The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-06-19
a Growing Concern.


Some one, we have suspicion it was Mr..
j. +. Porter, some weeks ago, in the Tmes,
called attention to the value to town of so
called small factories. The idea may be still
further enlarged by adding to this term
"small factories" so that it would read
"small factories Of specialties' Too many
men have the idea that the only way to build
up town is by importing or starting some
one great concern, employing hands by the
hundred II has fine sound to say such
and such shop has 500 hands; but the draw
back to such a concern is that when its sea-
son is over, the 500 hands are largely out of
work. AID the grocery has to carry them I'M
til they 90 to work again; or when the hands
90 out on strike, as may happen, the town
is dead with hundreds Of men out of work
and the drain on provision dealers a serious
one. Small factories, however, rs a rule
run the year around; are not affected by
strikes and should any one be closed, the
general effect is never felt by the public at
large. This is also an era Of specalties; and
everyone who has had an opportunity of get
ting the information knows that in special.
ties is the best profit to-day in manufactur-
ing. Prices rule better, and are less likely
to be ruined by dull times than are those of
a standard or regular line Of goods. A town
filled with manufactures Of specialies has n
much more steady and prosperous class of
laboring men, while the youths and young
woman are much more likely to find remun-
erative employment in such establishments.
This principle Is now being more widely rec
ognized than ever perhaps; because it is a
noteworthy fact that towns so built up are
the least seriously affected by general dull,
ness Of trade. One of the marked features
Of the present industrial condition of The
Country is the unusual activity in manutac
turing throughout the South; and any one
who sees the 1rddeman Of ChattanoOl a, the
Nannfdctrer's Record Of Baltimore, or South.
ern Industries of Atlanta, will be struck with
the multitude of small factories of every
sort and description springing up all over
the South, II is getting to be great manu-
featuring section oil the country; not in big
concerns, though there are such there, but in
multitude of small ones to keep her people
employed; and it is notable fact that the
labor troubles Of May and April scarcely
reached that part Of her territory east of'the
Mississippi She is growing and growing
rapidly. If small factories do SO much for
section, why not as valuable to town?
Ottawa needs just such concerns. She
can't have too many Of them. What activity
she has now, aside from her glass works, are
due entirely to her small factories and the
LAST is pretty long already if one attempts to
go over it.
To show how these "smalp' factories get
along, let US look into one. On February LIST
Meyer Stiefel started factory for making
pantaloon overalls in the old creamery build
ing There were then 10 machines going
and the factory employed II hands In four
months the place had grown too small, and
yet in the meantime mparatively few PEG.
pie had ever paid any attention to it. Larger
quarters being necessary, Mr.. Stiefel rented
the novelty building just north, and on Mon
day of last week began operations there using
the entire building, the second story "a mag
nifcent room, now it is ceiled and plastered,
being the sewing machine room, and the
lower story divided into cutting and stock
rooms. Last Friday there were IA machines
at work, this week FIVE or six more were
started. while with cutters, button. hole max
ers, stock boys, engineer, &c, there will be
over 30 hands employed
Now the advantage Of this establishment to
Ottawa is that IL gives pleasant and at the
came tins remunerative employment to q