Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1896-12-16
A NEW DEPARTURE.

Route, approaching the vast import
ance of developing local business enter
prlses in the territory traversed by Its
lines, has created an industrial depart
ment, in charge of an experienced and
competent Commissioner, whose sole
concern it Will be to assist in develop.
ment by acting as means of commun.
ication between would-be investors
seeking profitable employment of CAPT.
tai on the one hand and the mum
cradle opportunities for such invest.
ments in western territory on the other.
The third vice president of the Santa
F'e has accordingly addressed a com
munlcatlOn on this subject to the gen.
eral freight agents of the entire system,
copy of which we give below. The
significance of this beneficent policy to
communities richer in opportunity than
in capital will at once be apparent, and
1t VIII doubtless meet with hearty CO.
operation everywhere:
CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 1896.
Mr.. F. c. Gay. &. F. A. Topeka, KS.
MI. l.. }. Polk. G F.N., Galveston Tex.
Mr. E. Chambers. G F.A., Los Angeles.
Gentlemen:-In pursuance with the
policy we have already talked about, of
assisting in every way we consistently
can In locating new enterprises and ct
the same time fostering industries al
ready located ON our line of road, we
have established an Industrial Depart.
menJ.
Mr.. Jas. A. DAVIS has been placed in
charge of this department with the ii
tie of Industrial Commissioner, with
headquarters at Chicago.
This department will, so far as i,
seems compatible with propriety, take
paternal interest In the development
OF the towns and territory served by
our company, and it will respond
promptly to all calls for co operation i'm
the establishment of factories, location
OF mills and the development of any
and all resources that may be discover
ed. 1t will endeavor where necessary
to place produce in touch with markets,
and IN a general way 1t Will undertake
to bring about improved conditions all
over our system.
1t 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 solid. con-
tinous growth is better than a boom,
and its efforts will be in that direction.
1t will not take any financial interest
i'll proposed industries, as it will have
no money to invest or cash to contrib
ute.
The Industrial Department will not
assist in locating creameries where
there are no cows, nor rolling mills in
a country without either iron ole,
fuel or coke, nor in any way will it
knowingly lend its support to a propo-
sition that seems wrong, either geo.
graphically, commercially or financial
ly. Manufactures that consume native
raw materials will be encouraged. For
example, in the corn belt there does
not appear to be any reason why hon.
my mills, glucose, syrup, sugar and
starch factories, If properly managed
should not thrive.
The factories should all begin In a
small way. The capital invested should
not be all put into working plants. 1t
takes money to operate factory after
it is built, and the primary essentials is
good management. Nothing succeeds
with poor management.
L write you quite at length on this
suject, 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 any
enriching the towns and country we
traverse builds up and enriches this
company.
Mr.. Davis will be glad, at any time,
to hear from Boards of Trade, Com
mercial Clubs, Farmers Alliances or
any organized bodies, as we'll as firms
and individuals, and will make it his
business to visit and advise with any
community wishing to establish manu-.
factories or in any way desiring to i'm.
prove their condition.
Circular announcing Mr.. Davis ap-
pointment will be issued today, and 1
think it would be well for you to ad-
wise all your subordinate officers as to
what we desire to accomplish, in order
that we may get the greatest results
from the Industrial Department..
Yours truly,
PAUL MORTON,
Third ice-President.
SHARON