Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-06-17
We Builded Wiser Than We Knew.


As was announced by the Secretary
of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr..
Schomber, an important matter came
up for consideration of that body, at
its last meeting, Tuesday evening, in
consideration of the status of the CO.
real food factory proposition submitted
by Messrs. Ball and Hammett over a
year ago. All that these gentlemen
then asked was that the people sub
scribe bonus of 10000, to be paid
after a plant costing a million dollars
should be completed and in operation.
1t will be remembered that the propo-
sition was turned down from the ina.
bility Of those gentlemen to show that
they carried about that amount of
money in their wallets by which to
promote the enterprise, and the Cham
Der refused to accept vast quarries of
marble as collateral for a promise to
pay the bonus after completion Of the
food factory
This action was afterwards recon-
sidered, and Hon. w. f. Humphrey,
Hon. F. C. Harper and Prof. o. d.
Humphrey (the latter being an expert
in geologic matters), were appointed a
committee by Mr.. Weir, President OF
the Chamber. to investigate the al
legged value of the marble deposits ON
Prince of Wales Island and Fox
Island, Northwestern Alaska. These
gentlemen made a thorough investiga.
ton Of the property and submitted a
detailed report, which was so favorable
that the proposition received an i'm
mediate quasi-endorsement from the
Chamber.
While it is claimed that by and
through it, Messrs. Ball and Ha mmett
have, after years exertion, been able
to secure the cooperation of Seattle
capitalists, resulting in organization of
the Great American Marble Co., the
eminent conservatism of our people
crops out now in criticism of the
length OF time it has taken to pull the
wool over the eyes Of these gentlemen
sufficiently to induce them to embark
in the enterprise, and the fear is even
expressed that Olympia's action may
have led these capitalists astray, and a
responsibility rests upon us to notify
them that a marble mine is not re.
garded here as the most stable founda.
ton for investment Of capital.
1t seemed 90 mprobable however, on
reflection. that Seattle business men
could possibly be led astrsy by any
thing our local organization could do,
that motion to appoint a committee
to investigate-the usual recourse
when up against weighty proposition
carried, and Vice President George
Talcott appointed G. s. Eaton, o. C.
White and A. S. Cation, to act for the
Chamber.
Now there are two recognized meth.
DDS for these referees to act. The
first of these is usually employed. for
the committee to allow the matter to
die lingering death from failure to
report; the other is to file one that is
so indefinite that it amounts to moth
ing.
1t is hoped that the present com.
committee will give the matter the
consideration its importance demands
and ascertain how far the action OF
the Seattle organization affects our
negotions with Messrs. Ball and Ham.
NETT, or whether indeed our generally
wide.awake neighbors have indeed
been buncoed by gentlemen who have
never claimed that they have been
more than promoters of feasible enter
prises in which they were only inter.
ested as stockholders.
Mr.. Wier writes, under date of the
l4th from Seattle, that since the max.
ing OF the above reports that Mr.. Har.
per and Prot. Humphrey have become
interested in the marble company, as
stockholders and directors, of which
organization Mr.. w. is likewise q di.
rector. He says that he had laid the
matter of the cereal factory before
Messrs. Ball and Hammstt and that
they will soon be in a position to re-
new the matter OF negotiations for the
cereal food proposition.
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