The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-07-29
REAL ESTATE MEMS PLANS.
Become Interested in the New Street
Railway Movement.
From Fridays Daily.

success characterizes the acts of the
three local parties, who stand out as the
movement that was made public last
Wednesday night: Henry E. Hance, w.
L. Hixon and c. N. Andrews. Last night
these gentlemen held conference in the
board of trade room, to which meeting
all the real estate agents of the city had
been invited. The following were pres
ent: M. c. johnson, d. G. Davies, George
Sugden, H. P. Christensen and G. W..
Turrittin.
The object of the meeting was to
formulate a scheme to stimulate the
subscription for the purchase of the
street car bonds. The real estate men
were called together for the purpose of
getting the real estate owners on the
outskirts of the city interested in the
enterprise. Before the conference was
over a plan, preached by Mr.. Andrews,
had been talked over, modified and APP
proved, and will be put into effect i'm
mediately, provided the initial zeal of
the leaders in this street car movement
is sustained.
A list will be made of those owners
of property on the outskirts and else
where, whose holdings the stfeet car line
is bound to benefit. These men will be
seen, one by one, and will be asked to
donate portion of their real estate to
help out the enterprise. Of course this
donation is to be conditioned on the
building of the street railway. All the
real estate that is thus donated is to be
put in the hands of trustee for the
benefit of those men who buy bonds.
This is merely for the purpose of slim
ulating the sale of the bonds, or rather
t, the subscription for the purchase of
them. It is thought that men will be
the more ready to buy the bonds and
,, will feel the more secure in so doing,
/ if they are to receive free gift of
, property in proportion to the amount of
bonds they have bought.
Of course, if no car line is ever built,
| no bonds will ever be sold, and the dona-
| tion of the lands, made on condition of
the building the line, will become void
| Thus the donors run no real risk in their
donations. If no car line is built, they
will give nothing. If a car line is built,
the increase in the value of the re-
mainder of their holdings will far more
than compensate for what is given away.
Such is the idea of the pushers of the
scheme.
! G. N. Andrews remarked on the num-
Der of men who have been paying taxes,
year after year, on suburban property
that is not improved, and have gotten
little or nothing out of it.
| Fl. P. Christensen said the owners
might wish to be assured of the rail-
way running right by their property,
before making any donation.
Mr. Andrews said this matter would
be easily adjusted. The donations could
be made an condition of the line running
here or there and then the line could be
run where there would be the greatest
number of donations, provided such a
route was practical.
Mr.. johnson suggested that a map
might be taken and three or four pos
sible loops drawn where the street car
line might run and then it could be seen,
along which of the loops the best dona-
lions could be secured.
Mr.. Andrews said the best way to go
about the matter would be to draw up
subscription paper, on which the means
and donations of the property holders
could be subscribed.
The matter was finally left in the
hands of committee comprising Messrs.
Andrews, Hance and Hixon, who will
have a subcommittee to help along with
the work.
1t was the opinion of those present at
the conference that most of the own
ers of land adjacent to the car line will
be willing to give from third to a
fourth of their holdings to see the thing
come to a successful conclusion.
North Mankato seems to desire to have
the proposed street railway to run over
into her own territory. Several promi-
nent citizens have been talking to the
committee about this and will call a
massmeeting of the citizens to take the
matter up. The people it is said will
take big share of the bonds if by so
doing they can get the route to run
through the village.
w. L. Hixon declared today that the
improvement was for the purpose of
heading off the paving of Front street
is entirely mistaken. He says that it
will be known in thirty days whether
the car line is a 60 or not.
Today W. D. Willard signed the bond
subscription paper for $4,000; T. W.
Hart for $1,000; S. B. Wilson for 5000;
DIR. Maltby for 800; and A. G. Johnson
for 800. 1t is thought that the to-
tai subscribed is about $4,000 now.