The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-05-21
THE CAHVASSInG COMMITTEE
Actively at Work For the New
Cotton Mill.
The People of Roanoke Only Asked to
Contribute Twenty Per Cent. of the
Cost of the Factory-Foolish Obiec-
tions Philosophically Met by the
Committee-The Location IA Good One.

Location GOOD One
The subscription committees, recently
appointed by the direc tors of the Roam.
oke cotton mill to canvass the town for
subscriptions to the capital stock OF the
Company. have been laborously at work
ever since their appointment and have
met with some success, but they have
not received the encouragement that is
duo the enterprise.
The committees expec ed that owing
and to the "hard times" that is uni.
versal at this time throughout tho
country that subscriptions could not be
had as readily as under some circum.
stances. but ono plea has been entered
as an excuse that was unlocked for and
IS entirely unmoritod. Business men IN
the city have urged as au objection to
taking capital stock taat bee iuso of tho
location OF the mill in the western
suburbs that the enterprise will not be
OF as much benefit 10 tho citizens as if
the plant were located nearer to the
business center Of the town
The fallacy Of this obiec lion is obvious
ii anyone will take the trouble to ir-
-
site was offered to tho committee that
could be called suitable, and that on
the property OF the Buena Vista Land
Company is really, taking into consider
alton the arrangements of the stree
car system, further from tho center of
town than tho one in tho West End.
Tho committee is largely com posed of
men who propose to pat in the greater
part OF the money to start tho enter
prise, and they had not been on tho site
five minutes before the selection vas
made. The people OF Roanoke ars on v
asked to contribute 20 per cent. of tt Q
cost Of the manuf; tory, and the parties
who subscribe the so psr cent naturally
should be allowed TO place the plant at
the point they think the most suitable.
But as matter of fact the cotton mill,
established in the western suburb, of
the city, will be of the same advantage
to the city IS if it could be located in
the heart OF the city, for it is very we'll
known that the employees OF the manu-
facturies already stationed there buy
everything they use directly from the
merchants in town, and a large number
OF them live and board in all parts of
the city. For example, Vinton is three
miles from the Union depot and two
thirds of It's population Of 1900 derive
labor in the various enterprises in this
city. 1t is also facs that many of the
employees of the Duval Engine Works
and OF the Norwich Lock Works live at
Vint n, distance OF five miles, and go
to and from work every night and
morning on the street railway.
number of the employees in these
places also reside at Crystal Spring and
in Northeast Roanoke. The Street Rail
way Company is already pledged to ex-
tend their limos to the very door of the
new cotton mill and will reduce the
rates to employees to eight cents for a
round trip, SO that as matter of course
the employees will reside in all differ
ent sections OF the city. More than this,
IL Is we'll known that even as far as Sa.
lem, the enterprises there benefit the
people OF Roanoke as much or moro
than they do the town in which they
are located, for the simple reason a
great number of the people of Salem
purchase the means of sustenance of
life in this city. The amour. of the
Salem pay rolls can be as distinctly tel.
here as can be the amount of the paw
roll OF the Roanoke Machine w orks
Ihis Is tho greatest enterprise thst
has been offered to the people OF this
city siuce the establishment OF the Roa-
"oAo AVA aOuluo WORKS. anu taxing in to
consideration that the citizens are only
asked to subscribe $500 Of tho sa5O,-
600 required to build the factory, it
wi be a sad blow to the progress, en-
terprise and prosperity OF the Magic
City if this offer is not imm ediately
taken advantage OF. But this is not s
contribution for charitable purposes. 1t
has been demonstrated that every
similar enterprise in the South has been
prosperous without an exception and as
matter OF business any man who can
take shares OF capital stock will find
that he has nos only materially con-
tributed to the success and prosperity
OF tho city, but has made an investm ent
that will personally bring him in larger
and better returns than any other legiti.
mate scheme he can put his money into.
The Columbian Carnival
COLUMBIA. S. c., May 2O.-Columbia' -
carnival was inaugurated yesterday
under very favorable auspicies, there
being large crowd of visitors in the
city and the weather being all that
could ha laairnd IT,