Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-13
IS AN OPPORTUNITY
Oat Meal Mill May be Located in
Ottumwa.
PROMOTER IS NOW ON THE GROUND
Will Remove Machinery if Sufficient
lnducement is offered = Ottumwa
Commercial and Real Estate Ex-
change Has Matter in Hand.

[F'rom Wednesdays Daily.l
Ottumwa capitalists have an oppor-
tunity to interest themselves in a
large oat meal factory, to be located
in this city, If they have the inclina-
ton. Alex Scoules, representing NJ.
V. Nichols, an oat meal manufacturer
whose factory is located at Beatrice,
Neb., is in the city today for the pur-
pose of finding out the attitude of the
people of Ottumwa in regard to this
enterprise, and If everything is favor
able the machinery will be removed
from the Beatrice plant to Ottumwa
and installed in a building to be erect
ed for that purpose in this city.
For some little time, J. H. Mitchell
secretary of the Ottumwa Commercial
and Real Estate Exchange, an organ
lzation of business men formed for the
purpose of developing the resources Of
the city, has been in correspondence
with Mr.. Nichols, and the visit of that
mans representative to this city to-
day is result of the correspondence
The Proposed Mill.
1t is the purpose of Mr.. Nichols to
form a stock company, the capital to
be furnished by himself and Ottumwa
people, and erect building on ground
to be donated for that purpose The
capacity of the Beatrice mill is 100
barrels a day, but it is the plan to
double this amount in the Ottumwa
mill. 1t is claimed by Mr.. Nichols
that 200 barrel mill is as economical
to run as one of 100 barrels capacity,
owing to the fact that almost as many
men have to be employed in the small
er capacity mill as in the larger one.
Does Not Ask Money Bonus.
Mr.. Nichols does not ask for mon
ey bonus, but his plan is to secure a
site for the factory, somewhere ada
cent to the railroad and near the city,
then secure an exemption, either par
tial or whole, from taxes for a term
of years.
Against Trust.
One man prominently interested in
the welfare of the city stated today
that in his opinion the people of Of
tumwa would not take kindly to a
scheme for establishing an oat meal
mill here, as it might be bought by
the cereal trust, but they are assured
by Mr.. Nichols representative that
this mill will not be allowed to go to
the trust, and that. if the mill should
cease operations for any cause which
could be averted by the management,
the equivalent of the donation would
be returned to the givers.
This afternoon Mr.. Nichols repre-
sentative is in conference with Don A.
Pool, D. F. Burnett and J. Fl. Mitchell,
of the Ottumwa Commercial and Real
Estate Exchange. He has plans for
his proposed factory, and is looking
over the ground preparatory to the
coming of Mr.. Nichols. There is no
doubt that the people of Ottumwa can
obtain this factory if they want it, and
1t would no doubt be valuable addi-
ton to the city's already good list of
manufactures.
The Building.
There is no building or set Of build
fngs in the city that would answer the
purpose for which Mr.. Nichols wants
one. He wants a frame building Gov.
cred with iron. 1t should be 100 feet
wide and 800 feet long, the engine
house and drying room to be separated
from the remainder of the plant. He
and his representatives are expert
enced men In this line of work, and
will doubtless make success of the
plan If they are allowed to try it in
Ottumwa. If the matter is looked up
on favorably by the people of Ottum
wa, Mr.. Nichols will come here in per
son for the purpose of closing con
tract He desires to move to this
state largely on account of the uncer
tainty of the crops In Nebraska.