Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-08
New Railroads Not Always a
Good Thing for the Older
Towns
DIVISION OF THE BUSINESS
New Towns Inevitable on All New
Lines and Competition With Estab-
Iished Business Always Results
Some Towns Placed in Light of vot-
ing Taxes to Aid Rival.
Special to Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Dixie, Dec. S.-Whenever new rail-
mediately after the surveyors have been
over the ground there comes the usual
tax levy to help construct, buy right of
way thru towns, etc. AT the time the
now c. & N. w. was proposed from
Belle Plaine north, the taxes We're voted
to the corporation who sold out soon
after to the C. & N. W., and the tax
was never collected, as the Northwest
ern build their own lines where they
please and without the assistance of
private parties. Many men in such
towns as Parkersburg. Traer and other
junction towns were active workers
for the new line, to have two roads and
a competition of freight rates, but, as
in all cases where there are new rail-
roads, there must be new towns, ana
where There are new towns those towns
must do business, and where they 40
business it is always at the expense Oh
some of the older towns. Ana out OF
every three new towns located only one
ever gets beyond the depot, stockyards
and the general store, including the
postoffice. Dixie is one Of the lew new
towns laid out along this new North
western which has pushed ahead from
the very start, and has today more
business houses and business than
MANY towns much older. And the
growth has been substantial and hearty
and is bound to make a good town.
The question naturally arises why
some of these towns grow and do Wen
and others always remain flag station.
Some might say that the location OF the
new town in relation with other sur
rounding towns was the principal rea-
son: others would say that 1t was the
class of men who come there and go
into business; but to me it seems that
it is not so much either one mentioned
as the class of people who come to the
town to trade. Dixie Is located In the
center of a circle surrounded by towns
like Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Parkers-
burg. Grundy Center and Traer, and
the same environment which has gone
to make them all good towns exists at
Dixie. OF course, the class of business
men is an important feature, but the
trading public regulates that. so that
the good business man is not the cause,
hut the result of good town. Take,
for instance. a man who Is an ordinary
Intelligent farmer, who has bought ma
chinerv all his life, and let some green
horn" in a new town try to tell him all
about 1t. The result is loss of business.
He sells out, and this occurs until the
man for the place buys, and then things
go along some. This is the result not
only with machinery but all lines OF
trade. If town starts in good, thrift
ty intelligent farming community, II
is bound to be a success, not for any
other reason than that the county is
success.
person riding thru these new
towns on the cars are sometlnles
amazed at the size and activity, put
if he will take team and drive thru
the country surrounding these towns
he will soon find that they. are there
from demand. Some idea perhaps, can
be obtained by the country around Dika
from the fact that there are seven
creameries all within few miles and
where creameries exist and proSpe't
YOU win always find rich Independent.
farmers.
A great many farmers nowadays, in
a community like this, have passed the
stage where it is hustle to meet note
due and where the drudge of farm life
is taken away and they have a fad
of some kind to look after. One man
near Himmerling has taken a fancy
to the Plymouth Rock chicken busi-
ness and it ia not only a pleasure to
him to look after them, but a source
of profit as well. He had last spring
some eighty hens, all full bloods. He
has disposed of over 500 worth of eggs
and chickens this summer and has
left in the neighborhood of over zoo.
Some of the cocks are beautifully
marked and according to an expert on
this kind of chickens who just visited
him. are worth about $40 each, SO that
he will derive a nice profit and at the
same time keep busy. Some men go
so far with this fad when in fancy
stock which takes a great amount of
capital that when they get thru they
have nothing to show for it, except
great amount of debts which they are
unable to pay.
At this time of the year when the
ice crop is maturing fast it makes q
person think of how good a piece will
seem in a glass of water in August
next. On only few farms is there
any ice put up. The old system of
hanging the butter in the well is still
used, but one man here has an arrange
ment which beats the well method
He has placed over his well gasoline
engine and the water pumped goes in
the house into a large tank into which
he has built an ice box, so that all
the water pumped for stock or other
purposes must pass around his re-
frigerator and the result will be a cir
culation of cool water all the time
From this tank he has pipes leading
off around the house so that he has all
the conveniences possible from a water
system. 1t is so simple and yet so SEN
sible that it is a wonder there are
not others using the same thing.
GEO TJAyEp