St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-02
KEEPS HIM BUSY.
How Secretary Phelps Manages
to Earn His Salary.

y
But little reaches the public with re-
gard to the movements Of the Manu-
facturers' Loan association, although
the organization is perhaps as busy
one as Is to be found within the limits
of the city. The office of Secretary
Phelps presents during the business
hours of any day in the week an ap-
pearance Of activity at once calculated
to inspire interest and curiosity. The
secretary, seated at his desk, which is
ALWAYS Uttered with the prospectuses of
innumerable manufacturing concerns
anxious to locate at this point is also
surrounded with people awaiting an
audience with him on various
subjects; and each one is heard with
patience, although the character of some
of the communications is totally lrrele-
want to the business OF the association.
There are daily visitors from cities of
other states, who have come to st. Paul
expressly to discover more thoroughly
the extent to which the association will
assist bona fide manufacturers. These
represent every sort of industry, and
most of them seem impressed with the
possibilities presented in st. Paul.
Then another frequent visitor is the
manufacturer already located here. He
comes to complain about the manner in
which he is treated by home con-
suinerS, and cites numerous instances
where orders that could have been
filled perfectly well at home have
been given TO New York parties with
out allowing the local man chance to
bid against the manufacturer OF the
East. This is prolific and apparently
well-founded cause of complaint, and
the reasons for its existence are easily
to be found. There are retailers with
out number in the city who have from
| the infancy of their business dealt with
firms in Chicago or New York. They
are, perhaps, under obligations to these
firms for past favors, and even his patri-
| otto feelings will scarcely allow the
purchaser to sever his connection with
an Eastern house which has
served him long and well, and,
perhaps, assisted him to tide
over tight places in his business career.
| There are, of course, men who have no
confidence in home manufactures and
prefer to buy away from st. Paul; but
these are exceptions, and the rule will
| be found to be about as stated so far as
the majority of purchases from abroad
| are concerned.
AnOInGI, anu GhO SlOoOVoo
| task of the secretary, is that of explain
| ing TO the daily dozen of inventors of
| fire escapes, water filters, patent bricks,
| ETC., that the association has not for the
| object of it's being the assistance Of
| needy inventors nor the development of
/ imperfect inventions.
Still, with all its irks0me duties. there
is something of interest about the sec
! retarv's position. Occasionally man
| enters the office who has an idea from
| which he has constructed working
model. The most extraordinary OF
| these models was that of a flying ma
chine. 1t was brought in by haggard--
| faced youth, who announced, as he un
did the valise, that he had not slept TO r
a week, having just conquered an i'm
perfection in the working of his curious
machine. 1t was queer-look-
| pattern of the flying ship
| picture given some time ago in the
| Scientific America. 1t had rudder at
! one end made of very thin sheet brass,
of which metal the wings we're also con-
II propose" said the inventor, "to
| have my real ship run by electricity,
but have put clockwork in my model
/! lust to illustrate the idea"
He wound the affair up, twisted the
rudder to an angle Of sixty degrees with
the craft. and touching a spring set
| the thing afoat. The secre-
| tary stood up and looked at
the boat as it sailed round
the Office in ten-foot circle, with a
look of surprise on his face. The ship
had been started off about five feet from
the ground, and had remained at that
altitude until suddenly there was a