River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-03-31
State Capitol News
VIM. Nj. ]. Anderson

stake do you think each one of the
two million six hundred thousand per-
sons who constitute the total popula-
ticn of Wisconsin has in the material
property owned and operated by the
state? The state owns much land,
the University, the Normal schools.
the charitable and penal institutions
under the board of control, the State
Fair grounds, the State Capitol, etc.
If it were practicable to divide all
the holdings and let each person take
his share, what would be the money
value of the share? Ask some of
your friends to make guess, and the
guess will probably be up in the hum
dreds or in the thousands, but this
would be wide of the mark. Each
persons share in the total property
owned by the state, and this reckon
ed on the basis of present value, is
little less than SIS. That is to say,
that all that has been paid in this
state per capita for all the buildings
and property of all kinds owned by
the state is SIS.
Po,luting Lakes and Streams
According to C. M. Baker, State
Sanitary Engineer, the total volume
of all kinds of waste discharging into
the streams and lakes of Wisconsin
is about 543,000,000 gallons daily,
which is equivalent to about 1862
100000 gallons daily of domestic sew
age. These figures correspond APP
proximately to the minimum flow OF
the Wisconsin river at Rhinelander
and Merrill, respectively. The con-
ditions in the Fox river, the engineer
reports, are at times very critical.
Much pollution also finds its way into
the section of the Wisconsin river be-
tween Merrill and Nekoosa. The Rock
river below GAINESVILLE is also badly
polluted, as is the Chippewa river
Just below Eau Claire. The pollution
of Lake Michigan in the vicinity OF
Milwaukee and some of the other
shore towns is also becoming SER
ious problem. The new water and
sewerage law, passed two years ago,
is Serving to correct these conditions
as time goes on.
Interesting Data In Divorce Records
The divorce statistics of Wisconsin
compiled by the bureau of vital sta
tistics present some interesting data.
Among other things they show that
divorce on the ground of drunkenness
has declined from 1879 in 1915 to AZ
in 1920. The total number of divorc
es for all causes reached the highest
figure, 2,425. in the history of the
state in 1920. This was an increase
of % per cent in one year. In 1910
for every 100 marriages there were
GA divorces recorded. In 1920 from
the data now at hand there were 1877
divorces for every 100 marriages. The
divorces in 1920 show 1,744 granted
to the wife, as against 681 granted to
the husband. Cruelty led among the
causes with a total of 1,079; desertion
came next with 7O1; adultry was the
ground in 105 cases.
Ed. A. Everett Will Resign
Edward A. Everett, it is authori-
lively announced, will resign as mem
Der of the state board of control with
in a few months. Mr.. Everett's term
cf Office would not expire for four
years, but he cannot afford to sacri-
fee his personal interest, he says, to
remain in the state service. Mr.. Ev-
erett carries on big summer hotel
in Villas county, near Eagle river,
and during the summer months the
business will suffer unless he can be
there to attend it.
Careful But Not Tight
There seems to be disposition on
the part of the Joint Committee on
Finance to scrutinize closely all the
appropriation bills, but not TO pursue
any tight-wad tactics in passing them.
The members appear to have taken
the position-and this is true also of
the legislature as whole-that the
state in its various departments must
continue to function regardless of the
furry about taxes or the temporal =
financial depression. and that their
duty is to aid it to function adequate
ly.
Huher's Amendment Loses
Senator Huber's proposed conStitu-
tional amendment to institute the in
itiative and referendum went down to
defeat in the Senate on Thursday not
withstanding an earnest plea for it by
the author of the measure. The init
iative and referendum was distinctly
an administration measure and its