Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1923-09-12
A Few Impressions of
a Weeks Motoring.

crops in Dane county lOCh fine The
weed will bring the planters 5000 an
acre this year they tell us. The soil
further east is thin, full Of gravel and
not to be compared with driftless area
soil in appearance Evidences of
glacial origin becomes apparent when
central and eastern Wisconsin is
reached. Grant county is in the non
glaciated area and has a clay sub
soil. Corn east of Dane county looks
scraggly and burned out. DOeSn' |
compare with corn in this section
Lots of fine dairy herds through Dane,
Walworth and Milwaukee counties
Big siIos and fairly well improved
farm buildings. Towns, even small
ones, we'll paved and bear an air OF
thrift and progress.
The motor drive from Milwaukee to
Chicago, along the lake. is superb
Fine paved roads and beautiful coun-
try places all along the lake. Land is
poorly drained with plenty of bog and
swamp. Heavy fogs as evening APP
proaches. Closer to Chicago one pas
ses countless roadhouses devoted TO
chicken dinners and reVelry. Evident
these places run heavy on chicken.
The Libertyville road west out Of
Waukegan makes Milwaukee avenue
in Chicago on Illinois trunk line ~.
Traffic at night is heavy and driver
is kept busy. Illinois motor laws for
bid bright lights at night Drive with
DINNERS. Many cars have brilliant
spOtlights, spotted to the road just
ahead of the car. A clear evasion OF
the law. Wisconsin light law is just
the opposite.
Chicago is remarkable from the
enormous growth in every direction
during the past ten years. Even the
lake has been filled in and encrOacheG
upon Thousands of fiat buildings,
particularly two stories put up in the
past few years. The idea is to live in
one and make the tenant pay the cost.
Rents run on the average from $65 TO
$500 a month where ten years ago
the same buildings would have rent
ed for $25 to $35. Building costs are
extreme. A twO-fiat building selling
for $500 four years ago now costs
S1S,000 Plasterers, bricklayers, etc.
get around SIS for a day of s hours
Regular scale is $1.25 an hour but
mechanics want $1.75 and a bonus
They also want (and get) an extra
bonus for Sunday. One-story bunga-
lows cost around $500. Apparently,
labor is having boom times and au-
thorities say there will no relief from
high labor costs without letting down
the bars on immigration from Europe
Labor is fighting this and in fact no
one wants an influx of foreigners, but
it seems to be the only remedy Tor
extreme labor costs. One might con-
clude that high prices of what the
farmer buys hinges on the scarcity OF
industrial labor, the big wages and
the short hours.
Chicago is wet" and decidedly 50
according to local authorities. First
class saloons sell a stein of excellent
beer for % or 80 cents. No free lunch
any more but very good lunch for
sale. Wine abundant at soc a drink.
The authorities say this wine is pur-
chased from congregation heads and
parties who supposedly supply wine
for sacramento purposes. They say
also that the saloons work with the
tacit consent of the local prohibition
agent who frowns on hOotch and hard
liquor but winks at beer and wine.
One prohibition agent resigned say
ing il was a hopeless task 10 TRIP to
mop up" Chicago. No drunks in evil
dence and no one buying beer put
those who like it we'll enough to pay
five times what it used to sell for.
Others say they like the beer but
can't stand seeing the cash registers
work so rapidly However, the only
difference between the old days is the
cost of the article 1t might be as
It, TN1,
lice protection but the city gets none
of it.
Chicago is dotted with new and
beautiful theatres, mostly devoted 10
the moving picture, interspersed with
excellent musical programs. One
theatre, the Chicago, was opened last
year at a cost up in the millions. 1t
is owned by Balaban & Katz a Jewish
firm, who also own string of fine
theatres. The Chicago is mostly ro-
coco stye of decoration and architec-
designed to knock the visitor
cold with admiration and awe as he
steps inside. Service wonderful with
an extremity of courtesy from uni
formed attendants, mostly boys of IS,
at every step. Pictures just fair to
middling, Wonderful pipe organ and
orchestra work and superb lighting
effects Seats cost 66c for any place
in the house that is vacant. Other
houses charge up to $110 for a picture
and get away with it. Crowded all the
time
A visit to the new Tribune plant,
8 p. m. any night except Saturday,
Sunday and holidays, is well worth
while Well informed Young man es-
corts party on two-hour trip through
the plant. Library, editorial rooms,
news rooms, art rooms, engraving
plant, typesetting department, stereo-
tipping room and press room. Big Hoe
presses print seven or eight complete
papers at once with a speed for each
press of 500 a minute. Papers are
carried by endless chain to mailing
room and there addressed by machin-
cry in an equally rapid manner.
Thence the bundles are sent direct to
the wagons for city delivery and to
mail care for country and forniun