The record-union., 1894-05-28
Some Valuable Suggestions Offered
BY c. c. Howell
As The Result Of Ills Three Months In
YestigatOn Of The Subject
Bow and Why Factories Should Be Established Ii sac
raneRtO- Experiences Of other Cities In
the Way Of Giving Subsidies

feDOrt maze 70 IQ6 IUQuStAAaA ILL
ment Association by c. c. Howell, VINO
was employed three months ago as Its
agent to attend to the matter of inducing
manufacturers to locate in this city. The
entire report would fill about eight col
umns of space, hence much of it that has
no direct local application has been
omitted:
SACRAMENTO, May "a, 1894.
Sacramento Industrial and Improve
nleat Association = GENTLEMEN In
bringing 10 a close my three months en-
gagement with your association think
it due from me to submit for your con-
sideration the facts as 1 find them in Sac
ramento. The location and surroundings
here should make this the manufacturing
city on this new Western Empire, which
must have an unprecedented grown In
the future.
1t is no easy matter to direct this organ
ization TO the efficiency 1t should nave
without more working members. As a
part of my business was TO become ac-
Quainted with your different business IN
terests and the people associated there
with, 1 am inclined to believe that there
is strong feeling existing here that sueh
an organization should be perfected. IL
can be done through this one, or by or
ganizing Chamber Of Commerce later,
and gradually merge this association
into it after the duty has been perfected
for which this was organized.
Manufacturers coming here to locate
will look into these matters.
Insufficient sanitary regulations may
cause a sudden epidemic, or what is
worse, a gradual but steady increase OF
the death-rate.
Unskilled engineering may cause a
water famine, or send the germs OF dis
ease into every household; from these
causes the entire work you are proposing
to inaugurate here in the way OF getting
manufacturing might be ruined just as
you are getting it started.
Inadequate transportation facilities. or
unwise building laws, have checked the
growth of many city.
Improper river regulations may drive
commerce from your doors.
Ignorant or dishonest management in
the government of your city affairs may
bankrupt your treasury; if you succeed
in getting manufacturing concerns to
come here from the East, they will look
into your facilities for correcting these
important questions, which the happi-
ness and prosperity OF that large portion
OF the population are directly dependent
upon; the functions can best be managed
through an aggressive association made
UP OF able and honest committees of
some representative body free from polit-
icaI influences.
There are three ways of building up
manufacturing here:
Firstly encouraging small concerns;
but work them in the lines of business
that they will assist the most.
\ large number of concerns could be
located here by encouragement from the
Wholesale dealers, and they would grow
and not only help the property in the
city by giving employment to the people
who may be attracted here, but assist the
iobbers themselves at this point by hav-
ing specialties for branching ont and in
creasing the territory which they seek to
cover, from time to time, as their capital
will allow.
Second-There are concerns that you
can get who will have good staple things
TO manufacture, but to start them you
will have to furnish men with money to
take stock and put them on their feet.
We are anxious to get concerns that will
be started on large scale.
| was particularly impressed at Stock
ton in this State to see what the people
there are doing, not her large Touring
mills, woolen mills, tannery or agricult-
ural implement works, but her small
growing concerns that interested me. l
found twenty-three small concerns in
different lines, turning out over 81, 900, 900
worth of goods last year.
Third--There is another way to get
manufacturing concerns; the plan that
= Z
by finding some good concerns that have
q business established, and money to run
it, but wish to enlarge and move 10 a new
location and manufacture near the con-
sumner, and expect money cOnsidera-
tion in proportion to what they are
worth. They will want TO know what
interest your banks charge on money?
They will want TO know what your taxes
are? What your public school system is?
(Good mechanics will locate and become
settled only where there is good public
school system,-for they feel they must
give their children an education, If moth
ing more) They will wish to know
what the sanitary condition OF the city is?
What fire protection there is, and the
rate of insurance you have to pay? What
your facilities are for obtaining raw ma
terials? What your fuel costs, and the
facilities for distributing their goods
when they are manufactured? After all
these things are settled, and the manu-
facturer is satisfied that there is a popu-
lation enough to get to, and that the
TRANSPORTATION does not eat up the profit,
and he feels that it viii justify him TO
move, he will make you proposition.
Then it is business question entirely
as to.what his concern Is TO be worth 10
vou. There are such manufactures that
can be had. and they will do well on this
coast. and help you over a period TO the
time manufactures will come TO you
rather than you TO them. When your
needed reforms are completed and q
settled fact, and the population has
doubled in this State, as II is sure 10 DO
very soon, it will be an easy matter to
get factories here for nothing, as II is now
ior pay, but that time will not be for this
city soon, unless you move faster than
you have in the past.
The worst feature Sacramento has is
her taxes. Your people seem TO be bur
0ened, and they always give strangers a
bad impression and it will work great
detriment, not only in inducing in
dustrial enterprises here, but il will kill
any attempt TO get people from the out
SIDE TO invest IN property. Your debt is
not so much, but 1t is the way you are
paying 1t, and l have thought many
times of laying before this board a plan
for their consideration to solve this ques-
tion, but feared that it might be thought
that WAS going outside of what / was
employed for. Still, You cannot make a
success of inducing manufacturing here
10 any extent until you change your
rnnnicipal system in both city and
county. 1t is said you will be all paid
off in four years. That sounds like the
man that undertook to teach his horse to
live without eating, just as be had his
horse educated he died. While you are
trying to pay this debt in few years.
you are killing out and driving away
people in order TO do 1t
Your system is wrong. In this day
when money can be had at such low
rate of interest, where the security is as
good as it is here, you should refund your
debt on long time at low interest aud let
future residents that are to come in help
pay the debt,
Your schools and churches are good
ali that anyone can ask.
Your City Library is good. The State
Library is one of the grandest things that