Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-07-23
ST. LOUIS EXHIBIT
oTTUMWA MANUFACTURERS AT
COMING EXPOSITION.
ONE OF THIRTEEN CITIES OF STATE
Mayor PickIer Receives Letter From
Secretary F. r. Conway of the
Iowa Commission of the Louisiana
Purchase Exposition.

The manufacturing industries of OF
tumwa will be well represented at the
Louisiana Purchase exposition to be
held at st. Louis next year. Mayor T.
II. Picker is in receipt of letter from
f. r. Conaway, secretary of the Iowa
commission, calling attention to the
fact that a special effort is to be made
at the coming exposition to show the
extent of the manufacturing industries
OF the state to far better advantage
than was done at Chicago, Omaha or
the Buffalo exposition and that Ottum-
wa is one of thirteen cities in Iowa hav-
ing the largest number of manufacture
ing establishments and should make a
special effort to make creditable
showing.
Commercial Club Meeting.
At special meeting of the CONNER
cial club called by President S. H. Har-
per- and held at the Office of Secretary
j. H. Mitchell last evening, it was de-
cided to take no definite action until
more could be learned in regard to the
proposed exhibition and meeting
could be held for the purpose of find
ing out the desires of the local manu-
facturers. The secretary was instruct
led to correspond with secretary Coma
way of the Iowa commission and learn
if the manufacturers of the city could
have space assigned to them in one
body, as Ottumwa merchants, or if
their exhibits would be distributed
throughout the manufacturers build
ing each in its own special class along
side the exhibits Of manufacturers
from other cities.
Manufacturers to Meet.
AS soon as an answer is received to
this question President Harper will
call meeting of the commercial as
sociation to be held in the city hail.
at which the manufacturers of the city
will be asked to be present At this
meeting it will be learned just what
are the desires of the local people who
will be interested in the proposed ex-
Ihibit The association will then have
something definite upon which to base
its action.
Favor Combined Exhibit.
At the meeting last evening it was
the unanimous opinion of all present
that it would be far better for both
the city and for the exhibitors to be
located in one assigned space than to
be scattered throughout the entire
building devoted to manufacturing and
machinery exhibits. 1t was believed
that it would undoubtedly make far
better showing for Ottumwa and T. d.
Foster the only board member inter-
ested in manufacturing industries who
was present, was of the opinion that
the exhibit would be of more value also
to the exhibitor. The chances of get
ting good space and not being located
in some inaccessible out-of-the-way
corner would be far greater if all
should exhibit as body.
Take No Definite Action.
| No definite action could be taken
last evening and the association ad-
1journed to meet again at the call of
President Harper as soon as return is
received from Secretary Conway.
| Following Is the letter received by
Mayor Picker from F. R. Conaway:
F. R. Conway:
Des Moines, Iowa, July II, 1903.
Hon. T. H. Picker.
Mayor, Ottumwa, Iowa.
Dear Sir: The Iowa commission of
the Louisiana Purchase exposition
hopes to make better representation
of the manufactures and industrial in
situations than was ever made before.
At Chicago at the Columbian exposi-
ton and also at Omaha, if you will
remember, nothing was done to show
to the world that Iowa was anything
more than a strictly agricultural state.
The impression this leaves with visit
ors to the Worlds Fair is that Iowa
raises food products and live stock,
ships them out of the state to be made
up into fours, breakfast foods, pre-
served meats, and then returned to the
state where they are sold. While this
is true to a great extent, we have in
this state large number of manufac-
turing establishments, large and small,
which are doing a large business and
practically every plant is running to
its fullest capacity.