El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-30
ENCOURAGING
ENTERPRISE
Bonus Proposed To a New
Foundry Plant In Ell Paso
A GOOD SITE is WANTED

~ -
And the Manufae lures Committee
Of the Chamber OF Commerce
Is Taking Steps To Secure 1t.
The committee on manufactures OF
the chamber of commerce that hith-
erto has been unebl. to organize at
last succeeded In getting toP ether last
night at the office of the chamber in
the Sheldon block with all mem bers
present except n. P. Noake who in
out of town, viz: J. p. Dieter, A. p.
u. L. White, AID F. E. Hunter.
j. P. Dieter was elected chairman
but declined on the ground that he had
no time to devote to 1t. Z. T. White
was then selected but he also declined.
F. E. Hunter was finally persuaded TO
take the chair and the committees
promptly settled down to business.
The question of interest before the
committee was q proposition from A
tablish in Ell Paso q new foundry and 8
large manufacturing plant shat would
bring to this city some of the enor-
nous trade that is now going through
here to Mexico. Mr.. Wtggs's PROPOSE
tion was first submitted come months
ago to 81. B Stevens and John P.
Dieter, which fact was pu blished in the
HERALD at the time, and Messrs.
Stevens and Dieter have since been in
correspondence with him on the SUBJ
ject. Two days ago Mr.. Wiggs came
TO town to look over the ground in per-
con aud as his mission became known
the committee was called together to
confer with him.
Secretary Russell laid before the
committee the letter written by Mr..
Wigs to Mr.. Dieter some time ago
and referred to the committee by the
directors of the chamber.
Mr.. Wigs was present and stated to
the committee his proposal which was
to establish foundry worth $50, 900 or
more. This he intended to locate eth
er in Denver or Ell Paso but he would
prefer Ell Pa-o and wanted to know II
any Inducements as a bonus of land or
exemption from taxation would be Of
fered him to locate here.
J. P. Dieter here stated that he had
known Mr.. Wigs for q number Of
lity.
Discussion showed that the general
sell timent of the committee was that
90 exemption from taxation would be
permitted under the laws of Texas and
that public sentiment would not be In
favor of such action. The question of q
bonus was more favorsbly considered.
Messrs. Coles, Courchesne and others
expressed the opinion that the neces-
sary sum could easily be raised by sub
scription so that the cham Der would be
able to present to Mr.. Wigs free of
cost the necessary site for his plant.
They thought the chamber should
take action in the matter.
B. l.. Berkey also spoke in favor Of
action looking to bonus to induce
Mr.. Wigs to locate his plant here.
Ell Paso, he said, would never get
cheaper freight rates as long rs there
were no enterprises of sufficient i'm
portance to warrant 1t. To be sure
there were two foundries already here,
but Mr.. Berkey thought there was
room enough for more and every en-
couragement should be offered nter-
prlses like that of Mr.. Wigs. The
more Industries OF the sort the city
had the more business there would be
for those already here.
Mr.. Wigs said that Il the city de-
sired to grow and expand IS IL should
it must offer some inducements to new
industries. The city of Birmingham,
Ala, he said, had once lost twenty
millions by refusing to offer induce
ments. Later, he said, the people of
the CITY saw their mi.take and re.
versed their policy. Since then they
had brought capital to the amount of
five millions to their city by Offering
Inducements to capitalists TO invest
there.
J. P. Dieter said as the'people of this
city had once raised $1,000 to get q
prize fight he thought they could be
relied upon to subscribe enough to
give Mr.. Wigs the necessary land for
bis pant
A.CourohesneoIered hundred acres
at his place four miles north of town.
Mr.. Wiggs said however that this
would be TOO far out as in order to get
his skilled workmen to stay with him
be must locate near the center of town
so that they could have their homes
there convenient alike for their bust
ness and to the city. He would need at
east five acres. Sites were suggested
at East Ell Paso, Old Fort Bliss and the
site of the proposed federal smelter on
20 e line of the White Oaks.
L. L. White expressed himself IS op-
posed to giving any encouragement to
small concerns. They could not com
you'd do no good. He wansed large
concerns involving heavy invest
nents.
Mr.. Wigs endorsed the views of Mr..
White. Denver, he said, was not much
vorse off than Ell Paso az to mauufac-
urine concerns. Large plants able to
compete with foreign manufacturers
we're wanted in both places and this was
he kind OF enterprise he proposed to |
rect. According to the government
ecords machinery to the value of S. |
90, 600 wac shipped from the United |
;sates into Mexico last year through
l.