between 1861 and 1870, and the various
administrative problems occasioned by the war. “By 1871,” writes Mr.
Oliver, “it appears as if Congress had extended the benefits of the
pension laws so as to include all possible claimants. Within ten
years, over 261,000 Civil War pensioners had been added to the rolls,
and the Government had already paid out more than $152,000,000 for
their benefit.” The enactment of many contradictory laws led to the
codification act of 1873. This act is described in the second chapter
of the book, together with attempts at reforming the pension system. A
third chapter discusses the act passed January 25, 1879, providing for
the payment of arrears----“the most significant and far-reaching piece
of pension legislation enacted during the period covered” in the
study. The effects of this act may be seen in the increase, during the
first six years after its passage, of the number of pensioners from
223,998 to 345,125, and in the amount expended annually from
$27,000,000 to $68,000,000. The last chapter of the bulletin deals
with the relation of pensions and politics, which assumed considerable
importance in the years following the Arrears Act. At the conclusion
of the thesis, development to 1885 is summarized. A later monograph is
promised, to treat of the new epoch which the pension system then
entered.
The biennial report of the Board of Regents of the University of
Wisconsin for the years 1914-15 and 1915-16 consists largely of the
report of the President, followed by reports of deans, directors,
business manager, and other officers. The President’s report contains
two main divisions: “The Progress of the University,” and “The Needs
of the University.” The faculty numbered 389 in 1913-14. The number
increased to 437 in 1915-16. In the year preceding the biennium the
total number of students, including the short course and summer
sessions, was 6,765. The number increased to 7,596 in 1914-15, and to
7,624 in 1915-16. Though the survey conducted by the Board of Public
Affairs resulted in controversy, and led to no direct results, yet in
consequence of a spirit of self-inquiry at the University a large
committee was appointed by the faculty in the autumn of 1915, which
was divided into a number of special committees to consider means of
improving the University in undergraduate instruction, research,
graduate, and field work, foreign language requirements, faculty
organization, faculty records, and University physical plant. As a
result of this inquiry, new legislation to be put in effect during the
next biennium is expected materially to improve the efficiency of the
University. These subjects are considered in some detail in the
report. The needs of the University are discussed under the heads of
salaries, and constructional needs. The varied activities of the
University may be comprehended by a study of the many departmental and
other statements included in the report.
The first annual report of the state chief engineer of Wisconsin
issued in March, 1917, reveals the enormous work that has been taken
over by that department. Five separate divisions known respectively as
the railroad and utility, the highway, the architectural, the power
plant, and the sanitary divisions have been established, and special
experts placed in charge of each. The railroad and utility division
was faced with duties greater than those of any other department. In
making a physical valuation of all the steam railroads in Wisconsin it
was found that there are over 11,000 miles of track in the state. The
cost of the rolling stock, terminals, stores, and other equipment
exceeds $385,000,000. The twenty-eight electric railways of the state
have over 400 miles of track, with properties valued at $57,000,000.
The state highway division reported that over $3,600,000 had been
expended for state aid construction of roads in 1916. Over a half
million dollars was spent in state aid bridge construction and 352
bridges of all types were built. The architectural division has
formulated a standard for contracts, plans and specifications for
labor and material to be used by the different institutions of the
state. The power plant division supervises the operation of the
various state plants, the purchase of fuel, specifies the plans for
construction work and examines all bids. The sanitary division, aside
from conducting the investigation of different water supplies,
drainage, and sewage systems, is also vitally interested in
enlightening the public upon the importance of sanitation.
According to the _Twentieth Annual Report_ of the Building and Loan
Association there are seventy-seven such organizations in Wisconsin.
The past two years have been unusually profitable for them. Their
total assets amount to $16,873,000 which was an increase of $2,500,000
over the previous year. Their membership now numbers 45,891, showing a
21 per cent increase over the preceding year. Although their business
showed a considerable increase, yet the report states in some cases
money was so plentiful that it could not always be loaned with profit.
That there exists among the farmers of this state an unusually strong
system of coöperation is proved by a bulletin issued by the
Agricultural Experiment Station of the University of Wisconsin in
July, 1917. The industries that are managed on a coöperative basis in
this state do an annual business amounting to more than $62,000,000.
The creamery industry leads all the others, and in 1916 those plants
that were run on a coöperative plan did business amounting to over
$19,000,000. The two organizations that are most instrumental in
promoting this spirit of coöperation are the American Society of
Equity and the Grange. The former has a membership in Wisconsin now in
excess of 12,000, while the Grange societies have over 2,200 names on
their rolls. In addition to these two organizations there are sixteen
others listed that tend to promote unity among the farmers of the
state. The most important ones mentioned are the National Agricultural
Organization, the farmers’ mutual insurance companies, the community
breeders’ associations, feed and elevator companies, coöperative
creameries, packing plants and others. The coöperative organizations
are so numerous throughout the state that but few farmers can be found
who are not identified with one or more of the agencies. The day of
individualism among Wisconsin farmers is fast disappearing.
The sixteenth edition of the _Manual for Elementary Course of Study_
in the schools of Wisconsin was issued in July, 1917. The state
superintendent of public instruction has rendered a valuable service
by discussing many pedagogical questions and in making concrete
suggestions to the teachers. The object of the department was to place
in the hands of each teacher a brief pedagogical treatise in
connection with the subject matter to be taught. This report combines
what may rightly be called a textbook on pedagogy with a state manual.
More than ever the department of education is emphasizing the
importance of bringing about a closer relationship between teacher and
pupil, and some very practical and simple suggestions are laid down
for promoting this relationship. The method for teaching children how
to study properly, the importance of careful assignments of lessons,
and the manner in which recitations can be made interesting and spicy
are all discussed in a practical way. The policy of reducing the
number of daily recitations is suggested, and the combining of classes
most closely related is advised, especially in rooms where the work is
crowded.
In a leaflet issued by the State Council of Defense, July, 1917,
announcement is made of a course of instruction to be given for health
aides in several of the larger hospitals of the state. The plan is to
offer six months of intensive training to young women in order to
prepare them to care for the civilian sick when the regular registered
nurses are drawn into military hospitals. The cost of training, board,
lodging, and laundry bills will all be paid by the State Council of
Defense. In return for this instruction each of the successful
candidates is required to sign an agreement to attend the sick in the
state of Wisconsin for a period of two years after completing the six
months’ course. The first training school was opened at the Milwaukee
County Hospital, Wauwatosa, July 1, 1917.