The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-10-28
Encourage Manufacturing.


The first duty in business way, of
any and all citizens who have a regard
for the welfare of their town, is to en-
courage manufacturing enterprises
which give employment to labor. No
argument is necessary to sustain this
theory. 1t is self evident. Merchan-
dising is good thing in town but it
will take care of itself, in fact, there
are sometimes too many in trade either
for their own good or the good of pat
rons. There are also lawyers, doctors,
clergymen, teachers and editors enough
to supply the demand. Rarely is there
lack in any considerable Maine town
in any of these lines, but no community
in Maine or any other State has a sur
plus of industries that require skilled
labor, and the best way any man can
serve his town is by doing everything he
can to increase employment in it.
While merchants, perhaps, feel the
effect of we'll employed labor more d.
rectly than most lines of business, the
real estate owner receives more lasting
benefit from the establishment of in
dustrles in place than any other man.
He receives this benefit in two WAYS:
in the brisk call for his stores and
houses and consequently better rental,
and in the enhanced value of his prop.
erty. On the other hand, if an estab-
lished industry leaves town no man feels
it SO seriously and permanently, as the
real estate owner. In that case his
stores, shops and residences become va
cant, he is obliged to take lower rental
and the value depreciates and the prop
erty deteriorates, meanwhile, taxes and
insurance "keep right on doing business
at the old stand. A trader can close
out his goods or take them out of town
if his business falls below living profit
but the owner of real estate cannot do
this, it is fastened down "solid.n Trans
portation, whether of goods or of pas
sengers, feels depression of manufactur-
ing and the loss of an industry more di-
rectly and effectively than one might
suppose. Employees of the shoe factory
in this town and their wives and child
rem are excellent patrons of our electric
street railways, and were this industry
to cease operations here, these railways
would soon find big difference in pat
ronage. Our business in Skowhegan is
adjusted to our present population.
Drop 10 per cent of this population, and
business in all its lines and its many
ramifications would feel it. Some lines
would feel it more keenly than others,
but no line would be exempt Increase
that business 10 per cent and we could
handle it with very slight increase of
expense and much better pro rata
profit. The difference between loss of
10 per cent and gain of 10 per cent in
this town would be the difference be-
tween decided depression and brisk
healthy business. We may feel this de-
preston by failing to retain the Bloom
field Shoe factory here or may gain the
advance by investing in the stock of the
company to the amount of $4,000. 1t
would pay to put out, absolutely, this
amount of money if we but held this
business at its present volume five years,
by so doing. If the present volume can
be doubled by the increased capital used,
the investment would pay a great deal
better. The sentiment alone of hav ng
an industry like the shoe factory leave
town would be more than $1,000 per year
damage to us, and the sentiment of hav-
ing a town like Nkowhegan forging
ahead and gaining in industrial strength
is cheap at 1000 per year. Under no
consideration can we afford to lose any
one of our industries. 1t would be sui
cidal and the liberation of the idea,
disloyalty to our town.-Somerset Ar
gus.