River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-12-16

1t is estimated that the cost of sup
porting a patient in the Dane county
institution, with an average roll of one
hundred inmates, is 5l75 per week.
The institution charges $500 per week,
leaving profit of SIPS per week. OF
course a small number of patients
could not be cared for at that rate, but
$500 or 1926 per week would be the
outside figures for from ten to twenty
patients.
Our county board has now under
consideration the question of caring
for the county insane. The experience
of Dane county indicates that it is pos
sible to do this at a less cost to the tax
payers than the expense of boarding
the same number elsewhere, and this
without stinting them in any neces-
sarie5 of life. In addition the patients
would do great deal of farm and
garden work, necessary for their
physical health, which would add
materially to the income of the county
asylum. Another feature in favor of
home maintenance is that the patients
would at all times be within visiting
distance of their friends which is not
the case otherwise.
This question is worthy of careful
investigation, and it is to be hoped
that in the building and finishing of
the new county farm buildings this
feature viii he incorporated as the
future policy of Pierce county.
The Wisconsin Central Railway has
inaugurated upon its lines a reform
which it is to be hoped will be adopted
by other companies at no distant day.
| refer to the abrogation of the tip
system. The order prohibits the
sIeeping-car porter and dining car
walters demanding or accepting any
fees from passengers, except in the
former class, the charge of ten cents
for backing boots, and then only in
cases where the service is requested
| by passengers. This custom of fleeing
walters and other employees is a
fungus grated upon American insti-
tutions principally through the influ-
ence of thief ew rich, who are DESTROYS
of aping continental customs, and at
the same time make display of their
wealth i'm the most conspicuous manner
possible. From small beginnings few
years ago the custom has grown to
such proportions that not only have
certain classes of employees come to
look upon tip as their rightful due in
default of which no service or at best
important service is rendered, acco' =
panied, often times with covert insult
by word or action, but corporations
and private firms have made it the
basis for reduction of salaries to their
servants requiring them to recoup by
extoTtiOns upon the travelling public.
ii the action of the Central manage
ment shall lead to the adoption Of
similar stringent rules bearing upon
this point BY other corpOrations,it will
have caused the lasting gratitude of
the travelling public in addition to the
increased patronage which they al
ready secure as a result of their timely
and practical action. 1t is due to the
Central officers to add that they have
increased the salaries of all the em.
ployes effected by this order.
The not unexpected demise of Con-
gresham Price opens the question OF
who shall be chosen to succeed him.
The scandinavian press of the state
has discussed the question more or less
at length and the ground is taken that
in a district comprising so large a
Scandinavian population it would be
very appropriate for the Republican
party, to which great majority of the
Scandinavians belong, to select one OF
r that nationality to succeed Mr.. Price
and in the conviction mention the name