The Minneapolis journal., 1905-09-25
WICHITA IN THE FIELD.
MANY ADVANTAGES OFFERED
TO MANUFACTURERS.
Some Of the Lines of Industry That
VIII Find an Ideal Location for
the Southwest Trade,
BY HERBERT VANDERHOOF
Special Correspondence.

WICHITA, Kan.,s Sept. 20.-While the |
city of Wichita is already considered !
something of manufacturing town, its !
location and environments entitle it to |
far greater consideration in that respect. |
It's vast and rich field for the distribu-
tion of all manufactured products justi- |
fies the claim of her citizens that no |
place in the West possesses greater nat
ural advantages. .o: &
Besides the extensive territory tribu-
tary to the city and looking to it for sup
plies, the raw materials produced in it's
immediate vicinity and easily procurable
offer exceptional advantages. For ex-
ample, all grades of straw paper, straw
board, egg case filters, and straw binding
board are consumed in great quantities
! in the Southwest.
! In the immediate vicinity of Wichita
| there is produced annually no less, than
50,0 900 bushels of wheat. rye, and oats,
| which call for thousands of tons of straw
that should be manufactured into useful
articles Of consumption, instead of being
burned upon the ground, as at present.
| Close to Raw Materials.
This raw material can be transported
from the many large fields by wagon, or
by rail If necessary, at a light cost, thus
yielding to the manufacturer nice profit.
| The transportation charges on the vari-
Gus grades of paper from a majority of
the producing points is at present about
$12 per ton. Small factories located in
the eastern part of this state have linn
tied output, because they are out of the
wheat belt and cannot$readf1y and cheap
| lyr procure the raw material, which is
| produced In such abundance in the i'm
mediate vicinity of this city. Further
than this, the ready marketing of any
product requiring a wide distributing
territory calls for transportation facili-
ties, without which the large productions
of an article stagnate.
Wichita's location as to the raw ma
1 ter1al, the market, and the distributing
facilities for all articles of use manufac-
tured from straw cannot be surpassed.
| In addition to the commodities named
above, many articles for the cultivation
OF the soil and the production of grain
should be manufactured here. Thrash
ers, harvesters, harrows, plows, culti-
vators, etc., should be manufactured "in
the@ield,'' as it were, thus saving to the
consumer a heavy expense for transport
ing these articles from factories located
often thousand miles away. True,
much of the raw material for the manu-
facture of these articles would have to
be shipped in. but it's low grade gives it
so much lower rate than the finished
articles that large saving would never
theless result, which would inure to the
local manufacturer. '7"
Plenty of Opportunities Open. .,
Some of these articles are now being
successfully produced here, but the guam
tity produced is so much less than the
, demand that all sorts of opportunities
, remain for others. - ..s. +, LID
Western people, bred to agricultural
pursuits, do not take readily to manu-
| 70 otu do ho3r
into such enterprises without much trep-
! idation. They much prefer to purchase
: neighboring farm. For this reason
, manufacturing enterprises must spring
from manufacturing communities. Both
the artisan and the capital necessary tt
, | conduct the business must be secured
! from without.
. The article of laundry soap is anothe,
s that could be manufactured in Wichits
3 with satisfactory results. The two large
: packing houses, together with the man,
r cotton seed Oil mills lying just to the
n south, produce inexhaustible quantitie!
of "soap stock" and the thirty y-odt
a wholesale groceries located within tn
n state would be only too glad to place upol
n the market home product of this char
r acter.
: Perplexlng Problems Solved.
t If only those engaged in the manufac
II | Cure OIL SOOQS consumed So largely LII I'll
l, great Southwest could realize the ad
vantages of producing them neares
where they are consumed, many perplex
e Ing problems, such as labor, transporta
n tion charges, and the time consumed i
ID handling from manufacturer to consumes
r. would be largely solved. Slowly bu
: surely are these facts being realized, a
b, each year shows a marked increase i
IS Western manufactures. Large and con
a, gested manufacturing centers are be
N coming more and more handicapped b
labor troubles and by congested trans
SIS portation facilities, and are seekin
~ other and more favorable locations. Th
e. demands for their goods being creates
n, in the West, the general movement is
a. that direction. The city of Wichita pos
sesses exceptional advantages in thes
n lines, and is most admirably adapted
ed the manufacture of the articles name
,p Any one seeking location should inve!
ID tigate these advantages before reachir
ay a decision. Further information can
ct secured relative to the city and It's va
ry jobbing territory by corresponding Wi
er H. L. Resing, secretary Of the Wichi
on Commercial club.
in - ------
g RICH ZINC IN THE TERRIT orr
Unusually Fine Specimen Found