Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-27
THE TRADE OF DENVER
Money Spent Freely by the
People Of the State.
LOOKING TO FUTURE
POSSIBLE EFFECT OF PANAMA
CANAL.
Great Demand for Labor-Proposed In
dustrial College Similar to the
Benefaction Of Stephen Girard.
BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
i Correspondence of The Star and the Chi


BY WILLIAM F. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
DENVER. July % 1905.
The area contrbutory to Denver as a
trade center IS limited to a population of
aboa. 10000 but it has monopoly of that
field and does as large business as most
towns OF similar popula ton. belt of
desert hens in Denver on side and
mountain wall on the other Within a
radius of hundred miles Of Kansas City
or Omaha, for example, are .wo or three
times as many people as may be found in
the trade radius of Denver. which includes
only Colorado. southeastern Wyoming.
western Nebraska and a strip of Kansas
along the Colorado line. The merchants of
Denver feed and clothe the state of Colo
RADIO. and, as 1 have shown you in pre-
yious letters. it is very rich state with
large purchasing power. and the people are
accustomed to spend their money freely.
Tie average expenditure per capita of the
population fer the necessities and luxures
OF life Is undoubtedly as large as anywhere
else in the world.
Sale of Mining Machinery.
Denver is also distributing; point for
mining machinery. All of the big manufsc-
tories in the east have agents here who
make contracts and send N the orders to
the home offices. The machinery is shipped
from the factories. That is ;he most profit
able line of business in Denver, and for
tunes have been made in it, Denver is be-
coming distributing point Ter agricultural
machinery also, for Colorado is becoming
products passed the mining products two
years ago. as | wrote you the other day.
Manufacturing is also picking up. and rev
establishments are being started. Inc
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. which is
the largest industrial insu.ution west OF
the Mississippi river. is now shipping all
kinds of iron eastward as far as Kansas
City, st. Joe and Omaha, and is building up
q big trade in Texas. It's field is limited by
the prohibitive railroad rates.
Denver's Retail Trade.
In retail business Denver surpasses most
cities OF it's size. 1t has the finest depart
ment stores west of Chicago and one OF
them, which is owned by William Cooke
Daniels and several other yourg men. all
under thirty years of age, was recently
used to illustrate an article on 1.-The Model
store in the Dry Goods Economist. because
of the high standard of its stock, It's ar
tistic furnishings, convenience or arrange
mtnts and methods of doing business. This
Is singular fact, because the manager
Mr. Charles Mae A. Wilcox, 4 son of Gen.
O. 3. Wilcox of the United States army. IS
newspaper reporter by trade dne was
never in dry goods store In ms NE nor
sold a dollars worth of any sort Of mer-
chandise until he took charge OF that es-
tabnshment. The firm does a business OF
about four million dollars year, ana
showed an increase of So per cent last
year A Scotch syndicate recently offered
So 900 900 cash for the stock ana good Will
OF the company
There are several other big department
Oh nP n
ton, and the displays in the show win.
dows indicate the taste and the habits OF
the people, which are said to be more ex
travagant than those of any other city OF
similar size.
Effect of Isthmian Canal.
Mr. Temple, president of the Denver
chamber of commerce. believes that the
construction of the Panama Canal VIII be
of direct benefit to Denver. The freight
rates on transcontinental business which
are regulated by the steamship lines, are
now as low as they be and pay profit.
Mr. Temple says Forty thousand TONS
New York and California by way of Cal
weston partly by rail and partly by steam
er. When the canal is built Mr. Temple
he1ieyes that all of the heavy traffic will
he sent by steamer direct. in order to save
the cost of handling; and water rates Will
be so low that the railroads will practically
have to go out of the through business eX-
cent for perishable freight, small packages
and other goods that must be sent through
quickly Then, having been deprived of
the through business. the railroads must
create new traffic and establish a new dis
tributing center as far removed from water
competition as possible. Mr.. Temple
thinks that Denver Is the most advantage
Gus point. and says that If you will draw
lines from Seattle to Galveston, from Du-
luth to San Diego and from Chicago to
how viii tntercpnt a
miles from Denver, which makes it the
farthest city from deep water in all direc-
lions 1t Is to the interests of the railroad
companies to get the longest haul they can
in both directions. and they will find Den
yer the most available point for distribu-
ton and will therefore bring manufacture
ing industries here as to get long
haul in and long haul out.
Lack of Labor.
But before Denver can become a manu-
featuring center it must get more labor.
Mechanics and artisans of every kind
machinists, engineers. masons, bricklayers,
carpenters, cabinet-makers are all In great
demand not only here. but in every other
part of the state. and it seems strange that
people who appreciate the privilege of liv-
ing and realize the advantages that can
be found here in climate. wages, economy
of living, society, education and in the
health of their families do not leave New
York, Chicago. Philadelphia and other
crowded csnters of the east and come out
to Colorado where the country has so
much to offer them In the way of happiness
and prosperity. A skilled mechanic can
get much more for his labor. the cost Of
living is from 30 to 40 per cent less, and
the difference in climate is everything.
One OF the chronic criticisms of Denver,
which strangers usually hear shortly after
their arrival, is that the people are not pub
lic-spirited; that the men who have recov-
cred their health or have made large for
tunes do not manifest their gratitude by
gifts to charity or by founding public insti-
buttons. This was emphasized at the time
Mr.. Carnegie declined to give Denver Ii
brary and renewed criticism has recently
been provoked by a decision of the supreme
court which prevents the municipal authori-
ties from issuing bonds to pay for the erec-
ton of d convention hall similar to that OF
Kansas City. While such an auditorium
would doubtless bring to Denver political
and other national assemblies, many people
are gratified at the decision of the court.
because they believe such building should
be erected by private means and not by the
proceeds of taxation Up to this writing,
however, none of the 108 millionaires has
taken the hint. and there is no prospect
that such a hall will be built. The neces-
sity for was recently emphasized by
the meeting Of the Epworth League In this