The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-04-19
A NEEDED INDUSTRY.

A NEEDED INDUSTRY.
Nothing so tends to the stability
and prosperity of any community as
the existence of large and f1ourishing
manufacturing industries, concerns
that give employment to numerous
persons and add to the circulating
medium of those communities. 1t is
also true that all cities and towns
are not so situated as to make the es-
tablishment of factories and mills
practicable or even possible, but
there are very few that do not pos
sess some advantage, either in the
matter of location, transportation
facilities or contributory products
which warrant the establishment of
some sort of factory Or other plant
for the conversion of raw materials
into the finished product. Billings,
fortunately for itself is one of the
places which has some inducements to
offer to the investment of capital in
manufacturing enterprise. It is the
center of the largest wool producing
belt in the United States and has the
advantage of at least two lines of rail
roads that individually and through
their connections reach every section
of a territory likely to become a GUS
toner for the finished article, should
it ever be decided to engage in the
~ NM t,,n ~f ,yo~11 -~~l- So IT.
section. 1t also has the advantage
of CHASING among it's citizens men of
means ample to undertake the enter
prise, and the wonder is that some Of
them have not been able to see their
way clear to engage in the business.
Instead Of selling the raw material
this city should become a seller of
wooden textiles. No good argument
can be advanced against the PROPOSE
ton, for it's success seems certain and
clear. 1t may be contended that the
difference in the price of labor be-
tween this part of the country and
the east is 80 great that a local mill
could not successfully compete with
those located nearer the large centers
of population. where labor is cheap.
To Offset this would arise the advan-
tage which the city possesses in being
nearer the base of supply of the raw
material and the consequent saving
in freight rates. Added to this item
should be the expense the eastern
men are to every year of sending rep
resentatives out here to do. their buy
ing. While this may seem at first
glance to be a small matter, yet it
adds to the aggregate and is not over
looked in figuring the cost of the cloth
made from Montana woods as it fin
ally reaches the consumer
The advantage to the producer of
wool which a mill at this place would
be should not pc underestimated. In
stead OF having to ship his product
on consignment and wait long months
for his money, as many of them now
do, he could finu a market at home
and laye the added advantage which
would accrue. to him by the addition
OF one more competitor in the list
of bidders for his wares. The expert
ment of manufacturing at home the
products of the range has been sue
cessfully tried in Oregon and Califor-
MIA, and today the goods made by the
mills of states find sale all
nvor tho wncf ovid 0,a~o, o~1 C-l:c-.
mia blankets are known and Used al
most exclusively in the section of the
country which has for it's eastern
boundary the Missouri river. The
same holds good in reference to other
products of those mills, notably the
articles of coarser wear, such as are
in the mines and by the men
OF the woods and prairie.
The subject is one worthy of careful
investigation and consideration by the
men who are DESTROYS of c%ontribut-
ing to the material an. lasting vel
fare of the city. The Gazette would
like to suggest to the newly appointed
commercial committee of the Billings
club that now is the opportunity to
show the sort of material that enters
into it's composition by acting on the
hint here thrown out and taking steps
looking in the direction of securing
a wooden mill for the city that above
all others in the state is so fortunate
~ situated, both as. regards geo.
graphical location and environment
as to make it the one where such an
enterprise would be successful.
The fool killer certainly has not