Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1921-07-08

4
''The main graft, of course, is in
the grain elevators. the fruit pack
cries. the coal and lumber yards and
the stock yards and handling corrals.
In these public, or quasi-public, util-
tiles the railroad has given them-in
| fee simple, it seems-all the yard
room, switches, track facilities, and
| the like. Wherever local competition
has tried to break in, the railroad
company has given it the cold should
err and it has been either forced out
or frozen out"
Exactly" said the boss. "Now tell
me how far you have gone in the
! other field"
'sWe are pretty we'll shaped up and
are about ready to begin business.
Juneman has done splendid work, and
so has Ripley We have succeeded,
in measure, though the opposition
| has been keeping up steady lombard
ment. Hatch and his people haven't
been idle. They own or control
/ dozen or more prominent newspapers
| in the state, and, as you know, they
! are making an open fight on you and
] your management through these pa
pers. The net result so far has been
merely to keep the people stirred up
and doubtful. They say that the rail-
| road has never played fair--and
/ guess it hasn't, in the past"
"Not within a thousand miles," was
| the boss curt comment. "But go on
| with your story"
1--WE pulled the new deal off yester-
day, simultaneously in eleven of the
/ principal towns along the line. Meet
/ ings of the bankers and local capital
/ lists were held, and we had man at
/ each one of them to explain our plan
and to pledge the backing Of the rail
| road. Notwithstanding all the doubt
/ and dust that's been kicked up by the
/ Hatch people, 1t went like wild-fire."
with money!" queried the boss.
Eyes; with real money. Citizens
| Storage & Warehouse was launched,
as you might say, on the spot, and
enough capital was subscribed to make
it a going concern. OF course, there
were some doubters, and some few
| greedy ones. The greedy ones pro
tested against the fixed dividend
| scheme; they didn't see why the new
company shouldn't be allowed to cut
a melon now and then if it should be
fortunate enough to grow one"
Mr.. Norcross smiled. "That is
/ precisely what the Hatch people have
| been doing, all along, and it is the
| chief grievance of these same people
/ who now want a chance to outbid their
neighbors. The lease condition was
/ fully explained to them, wasn't it?"
ooh, yes; Ripley saw to that, and
copies of the lease were in the ex-
/ hibits. The new company is to have
railroad ground to build on, and ample
/ track facilities in perpetuity, condi-
toned strictly upon the limited div
/ idend. If the dividend Is increased,
| the leases terminate automatically"
The boss drew long breath.
you've done well, and better than
! we'll, Billoughby," he said. Nov we
are ready to fire the blast. How was
| the proposal to take over the Red
| Tower properties at fair valuation
| received?"
'There was some opposition. Les
! terburg, and three of the other larger
towns. want to build their own plants.
But they agreed to abide by major
| ity vote of the stock on that point,
/ and my wire reports this morning say
/ that lump-sum offer will be made
for the Red Tower plants today"
Mr.. Norcross sat back in his chair
ward the ceiling.
| "Hatch won't SELL" he predicted.
Hell be up here before night with
! blood in his eye. I'm rather glad it
| has come down to the actual give and
take. | don't play the waiting game
| very successfully, Billoughby. Keep
in touch, and keep me in touch. And
tell Ripley to keep on pushing on the
J reins. The sooner we get at it, the
sooner it will be over"
| After Billoughby had gone, Mr.. Nor
cross came at me on little matter
! that had been allowed to sleep ever
since the day, now some time back,
/ Wllcu Il udQ SeiNClt liiIIi al .. AonCli0
hint about the identity of tbe two
men who had sat and smoked in the
auto that Sunday night at Sand Creek
siding, and about the talk between
| the same two that l had overheard
| the following morning.
1--WE re going to have sharp trouble
with a gentleman by the name OF
| Hatch before very long, Jimmie" was
the way he began. you remember
what you told me about that Monday
morning talk between Hatch and
| Henckel In the Billiard lobby. Would
you be willing to go into court as
witness and swear to what you
| heard?"
"Sure / would" I said
"All right. / may have to pull that
little incident on Mr.. Hatch before /
get through with him. The train hold
IN was a criminal act, and you are
| the witness who can convict the pair
of them. Of course. We'll leave Mrs.
Macrae and the little girl entirely
out of it. Nobody knows that they
| were there with US. and nobody need