The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1902-10-11
LET THE HILLS HAVE RAILROAD
FACILITIES.

1t must be that the people o
this community have reached tn
> conclusion that if Franklin is eve
to move another notch up the stel
of progression, her citizens mus
concede some small portion o
their conveniences and securitie!
against life and property to the
; demands of commerce.
Franklin is the ideal centre O.
the cypress lumber district fol
manufacturing purposes; her loca-
ton is such that the raw material
can be got here, kept and manu-
featured more cheaply than at any
other point in this portion of the
State, and could be shipped with
the same economy and facility to
the manufacturers, if only the
small privilege of standard
guage railroad franchise were
granted, either through the streets
or over private property.
When the enormous weight of
cypress lumber is taken into ac-
count as compared to other COM
modities, and the impossibility
of dividing and subdividing the
bulk up into small parcels as
wheat, corn or rice may be; and
| when the further fact of the liberal
concessions that are offered by
other towns to the mills located in
them is considered, the determina-
ton can not be avoided by any
reasonable man that the mills here
are greatly handicapped in the
way OF competition.
The shipment of large pieces of
timber is the most expensive item
in its production. By the applica-
ton OF modern appliances every
thing is now done by steam at
very inconsiderable cost, and that
too in bulk from the dragging the
tree into the water from the stump
in the swamps to the laying of the
manufactured lumber upon the
yards. And we have no doubt
that many mills have steam ap-
planes for loading the lumber
upon the cars. But this latter and
most important invention of labor
saving devices can not be enjoyed |
by the mills here, because the cars
themselves can not be got to the
yards, upon which to place the
timber. Even if it were put in
here at the mills, the timber would
have to be handled again at the
depot, because the cost of keeping
steam and machinery
out there would not justify the
erection Of the device.
If we are to keep abreast of the
other towns along the edge of the
timber belt, we must encourage
our Industries in the same way
hat theirs are encouraged. Every
body complains about the lethargy
If things and in doing SO places
he blame upon some one else.
But outside of few public spirit
ID citizens who take a really in
elligent view of the situation, and
Who offer the only solution of the
problem and their Individual eff
orts free Of charge, towards
it about, one is just as
blame worthy as the other. <
OF recent years the, saw mills
lave become to be tremendous
actors in our industrial make-up;
hey have increased their produce
i've capacities many times and {
lave SO invaded the markets of ]
he foreign States that the local
rade has become vastly the least {
Up to ten or fifteen
ears ago a saw mill brought no
money into the community from ,
broad, but merely lived upon the
ocal people as any other shop {
ow does, consuming in the sale
i its goods the money that found
IS way into the settlement by {
Their revenues. But its position v
as now entirely changed {; instead r
f subsisting upon the riches that
ONE to us through other sources v
, is one Of the greatest and most g
1exhaustible Of the sources them
elves. s
The people of Franklin should r
AXE this matter seriously home to i
1emselves; they own the property h
hose valuation is decreased O
y the industrial stagnation with e
'hich we are confronted ;they pur- f
lie the vocations and trades whose b
svenues have been diminished by T
le general want of industrial d
ctivity existing here. Let them "
ecide. fl
The new curbing put down this N
eek on the court house square by e.
II. H. w. Weber, has been a c,
eeded improvement for some
Ionths and just in time to save O
lie sidewalks from caving into the tt
ltches. O
Try Singer in your home before h
lying another make. 1t is better w
test than regret. a.
THE SINGER MIRO. Co., tt
New Iberia, La. te