Rocky Ford enterprise., 1896-12-17
A NEW DEPARTURE.
Santa Fe Road Establishes an Indust-
rial Department.


rial Department.
The management Of the Santa Fe
Route, appreciating the vast Importance
of developing local business enterprises
in the territory traversed by it's lines, has
created IN industrial department, in
charge Of an experienced and competent
commissioner, whose sole concern it will
be to assist in such development by act
ing as q means Of communication between
would-be investors seeking profitable
employment Of capital on the one hand
and the innumerable opportunities for
such investment in western territory
upon the other. The third vice president
Of tho Santa Fe has accordingly ad.
dressed communication on the subject
to the general freight agents OF the on.
tire system. copy OF which communities
ton We give below. The significance OF
this beneAcent policy to communities
richer in opportunity than in capital will
at once be apparent, and it will doubles
meet with hearty cooperation every.
where:
CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 1896.
Mr.. F. G. Gay, G. +. A., Topeka, Kan.
Mr.. l.. j. Polk, G. F. A., Galveston, Tex.
Mr.. E. Chambers, G. F. A., Los Angeles,
Gal.
GENTLEMHN-1n pursuance with the
policy we have already talked about, OF
assisting in every way we consistently
can in locating new enterprises and at
the same time fostering industries al.
ready located on our line OF road, we
have established an industrial depart
ment.
Mr.. Jas. A. Davis has been placed in
charge Of this department with the title
Of industrial commissioner, with head.
quarters at Chicago.
This department will, so fur as it seems
compatible with propriety, take n pa
ternal interest in the development Of the
towns and territory served by our COM
pany, and it will respond promptly to all
calls for cooperation in the establishment
Of factories, location of mills and the
development Of any and all resources
that may be discovered.
1t will endeavor, where necessary, 10
place produce in touch with markets, and,
in general way, it will undertake to
bring about improved conditions all over
our system.
It will not attempt to boom any one
town as against another; in fact, it will
not in any way favor booms, but will
proceed on the theory that n solid, con.
tinuous growth is better than boom,
and its efforts will be in that direction.
1t will not take any financial interest
in proposed industries, as it will have no
money to invest nor cash to contribute.
The Industrial Department will not
assist in the location of creameries where
there are no COWS, nor rolling mills in a
country without either iron ore, fuel or
coke, nor in any way will it knowingly
lend its support to proposition that
seems wrong, either geographically, com.
mercially or financially.
Manufactures that consume native raw
materials will be encouraged. For ex-
ample, in the corn belt there does not m.
pear to be any reaon why hominy mills,
glucose, syrup, sugar and starch factories,
II properly managed should not thrive,
These factories should all begin in n
small way. The capital invested should
not all be put into working plants. It
takes money to operate a factory after it
is built, and the primary essential is good
management. Nothing succeeds with
poor management.
I write you quite at length on this SUBJ
]ect, because it seems very important to
me that everybody along our line ought
to know how we feel about this matter.
We want to be in touch with the people
we serve, and we want them to know
that we appreciate that anything we do
towards building up aud enriching the
towns and country we traverse builds up
aud enriches this company.
Mr.. Davis will be glad, ut any time, to
hear from boards of trade, commercial
clubs, farmers alliances or any organ.
lzed bodies, rs wei! us firms and indid-
uais, and will make it his business to visit
and advise with any community wishing
to establish manufactures or in any wny
desiring to improve their condition.
circular announcing Mr.. Davis nm.
polntment will be issued to-day. and
think it would be well for you to ndv;so
all your subordinate officers ms to what
we desire to accomplish, in order that wa
may get tho greatest results from the in
dustrial department. Yours truly,
(Signe0 Paul MonTos
Third Vice-President.