Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-10

Inc Commerclal club was entertained last
night by an address from c. NJ. Hitchcock
of Omaha. There was a good attendance
and the utmost attention was paid to the
speakers remarks, Mr.. Hitchcock had been
requested to speak on "The Midwest as
a Manufacturing Center" and it was upon
these lines that his remarks were directed.
He said, in opening, that a generation ago
the eastern states contained the manufaC-
turing establishments of the country.
Year by year" said the speaker, "a
change has been going on, however, in the
direction of equalization of the situation and
it cannot now be said that the east has a
monopoly of American manufactures. The
first manufactures to be established in the
west were naturally those which could con-
sumo western products to a good advantage
or those wherein freight charges cut so large
figure that 1t was more economical to
Manufacture in the west for western con-
sumption than to manufacture in the east
and pay freight charges We in the west,
who originally depended alone upon agri-
culture, have become largely imbued with
the conviction that manufactures are neces-
sary to the proper development Of our re-
sources and to the increase of our wealth.
While agriculture is a permanent source of
wealth, it is not the rapid source of wealth
that manufactures are considered to be. 1t
takes a large farm to raise, in the course
OF year, $4,000 worth of produce, but
very small factory will turn out three times
that value of manufactured goods Without
in any way rejecting upon the desirability
OF agriculture, we in the west have come
to look upon manufacturing as important to
our welfare. We view the construction II
a great manufacturing plant with infinite
qualification because realize that the in
l,I
of labor means the payment Of wages; the
payment of wages means the distribution
of money in the community, a natural in
| crease in population, an increase in the value
Of neighboring property, and, in word,
benefit to everyone living in the neighbor-
hood of the manufacturing institution,
whether a land owner, merchant, lodg-
ing house keeper, lawyer or doctor"
After illustrating his points with word
pictures the speaker continued: This
strong and natural desire for manufacturing
institutions has led to the growth of
sentiment in favor of patronizing home in
dustries. We are taught to believe that
If we spend our money among our neighbors
the money remains in the. community In
which we are interested and benefits us;
whereas, if we spend 1t in Chicago or New
York it goes into circulation in those COM
from among us. The result of these two
sentiments has contributed largely to the
growth of the west in manufacturing in
dustries'
Mention was made of the great beneht
the packing houses are, as they take the
raw material and manufacture it into n
finished product which is then shipped to
all parts of the world. Hundreds of people
are employed by these great institutions,
said Mr.. Hitchcock, and the population IN
the vicinity certainly appreciates the benefit
to the community. The speaker asserted
that In contemplating the great manufac-
tories we were too much inclined to over
look the hundreds of small industries. These
he considered of vast Importance to a conf
munity. The Importance of small factories
should not. in the opinion Of the speaker,
be overlooked, for in time these same small
factories grow into gigantic affairs.
A list of the manufacturing establish
ments of Omaha and South Omaha was read
by the speaker, and in conclusion he said
that he had found on investigation that the
manufacturing institutions most needed In
South Omaha were a tannery, paper mill,
button and comb factory, flour mill, planning
mill, canning factory, woolen mill, foundry
cooper factory and beet sugar factory.