River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-09-29

had been spending the past two
months in Euorpe, are expected home
today.
Phil Snodgrass arrived here from
Baraboo last week and spent few
days here with friends before return
ing to Minnesota university.
MIR. and Mrs. Hans Weberg and
children, Miss Anna and Henry, of
Deer Park, visited at the home of Mrs.
Weberg's brother, Albert Olson, Sun
day.
Miss Verna Segerstrom, of this city,
and Mr.. Frank ingalls, of Hallock,
Mimi, were married today at the
home of the brides mother, Mrs. En-
ma Segerstrom.
The Department of Markets set its
accountants at work upon the coal
situation few months ago, and the
results of the Investigations are just
out. Summing these results up in a
few words the Department finds that
coal dealers are making only mod
crate profit per ton on either hard or
soft coal, and that the exhorbitant
prices charged are due to mine own
ers. When we are paying about $40,
per ton for hard coal and about $40.
for soft coal, or about 60 per cent
more than We were four or six years
ago, the Market Departments report
doesn't give much comfort. 1t has
one cheerful note, however. That is
that there will be no shortage of an.
thracite in Wisconsin the coming
winter.
The fight of Attorney General Nor
gan on rafting has awakened wide
spread interest in the case. The read
ing public is familiar with the story
of the Chippewa Falls hotel rattle
which precipitated the Attorney Cen
erals action. That it is not so falnil-
lar with is the fact that the rafting
form of gambling has been running
riot in Wisconsin during the past ten
or fifteen years. The Methodist
church at it's two Wisconsin confer
ences has expressed approval of the
Attorney Generals action. Other
churches will doubtless follow suit.
The possibility of getting something
of value without giving an equival-
ent for it which is the essential evil
of gambling is one of the traditional
sins of the race.
The city of Madison is probably
suffering more from the scarcity of
houses and the consequent raising of
rents to eXorbitant figures that any
other city in the state. The steady
increasing attendance at the Univer-
sity partly explains this condition
A new suggestion was publicly made
this week that is likely to make ex-
tortionate landlords in Madison and
elsewhere consider whether they are
wise to unfairly boost rents. 1t is
figured that the net increase in rent
of apartments and other residences
over and above the increased cost of
maintaining them is abut 40@S. The
suggestion made Is that the assessors
when they do their work next spring
are iikei.; to add 1917 to the Assess
ment of the rented apartments. The
actual or potential earning power of
a property is always given large con-
sideration in fixing values for taxa
ton. If such boost in assessments
were made there is small likelihood
that there would ever be a reduction
for the public can Away be depended
upon to absorb taxes.
Judge Stevans in the district court
handed down a decision during the
past week reversing very important
order of the Railroad Commission
fixing electric rates in Chippewa
Falls. Eau Claire and Menomonie.
The Judge finds the rates ordered by
the Commission in the three cities I'M
lust and unreasonable because in APP
portioning the share of the cost of
operating the hydro-electric plant at
Wisota, the portion charged to the
loop cities was unfairly large. The
larger part of the current generated
at Wisota is transmitted to Mime
sofa. but the Wisconsin consumers are
by the Commissions decision made
to pay a disrroportionate share OF
the cost. at is neither reasonable
nor just" says the court, "to charge
~ per cent of the entire operating
expenses and fixes charges to the
loop cities" "The fact that the de-
PENDANT company may have invested a
large sum in Wisota does not give the
Commission the rover to fix rate
for the Wisconsin consumers that will
pay fair return upon the total in
vestment." The decision of Judge