Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-07-28
For THE HERALD.
WHAT POTTSVILLE HAS DONE.

.
The following we extract from q let
ter from the Secretary of the Pottsyllie
Board Of Trade, dated May It'll, 1888,
and published in the Columbia COuraRt
. At one time Pottsville was noted for
the enterprise of its citizens. Those
were the days when the individual oper-
ators owned our coal mines and their
gains and losses were spent in our midst.
When the Reading Company bought the
mines, the individual operator disappear
ed, our people became employees, the
wages paid to whom alone remained
here. while the profits went to foreign
bondholders. AS a consequence, private
and public enterprise fed our precincts
our population from 1870 to 1880 increas-
ed 8OO-about one-third of its increase
during the preceding decade-and 1t was
considered moral impossibility TO raise
any amount of money for any public I'M
dertaking. We were wholly dependent
on the coal and iron business, and when
these industries were depressed. as was
frequently the case. general business
languished. In short. Pottsville became
a good place for its ambitious young men
to leave.-Three years ago a Board OF
Trade was organized, but for two years
it slept and accomplished nothing. Dur
ing that period our railroad facilities
were greatly increased by the building
of the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley
Road, and the conviction grew that the
time was at hand to start new industrial
era In February, 1888, a reorganization
of the Board of Trade took place and an
effort was commenced to inaugurate a
new state of affairs. The first task set
was to increase the membership of the
Board, and inside of month by circular
letter followed by q canvass, assisted by
newspaper articles, the number of MEM
beers was raised from so to ITO. The
next point made was TO impress our
merchants and business men generally
with the fact that they must help them
selves-that they must not wait any long
er either for foreign manufacturers to
come to our town and set establishments
at their own expense, or for our capital
lists to take the initiatory and contribute
all the money required for enterprise
which would benefit every one. 1t was
maintained that if the men of moderate
means who had really the greatest inter-
est in securing the new industries, would
first do their part, home capitalists would
help and foreign enterprise be attacted.
The result has amply justified all these
representations. After much effort and
three distinct failures, a shirt factory
was opened with capital of $500, sub.
scribed by so people in amounts rang
ing from S25 to $200-the idea being
that no one should take more stock than
he could afford to lose and as the COM
pany was limited one the amount SUBJ
scribed and paid would be the extent of
the loss.-Business was commenced in
the factory with 30 hands, LESS than ayear
ago. To-day its employees number $50
whose weekly wages are $70O-the most
expert hands earning SO a week-and
the capital is $4,000, fully paid by 100
subscribers, the highest subscription be.
ing $4,000, and the lowest S25.
y Encouraged by the success in raising
the first So, 800 for the shirt factory, a
fact which it was confidently predicted
we would be able to accomplish, the
Board of Trade did not hesitate to under
take to raise 500, 900 for the new silk mill
of the Phoenix Manufacturing Co., of
Patterson, N. j. Next month the mill
will commence operations, the building,
which is four stories nigh, 379 feet long,
by % feet wide, with additions for boz
Ter and engine houses and Office attached
being almost ready for occupancy. We
have thus far raised $4,000 of the
amount required, which, owing to
changes and Improvements, will be $685.
900 for the completion of the structure,
SIC, 900 having been subscribed during
the last month. Counting the shirt fac
tory. our people since last March have
contributed $4,000 for public enter
prise, which amount by July LIST will
equal $3.50, 900. Thus far 1876 people have
subscribed for the silk mill 4 per cent.
bond ; the largest shareholder being $10,-
600, the smallest $50 ; one half of the to-
tai amount being in sums of $500 and
uneer. The mill will employ eventual
ly 1000 hands and pay out 100000 a
year in wages. If we had failed to help
ourselves by starting the shirt factory,
we would never have had the courage to
enter the competition for the silk mill.
Every imaginable difficulty has had to
be overcome. We had and still have croak-
ers and clans whose numbers and voices
are lessening daily. We have hundreds
of citizens well able to contribute who
have given us nothing, but their ranks
are also depicting and every day now
brings us new recruit from this class.
Pluck and work have won here as they
will everywhere.