Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-21
BUILDING UP BUSINESS
Plea for Introduction of Fac
tories in District.
VIEWS OF JAMES N. WOOD
Six Reasons Given in Support of His
Proposition.
INDUSTRIES SOURCE OF PROFIT
Plenty of Ground Available for Con-
struction Of Plants-Young Mems
Opportunity.
INDUSTRIES SOURCE OF PROFIT


! Wood, chairman of the committee on man.
| Ufactories of the East End Suburban Citi-
zens' Association. today, that gentleman
took decided stand in favor of the estab-
| lishment here of all sorts of plants for the
manufacture of articles-for home consump-
| ton well as for export.
| 'At the time l was president of the Ben
| ring Citizens Association" he said, Il was
| instrumental in an endeavor to secure the
| establishment of branch of the Carnegie
| steel works along the water front on the
| south side of the Eastern branch, and a
| committee came on from Pittsburg to look
| over the field with the view of building
| plant for the manufacture of armor plate.
| Such a plant would have employed, accord
| ing to the statement made by the commit
| tee, about 1900 skilled artisans. but as
| soon as owners found out what was COM
| ing and learned that it was a concern with
millions of dollars at it's back, they put
| UP the price of their holdings to a pro-
| hIbitive figure and the committee became
disguised with the outlook and returned
without results
LAS chairman of the committee on manu-
factories of the East End Association l
was instrumental in securing from Mr.. N.
Auth dedication of land for the build
ing of envelope factory that contem-
plated locating here. Such an establish
ment, If placed on the Bladensburg road
more than a mile from the city limits,
would not, 1 undertake to say, become
serious drawback to the District OF Column
bia when viewed from the standpoint of
the anti-smoke advocates or otherwise.
Favors Amendment to Smoke Law.
AT it's last meeting our association went
squarely on record as favoring an amend
ment to the present smoke law so as to
exempt from it's operations all mills fac
description that are now established or that
may hereafter be established in that section
of the District lying outside of the fire
limits.
"A forcible reminder of the necessity for
such amendment is to be found in the
request of the superintendent of St. Eliza
beths Hospital, published in The Evening
Star of Saturday, for an appropriation of
800 in order to enable him to comply
with the smoke law of the District. L
doubt very much whether it would be pos
sible to find dozen people in the entire
United States who would be willing to take
oath that they ever saw black gray
any other color of smoke issuing from
the stacks at the asylum.
The position l take is that the people
of the District of Columbia are rapidly
waking up to an appreciation of the fact
that their greatest present need is num-
Der of small manufacturing plants that will
furnish employment to the surplus labor
of the city and thus keep at home the
money that would otherwise be spent in
Baltimore, in some other city, which
is not only looking for but actually offer
ing inducements TO establishments that en-
ploy labor
"A factory that gives employment to a
half dozen or more men is help to the
grocer, the baker, the clothier the tailor
and IN fact every merchant who has no
trouble in doing business with the man who
has employment, whereas If he is out of
employment he is necessarily out of money,
and therefore of not much use to the man
with goods to sell.
Opposition to Factories.
For the past fifteen years there has been
a cry in Washington against all kinds of
factories because some folks are afraid the
city will be ruined by what they term the
Smoke nuisance but as their sons grow
into manhood and idleness, with no show of
employment, they see the error of their
way and gladly welcome anything that has
show of furnishing employment to the
ones whose idleness has become a severe
tax upon their earnings"
Continuing, Mr.. Wood said
IF a factory is to be established where
men will be employed and wages paid and
profits realized would rather have it erect
ed in the District of Columbia than else
where for these reasons
"First-1T l am a Wage-earner my oppor-
tunites of employment will be increased by
| an enlarged demand for labor close at hand,
and even If some of the employees are
brought from elsewhere the very setting I'D
of the industry here will open up new ave-
| nues of employment, both directly and in
directly.
"Second-Every additional eater means a
reader sale and possibly better price for
the product of the nearby truck farm, the
dairy and the hencoop, which would help
our neighbors In whose welfare every trades
man In the city is interested.
"Third-The merchant must live on the
profits made from sales to folks within easy
| reach of his store. When the factory comes
hn thn 1bfN,. f
its employees the opportunities of the mer-
chant are increased to that extent.
"Fourth-If l own real estate I am very
sensitive about comings and goings. Every
new man or family that comes here inter
ests my pocket at once. They must abide
somewhere; they must, by the law of nature
and the requirements Of society, become
tenants of somebody.
More Clients, More Patients
"Fifth-If 1 am professional man I sure
! ly want more people here, more clients, more
patients, more pupils, more people to help
build up the church. The greater my oppor-
tunities the more good l can do.
"Stxth-As a public-spirited citizen I feel
1t to be my duty to aid in every proper way
in the development of the city, to assist if
possible, in the increase of it's population to
add to the facilities for earning a livelihood
within its borders, to aid in bringing vacant
land under development and Improvement,
SO that the wealth OF the municipality may
be enlarged, thus tightening the burden of
| taxation that inevitably falls upon the few
for the benefit of the many, and enabling
the local COVER .ment to provide better
schools better roads, better sewers and
other things for the benefit of all with as
little hardship as possible to any.
In my opinion the enlargement of any
existing industry, as well as the bringing
here of every new one is help to us all
We have here in the district probably thir-
| ty square miles of territory upon which they
might be erected without detriment to any
body.
by all means let the factories come,