The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-03-23
PAYS Its Commissioner $4,000
Year and Expenses.
BUSINESS MEN DONATE LITERALLY
Mr.. Davenport Tells the Council
What He Has Accomplished;
viii Help Mankato Organize.
From Saturdays Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
The most interesting and instructive
feature of the council meeting last night
was statement made by Mr.. Daven-
port, commissioner of the Sioux Falls,
S. d., board of trade, which is an or
ganization similar to that which is be-
ing organized in Mankato Sioux Falls
is about the size of MankatO, but the
work of its Board of Trade is bound to
cause the city to far distance Mankato
the business interests of this city get
together in the same way that those of
Sioux Falls have done.
DR.. Davenport appeared with re-
quest in regard to the booking of
Fighting the Flames" in this city. SO
that Sioux Falls can get it, and after
this was disposed of to his satisfaction,
Mayor Taylor asked him whether he
would favor the council with state
ment of the history of the Sioux Falls
organization that he represents, as Man
kato was trying to organize Com
mercial club. He replied that he would
gladly do so.
Mr.. Davenport, who is a pleasing
speaker and gentleman of good pres
ence. said that the Sioux Falls Board of
Trade was organized year ago last
October. and since the following Jan.
LIST had employed him to handle its
business, which was principally to Sc
cure and develop industries. The bus
mess that he had come to Mankato on
was not legitimately a part of his work.
The board paid him $4,000 u year and
his expenses. Before taking this ap-
pointment he had been industrial COM
missioner for the Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul railroad at Chicago. He had
decided to locate at Sioux Falls on ac-
count of his health, and had bought a
small farm near there, and he was glad
to say that he had fully recovered his
health and could eat three square meals
day and enjoy life.
Mr.. Davenport said that he had Sc
cured for Sioux Falls during the past
year a packing plant, that started to
work last week. He had organized a
company at Sioux Falls, with 100000
capital, and got $4,000 of the stock
subscribed and paid for after only a
months work The capacity of the
plant is 500 hogs and a number of cat
tie daily He had also secured pillow
factory that employs twenty to thirty
men, glove and mitten factory, mat
tress factory, and several other indus
tries as result of the years work. Be-
esides that, he had secured reduced
rates from the railroads, bringing the
freight rates into line for the good of
the city. AS an inducement for indus
tries to locate at Sioux Falls, he had
gotten what the city was entitled to in
the way of freight rates.
The board now has 400 members, but
it started with more than it has now.
Some of the contributors pay as high
as Sl5 a month. and the seven or nine
lumber men were so pleased with what
was done in the matter of freight rates
that this year they have voluntarily
raised their subscriptions from 81 to $40
a month each. When the board was or
ganized, paper was circulated, and
each business man or firm pledged him
self to pay so much month to support
the board. In getting renewals of the
subscriptions this year some of the
smaller ones have dropped out, but the
larger ones have all gladly subscribed
and wouldn't have the institution go by
default under any circumstances.
Mr.. Davenport said that he would
send to Mayor Taylor copy of the by.
laws of the Sioux Falls Board of Trade,
and would be glad to help in any way
that he could to organize the Mankato
Commercial club. He would come at any
time to help in the organization, or to
talk to the board when it was organized.