Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-01-07
A NEW DEPARTURE.
Santa Fe Road Establishes an
Industrial Department.
DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL BUSI-
NESS ENTERPRISES TO BE
FOSTERED.
James A. Davis Appointed Commits
sioner, With Headquarters In
Chicago.

The management Of the Santa Fe Route,
approaching the vast importance Of dsvel.
oping local business enterprises in the ter
ritory trayersed by It's lines, has created
an industrial department., In charge Of an
experienced and competent Commissioner,
whose sole concern 1t will be to assist in
such development by acting as . means Of
Communication between would. be invest
ors, seeking profitable employment Of cap!
itAl, ON tho one hand, and tho innumsra-
bic opportunities for such investnsnt In
Western territory, upon the other. The
| Third ics-Prssident Of the Santa Fs has
accordingly addressed . communication
on this subject to the General Freight
Agents OF the entire System, . copy Of
which communication we give below. The
significance of this beneicent policy to
communities, richer In opportunity than
in capital, will 1t oncs bc APPARENT, and
It will doubtless meet with hearty cooper
alton, everywhere: !
CHICAGO, November, 20, 1896.
Mr.. r. c.. Gay. G. r. A., Topeka, Kan.
Mr.. L. j. Polls, @. +. A., Galveston, Tea.
Mr.. e. Chambers, @. f. A., Los Angeles,
Gel.
GrNrLEMEN:-In 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 already To-
Gated on QUE line Of road, we have estab.
lishsd an Industrial Department.
Mr.. Jas. A. Davis has been placed In
charge OF this department. with the title OF
Industrial Commissioner, with h~sadqusr-
ters at Chicago.
This department will, SO far as it seems
compatible with propriety, take q patsrnal
interest In the Development OF the "
and territory served BY our Company, and
IL will respond promptly to all calls for CO.
operation in the establishment OF facto-
ries, location of mills and the DEVELOPMENT
of any and all resources that may be dis
covered.
1t will endeavor, where necessary, +
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, II will
not in any way favor booms, but will pro-
coed on Che theory that q solid, continuous
growth is better than a boom, and Its Of.
forts win be in that direction.
IL Will uOL tdko 6uy ~
proposed industries, as 1t will have no
money to invest nor cash to contribute.
The Ind lstrial Department will not as
sist IN the location OF where
are no cows, nor rolling mills In .
without either iron ore, fuel or
coke, nor in any way. will It knowingly
lend its support to a proposition that
seems wrong, either geographically, com
mercially or financially.
Manufactures that consume native raw
will be encouraged. For sxam-
Die, in the corn belt there does not appear
% be any reason why hominy mills: glu.
;ose, syrup, sugar and starch factories, "
managed should not thrive.
These factories should all begin in q
mall way. The capital invested should
lot all be put into working plants. 1t
axes money to operate a factory after u
s built, and the primary essential Is good
management. Nothing succeeds with poor
management.
l write you at length on this subject,
because II seems very important to me
hat everybody along our line ought to
.uow how we feel about this matter. We
want to be In touch with the people We
Jorve, and we var them to know that we
appreciate that anything we do towards
up and enriching the towns and
we traverse, builds up and snr.ches
This Company.
Mr.. Davis will be glad. at any time, to
from Boards Of Trade, Commercial
Clubs, Farmers Alliances or any organic
ID bodies, as well as firms and individuals,
and will make it his business to visit and
advise with any community wishing to es-
manufactures or in any way dssir-
ing to improve their condition.
Circular announcing Mr.. Davis, appoint
ment will be issued to-day, and / think It
would be well for you to advise all your
subordinate officers as to what we desire
TO accomplish, in order that we may get
greatest results from the Industrial
Yours truly.
(Signsd) PAUL MORTON,
Third Vice. President,