The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1905-12-28

morning and find our wealth exhaust
ed, our industries gone, and Johnson
City will drop back to the day we can
all recall-after the boom. This shows
us the importance of securing plants to
manufacture finished products, plants
that will stay with us, that will be a
permanent good to our town and insure
our future prosperity.
Finished products mean that for ev-
cry hundred dollars worth of raw ma
terial used, hundred is spent for sup.
plies, which means business and profit
for our home merchants. Another
hundred is spent for labor, which finds
its way back through the avenues of
trade and our town is again benefited.
Thus by shipping only one hundred
dollars worth Of raw material from
which we derive very little benefit, in
stead there has been shipped the prod.
uct of raw material, supplies and labor
amounting to three hundred dollars,
two hundred Of which our town re-
ceives the direct benefit, which proves
that the factory benefits the town twice
as much as shipping lumber in the raw
state. Who has profted by this? The
manufacturer, the merchant, the bank
or and the town in general.
There are many more reasons why
we should have finished" woodwork
ing plants, only one Of which I shall
mention, as consider it to be the most
important. Finished products call for
skilled labor. Skilled labor means
better educated and more thrifty men,
and consequently better citizens.
Every permanent plant our town
secures is living monument and ad.
vertisement.
How to get them?
First-Let all join hands, cast aside
our preiudices, bury the hatchet, and
all work together for the good of the
town. Improve our schools, clean III
our streets, take the cattle and geese
off our Public Square, pave our mair
streets, and make our town a source o.
delight to ourselves and inviting tC
strangers.
Second-Advertise not only our nat
ural advantages, but hold out the "glad
hand" Of welcome to all newcomers
not for personal gain, but for the gen
eral good of the town.
Third-When we have an inquiry
regarding prospective mandatory
give it our prompt and personal atten
tion-anSwer his questions, showing
we have something to offer and art
willing to give him such assistance az
we can. When he shows that he il
favorably impressed with our town ant
has an inclination to locate his plan
here, let us see that he can secure {
suitable site, at reasonable price.
This is not time to boom our lane
and ask "boom" prices, as it will onl,
tend to frighten him away and driv,
the industry to another place where al
of these inducements, and many NOR
are offered, such as free sites, fire.
water and exemption from taxation.
| cannot refrain at this point iron
drawing comparison: The census O
1900 gives High Poiut, N. O., locate
on one line of railroad, the Southern,
population of 4l63, while at the sam
time Johnson City had q population q
4645.
High Point has not the natural ad
I vantages or resources that Johnso
City has, but has shown that she pos
sesses something that she uses to
, greater advantage than we do our mai
ural resources.
Today, High Point has fifty-two fir
ished woodworking plants, employin
three thousand skilled workmen, turr
ing out four million dollars worth {
furniture and finished wood product
! annually Has q population of 10000
Q owns its its own water works and elet
trio light plant, and has paved streets
8 It's bonded indebtedness is 1926, 900, il
: city tax rate for general purpose
, is 90c, school purposes 33 1-3c. II
; products are shipped to all points
s reaching from the Great Lakes to Ii
: Gulf and from the Atlantic to th
D Pacific. 1t is we'll advertised and
s known the country over as the "Gran
Rapids Of the South"
These factories are buying their lun
y ber and veneers, or raw material,
: many instances from Johnson Git,
paying the freight, amounting fro
u fifty cents a thousand on veneers
9 ten dollars per thousand feet on lun
u ber, and still the freight rates on IL
g finished products from High Point
: the Eastern markets is more than fro
: Johnson City.
u I have frequently been approacht
d by manufacturers in reference to Johl
gon City being q suitable location Fl
5 furniture manufactures, and can a
u sure you that 1 have always presentt
: it in its most favorable light.
u Permit me to say that if johnson Ci
o would issue bonds, equal in amount
/ the Three C's issue, using tie none
IS to purchase desirable manufacture
/ sites, and to pay for water, taxes, etc
e aud then advertise free sites, free W