Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-09-11
y. IOWA. MoNDAY. sEPTENBER II. 1895
Houten has not been good secretary
he has been q decidedly lucky one.

Houten has not been good secretary
he has been q adecidedly lucky one.
$50
The people OF Alta, Buena Vista coun-
ty, are to hold town meeting Tuesday
evening to- discuss railroad matters.
Alta is q thriving little town Of 1000
people, six miles west of Storm Lake,
and boasts that It is a better business
Lake doesn't admit. Anyhow. Alta has
the railroad fever. The other day a
corps of surveyors appeared in the east
ern part Of the'county. and it soon got
out that they were working for the Chi-
cago Great Western road. The assump-
tion of course was that they We're run
ming the surveys for an extension of the
Hampton branch to Sioux City The ex-
tension has been planned for years.
Some time ago it was announced that
the Illinois Central was planning to
build a new line across the country
from Cherokee to Sioux City, making an
air line instead of the present circuitous
route by way of LeMars and Robin
Hoods barn. If this should be done, the
Illinois Central would have occupied a
good slice Of the territory through
which the proposed Great Western lire
has been planned to extend. So, it is
said, the Great Western has concluded
to get ahead of the Illinois Central by
occupying the territory first. Whether
or not this is the correct guass. it is Ger
tain that surveyors are in the field, and
there is good reason for the belief they
represent the Great Western. The peo-
pie of Alta have been Informed that the
route proposes to go to Storm Lake.
then to parallel the Illinois Central to
Alta, then to branch off southwark.
passing through Kingsley on the way to.
Sioux City. A glance at a map of Iowa
will show that there is a fine stretch
of comparatively unoccupied territory
from Alta westward. Alta is after that
road, and will send a committee to see
the railroad officials. Storm Lake has
already appointed like committee, and
everything possible is to be done.
Speaking Of railroad building, j. c.
Frazier, of Bloomfield the Sixth district
member of the state fair directory, used
to be railroad contractor, and makes
an interesting comparison of railroad
building nowadays and fifteen years
ago. They want railroad built over
night these days." he said. 1.-The first
road / ever helped to build was back in
New York, thirty years ago, and they
took four years to build 140 miles of it,
Seventeen years ago was contracting
for section of the Central of Iowa. in
Illinois and eastern Iowa. In ten days
from the time / secured the contract I
had lao men and teams at work, at So. so
a day. The easiest part of it was in get
ting the men. Today, the contractors
in this state can't get enough men and
teams. They have had all kinds of
trouble, and some of the extensions will
not be completed anywhere nearly on
time on this account. And they are
paying in most cases 81 a day for man
and team. Yes. wages are higher now.
and labor is better employed. than ever
before"
Incidentally, Mr.. Frazier is lifelong
democrat who will vote for Governor
Shaw and the republican ticket this fall
because he doesn't take stoc' in free
silver, and likes the kind of '.ruiration'
with which the country has been suf-
fering since the Mckinley administra-
tion took hold of things When the CON
lIdClOI, WIFI d JoIJ OI illS ildlilS, QO-
ing the suffering for want of men to
do it, the country can stand lots of that
kind of grief, as Mr.. Frazier views it.
THE next statement of the Iowa
banks will be due sometime in the lat
ter part of September, or early in Oc-
tober,'' said Bank Examiner Harry
Blackburn today. Present indications
are that the deposits will be 1000 900 or
49, 100000 higher than they We're the last
time report was issued. The loans Will
also be larger. People are putting a
great deal of money into cattle. The
state banks are also carrying great
amounts of farm mortgage loans; they
can't find anything else in which they
can so well invest the money. Yes. with
farm loans down TO 5 per cent-and no.
body in Iowa will pay any more-and
with Iowa banks glad to carry them at
these figures, we are getting something
of money power of our own. And /
notice that as they get acquainted with
lit. from such a close view, people don't
seem to object to it very much"