Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-08-13
MARATHON WAR
FUND CONVENTION
Opera House Filled and an Overflow
Meeting on the County Square


Meeting on the County Square
One of the greatest patriotic gather
ings of the war was the Marathon
County War Fund convention, which
took place at the Grand Opera house
on Sunday afternoon. The opera
house was far too limited in seating
capacity to accommodate the many
delegates from the county and city,
| who attended and an overflow meeting
was held on the county square. The
meeting at the opera house opened at
2 o'clock, c. B. Bird, Chairman of the
Marathon County Council of Defense
presiding.
Previous to this the 10th Inf. band
| gave patriotic concert at the stand
on the county square, from one o'clock
| until nearly two, when it went to the
opera house and after playing several
selections, marched in and took seats
in the back part of the stage, where
| stirring music was played until time
for opening.
The opera house throughout was
| decorated in the colors of our country.
| Covering the top and back of the stage
/ was one immense flag. In the fore
| ground was picture of President VIE
| son, about which was the nations flag
and those of the allied nations; on the
| sides were large pictures of George
| Washington and Abraham Lincoln,
| which were also decorated with the
| nations colors.
Z The entire lower floor of the opera
house and the stage was taken up by
| the delegates from the city and every
part of the county, with the exception
of the front row of the stage, which
was reserved for the officials, speak
ers and singers. The balcony and GAL
lery were packed with people of our
city and county.
The program was opened by the
double quartette, composed of Messrs
Curtis, LaCerte, Belanger, Evers and
Ryan, which rendered "Keep the Home
Fires Burning" and as an encore,
cover There"
There was a period of ten minutes
of community singing, conducted by
j. A. Rowley, and this was followed
by solo by r. A. Tinker, "Smile,
Smile, Smile" the audience joining in
the chorus
quartette consisting of ]. A. Row.
ley, r. A. Tinker, Mrs. Barden and
Mrs. Meadows sang 1.-THE Home Road"
Introductory remarks followed by
c. B. Bird, who entered at some length
on the object of the meeting, which
was to organize the Marathon County
War Fund, upon which a committee,
appointed by the Marathon County
Council of Defense, had been at work
on the details for several months, and
who had put on a great deal of time
and labor to perfect the same. He
introduced H. C. Berger to explain
Mr.. Berger told at some length of
what had been done in other cities
in organizing such fund and in each
case it had worked out most success
fully. He also made an effective ap-
peal to the delegates present as to
what such fund will mean to the
boys at the front, and how the records
in future years would tell the tale of
how our. people at home did their
share in this great war. Mr.. Berger
outlined the plan as adopted by the
Marathon War Fund committee, which
condensed, is substantially as follows:
WAR FUND PLAN
Public support TO the Marathon
War Fund given by voluntary sub
scriptions to be made in the following
manner:
(A) All employees in Marathon
County subscribing TO this plan, will
authorize their employers to deduct
from their pay an amount equal to not
less than one-half hours wages each
week, or 1 per cent, to be paid to
this fund.
OBJ The employers contribution
shall be sum equal to per cent of
the total wages paid to his contribut-
ing employees.
(C) On the years earnings and
income of an individual, contributions
shall be based on the following per-
centages:
5 LOO to S 10000 not less than 10
$1,5O1.00 to S 100000 not less than l ~
$2,5O1.OO to 5 100000 not less than 29o
$4,O01.O 90 to S 100000 not less than 800
$6,OO1.OO to 100000 not less than A %
Above 100000 such an amount as
may be determined in excess of per
cent.
Contributions to be based on above
minimum percentage of gross income.
Cd Employers with excessively
large or excessively small ratio of pay
roll to income shall adjust their sub
scrlptionS on a fair and comparative
basis.
(E) Farmers will contribute on a
basis of not less than SOC per month,
plus not less than five cents per
month for each cow they may own,
CD All male and female employees
on farms shall be expected to con-
tribute at least l per cent of their
wages each month.
For the purpose of getting pledges
to pay l per cent on earnings of each
employee, contributing to this fund,
individuals, firms or corporations en-
ploylng four or more persons, shall
be considered employers and come un-
der subdivision "B" of the above, and
(A) In the case of an individual
employer he shall pay a sum equal
to l per cent on the total amount
of his contributing payroll in addi-
ton to the minimum scheduled per-
centage on his income.
OBJ In the case of firms, partner
ships or corporations, they shall pay
SNAAA SHuoi " L pei CCut VI Tile LCtdl
wages>paid to their contributing en-
ployees."
At the conclusion a motion was
made to appoint committee of three
to present resolutions for the consid-
Grafton of the delegates on the plan
submitted for the Marathon War
Fund: G. ID. Jones of Wausau; X.
Andrews of Colby and w. A. vonBerg,
of Mosinee, were appointed as such
| committee.
The chairman asked for a report
| of the committee at the conclusion of
the address of the occasion.
Mr.. Bird then introduced Prof. VIM.
| II. Kiekhofer, of the University OF
Wisconsin, who addressed the meet
ing for over an hour on IF Germany
Wins" 1t was stirring address and