The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-10-16
NEED FOR MORE HOUSES
49,"
II Is the One Thing 0vershadowing All
~ :" Others in Mankato.
The Lack Of Houses Is Holding the
city's Growth Down.
People Are Now Obliged to Locate
in Other Towns.
Business Men Should Take Up Matter
Before All Others.
From Fridays Daily.

From Fridays Daily.
A gentleman stated today that the
need for more houses for rent was never
more acutely felt than now. Half dozen
families would lately have come to the
city if they could have received the ac-
eommodations, and the city's population
would grow largely if it were possible
for people to find roofs to cover their
heads when they do come.
What is needed is houses that will rent
at from SIS to $50 month, with all
modern improvements. These would go
like hot cakes, and would make a fair
and safe return ON the investment. If
the money that went into Texas OIL
stock had gone into dwelling houses, the
owners would now have something to
show for it, and the city would be con
siderably larger than it is now.
The gentleman quoted said that 1t was
nonsense to talk about getting factories
when there is no place for more people
to live if they came here. There are
numerous vacant lots in the center OF
the city that ought to be improved by
the erection of modern houses.
Travelling men and others who would
rent houses for from $25 to $50 month
are a class that would be of great bene-
fit to the merchants, as their families
will be good patrons of the stores. One
such family will buy twice as much as
the family of man who works in fac
tory and gets half as much wages. Ii
the families of one hundred travelling
men were secured by the erection of sui
fcient houses to accommodate them, 1t
would be equal to securing factory that
employed two hundred men OF families
so far as expenditure with the merchants
is concerned, and far more in other
splendid advertisement for his own
town. as he sees and talks with so many
people.
This is a matter that the CONNER
cial organizations of this city should take
I'D. They do not seem to recognize the
Importance of it, for they have given 1t
Int little attention. Here is a way to
obtain a most desirable class of popu-
lation by merely providing them houses
that they can rent. No bonus and no
Investment of capital is needed to get
these people, except the building OF the
houses. which will return from six to
ten per cent interest on the investment
The growth of Mankato is great
" retarded by the absence OF
houses for rent. As 1T Is
now, a person must speak for house
long in advance of its becoming vacant
in order to stand any chance of getting
anything desirable. The agencies are
daily turning people away, who come
to the city looking for good houses to
rent.
If Mankato people who have sur
plus of money to invest in stocks and
lands would form a company the COM
ing winter and build number of houses
that would rent for from SIS to $50 a
month they would be doing the city and
themselves more good than anything that
has happened in Mankato for years. The
merchants especially ought to agitate
this as it means more to them than to
any other one class, but besides them
every profession in the city would bene-
fit. There would not be an architect, a
builder, carpenter, brick or stone. ma
son, timer, plumber, doctor, lawyer,
banker, laundryman or newspaper, that
would not benefit more or less by start
ing little building boom and getting in
people of the class mentioned. The
houses would all be rented before the
foundations were in, and people would
not be obliged to locate in st. Peter,
Owatonna and Faribault who want to
live in Mankato.