The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-20
PUBLIC IS IN The DARK |
Little Conception Of importance Of
Board Of Trade Work.
QUIETLY BOOMING SCRANTON
Much Has Been Done Withia . Year-Ad.
vantascs Of the Culm Fuel Are
Being Made known Flood Of
Daily Correspondents.


1t is a peculiar fact that but a small
percentage OF the general public know
OF the really great work conducted by
the Scranton board Of trade. The
usual knowledge of what that body
does comes from an occasional reading
In the newspapers Of reports Of peri
odical meeting.
Within a year there has been located
in Scranton through the effort Of the
board of trade three manufacturing In
dustries which alone will distribute an
nually by wages and receipts a sum
| estimated between $50O,00O and 81 .0OO.-
OO0 These concerns are the Eureka
Cash Register company, the National
Elevator and Machinery company and
John Simpson & Co.. silk manufactur-
ers, who come here from Paterson,
N. ].
In addition to the many accomplish
ments of the board which are made
public, that organization and its live
secretary, Dolph B. Atherton. are con-
stantly pushing forward the advan-
tages of Scranton as a cheap fuel CEN
ter and quietly advertising the city in
Its peculiar inducements through labor
and power as the Mecca for the manu-
facturer.
NUCLEUS VI Nuuo6O.
The three enterprises mentioned
would be the nucleus Of thriving
town of 5000 inhabitants. When are
completed the silk mill Of Simpson &
Co.. the plant will represent a value of
500. .00O. outside OF engines and boilers.
The buildings will cover several acres
on the South Side and will be only one
story high. At the beginning 400 hands
will be employed and eventually work
will be supplied 1000 persons.
The National Elevator and Machin-
cry company has not yet secured its
own manufacturing plant, but 1t Is
duct Is being made by contract by firms
of the city. The account system,
books and registers of che Eureka Cash
Register company are being shipped to
all points in the United States, from
coast to coast and between the north
ern and southern boundaries Of the
country.
But the work of locating new indus
tries in Scranton Is one Of the least Of
the actually performed duties Of the
board. There seems to be tacit un-
derstanding that the manufactures
committee. which is the mainstay and
anchor of the board, and the secretary
shall spread abroad the cheapness and
practical utility Of culm as fuel. 1t Is
of the labor and benefit In connection
with this work that only q slight con-
ception has been formed. A simple II.
lustration will show why Scranton's
culm fuel is attracting attention and
why the board Of trade Is called upon
to "boom the thing" as'they say in the
vernacular Of trade:
Difference In Horse Power.
In Boston and throughout sections Of
the country where water power Is un-
available it costs from $35 to $50 for
each horsepower used by a manufac-
turer per year. In Scranton, with culm
in limitless quantities selling at from 10
to 25 cents per load, a one-horse power
per year costs 81. Now the difference
between $50 and 81 Is great, enormously
great in the eyes Of the manufacturer.
and that's why the office Of Secretary
Atherton daily receives interested
manufacturers from abroad or is food
ed with all manner Of correspondence
on the subject. With Niagara furnish.
ing for SIS what Scranton supplies for
81, 1t Is easily understood that many
are incredulous and are investigating.
In fact, this is a season Of investiga-
tion which seems bound to come to
head next year, so the manufactures
committeeman say, and then their ef-
lOI - Will lCNcdi thouonhu-koiN "a
bread cast upon the waters
Just one Illustration will suffice: To-
morrow or Thursday manufacturing
chemist of Buffalo, with capital ana
who has heard Of Scranton's chaep
power will come here to see II what he
has heard and read Is true. He has
intimated that he will require 400-horse
power to run his plant. When he
comes here the shipping advantages
and convenience Of the city will be
shown him and he will probably de-
part to investigate the facilities Of 9TH
er cities. II he Is in earnest he will
eventually locate here; 1t may be with
In six months, or 1t may be a year
but, he will come.
Old.Time Tactics Discarded.
For several years Scranton's claims
and aspirations as cheap-fuel center
attracted less attention than now for
two main reasons: First, the hue and
cry of the Niagara power for q time
overshadowed all else In its line; sec
Ond. Scranton's cheap power advant-
ages were put forward in q haphazzard
and unmethodical way. A change has
been wrought In this city's favor
through the inability or unwlllingness
of the Niagara promoters to deliver
their power at the figures promised, and
the tide in Scranton's favor has been
given added impetus during thN last six
months by judicious advertising and a
boom with bottom to II.
The policy followed recently by the
board has been of a kind biased upon
sound business principles. Manufac-
turers from abroad have not been told
that money was lying around in barrels
waiting to be capitalized into some-
thing. as was the case a few years ago.
The capitalization business seems to
have been relegated to the rear, and
newcomers and investigators are told
something like this: Scranton can
furnish you the cheapest horse power
known. water excepted. Here are the
proofs. Now, give US a proper guar
antee that you will locate here and con-
duct your industry after II Is built, and
we will give you the land. We want
you here: but We don't want any of the
profits Of your business"
If anybody has any doubts Of the
amount OF work involved in legitimate
ly booming Scranton and being at the
beck and call OF scores Of out-of-town
visitors daily-such person could pro-
ftably spend q few hours in the board
of trade rooms. where the voluminous
correspondence and the hustle of an
all-around, full-blooded Information
bureau would convince him that Scran-
ton Is being investigated.
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