Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-02-10

i0uS In it's dividends. In 1884 1t paid
So, and year by year climbed to SIG;
then to $50, and even higher, but for
the past two years SIS and SIS have been
the earnings.
How Elgin FIXES Price of Butter.
1t is a curious and remarkable fact
that Elgin little town in Illinois,
virtually dictates the price of butter
for the world Elgin has a population
of less than twenty-five thousand. The
market rate is fixed every week by the
Elgin board of trade, an organiZa ton
with 236 members, representing 40
creameries. The board meets every
Monday noon with about one hundred
and fifty persons present, some being
men with butter to sell and others be
ing Representatives of firms
in New York, Chicago and other cities.
The creamery men offer for sale vari
GUS lots of their commodity, and bids
are made for these offerings. The Sec
rotary of the board records, on black
board, each bid, and just before 2;3O
p. M, when the bidding closes, calls
for final bids and asks each seller If
he accepts the bid made for his butter.
Some of the sellers accept, others de-
cline and all the transa ctiOns are put
on record Then the quotation COM
mittee, composed Of five members, re
tires to an adjoining room, considers
the prices bid and those demanded,
and also the condition of the market,
of the cattle, of the pastures, etc., and
soon reports to the open board what
in it's judgment is fair price for but
ter The figure SO determined is ac-
cepted without demur and prevails
for the remainder of the week. On
this basis purchases are made for both
domestic and foreign markets.
Canteen at Milwaukee.
The effort to restore the "canteen"
in the army drags. 1t is not likely re-
peal can be effected. The campaign
to drive booze out of the army and
thus put it on level with the navy is
a notable instance of the force Of pub
lie opinion and of the petition. The lat
est bill is aimed at the canteen in the
federal homes for old soldiers. One
of the most tragic effects of waits this
remote wreckage caused by drink
among the old veterans, who have leis-
ure unbounded on their hands. The
canteens in the soldiers homes do not
keep the old soldiers from harder liq-
uors and harder places outside, but
only add a daily drinking place to
whet the appetite for the monthly
drunk after pension day. Instead Of
beer canteen keeping the evil places
away from the soldiers homes, saloons
and dives gather like besieging host
about the homes. as shown in the dia-
gram of the Milwaukee homes envi-
ronment, which could be duplicated
from every home with q canteen.
There are fifty saloons close to the
soldiers home The home that has
fewest outside dives is the one at Ma
riOn. Ind. That has no canteen.- 1t is
illegal for liquor to be sold at soldiers
homes in Kansas and in Maine, prohi-
bition states, and in those states GER
tainly it ought to be stopped. There
are some state homes where they have
no canteen, showing it is not at all
necessary. There is one at Waupaca,
Wis. where there is no drinking. A
man from Maine has charge of it.
There is another at MarShalltOwn, Ia,
where the sentiment of the state may
have had some effect. At these homes
the benefits of the no-canteen policy
are marked.
Retail Liquor Dealers Increase.
The internal revenue figures for 1890
and 1908 show that the number of re-
tail liquor dealers has increased i'll
Wisconsin from 6,962 in 1890 to 11,161
in 1908. The number in the United
States is 242,231. The government
gets a large part of it's revenue from
sources that contribute nothing to the
worlds welfare. For 1903 the receipts
from the taXati of distilled spirits
for the year was $131 ,953, 472.39. The
receipts from the beer business
amounted to $47. 547 S56.0S. The gov
eminent tobacco business yielded
$43,514, S10.24. A few millions more
were made from filled cheese" adul-
terated butter, and other bogus things,
making up a total of $3.50, O,S10.22.
Successful Profit Sharing.
In Evansville, in Rock county, is
successful instance of profit sharing.
The Baker Windmill company has OPP
Grated it for five years. For 1903 the
net earnings, after paying 5 per cent.
dividend on the preferred stock, were
sufficient to pay per cent. dividend on
the common stock and increase the
earnings of labor and preferred stock
COLT per cent. A man who had re-
ceived 5000 for his years wages re-
ceived in addition $415.02, Is per cent.
of this amount being paid in cash and
the rest in common stock. While the
cash bonus is not large, the common
stock is a real possession, good for ;
per cent. dividend. The theory is that
the men will be careful of waste, leak