The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-04
FOR new SHOPS.
Topeka Must Have All Proposed
Improvements.
business Hen Are Awake to the
Situation.
SUM NOT ALARGE ONE.
Committee Of Ten Will Raise the
$4,000.
This VIII Insure Purchase of
the Webb Land.
SUN NOT A LARGE ONE

Members of the Commercial club at
a special meeting held last night decided
to guarantee to raise s., $50. the differ
ence between the price set by W. w
Webb and that which the Atchison, To-
peka & Santa Fe railway company is
willing to pay for nine acres Of land
north of the company's right of way and
east of Locust street, which the COM
pany desires for the purpose of erecting
on T. some mammoth new car repair
shops, which will supplant the present
car repair shops here, the space occu-
pied by them now being needed by the
company for the expansion of several
other departments in the local shops.
The decision of the club practically
] precludes the possibility of the Santa
Fe failing to erect these new shops here
and putting them up in Argentine, which
/ w. B. Storey, jr., chief engineer OF the
I company, told Mr. G. K. Holiday, pres
/ ident of the club would be done, if he
was unable to conclude the negotiations
/ for the purchase of this bit of property
within the next few days Mr.. Storey 8
final offer for the land was $1,250 an acre
and the bottom price fixed by Mr.. Webb
was 81 500 an acre.
OF course the Santa Fe did not ask,
or for that matter even desire, that the
commercial club should take any steps
to make up this difference. nor did Mr-
Webb make any suggestions of the sort
It was land deal pure and simple De-
tween the company and Mr. Webb
where they could not agree on the price,
but when Mr. Storey delivered his ulti-
matum to Mr.. Holiday that unless the
Santa Fe secured the land in Few
days it would build these new repair
shops at Argentine, Mr.. Holiday and
the other members of the Commercial
club got busy with the result OF the
action at last nights meeting. for 1t
was patent to the members Of the club
and every one else In town that Topeka
could III afford to allow the company
to remove the car repair shops from this
city. regardless of the fact that the
company has plans for so extensively
enlar. ing its shop plant here in other
departments that when these expansions
are completed the roster of the employees
IN this shops viii be much larger than IT
/ IL now and though the car repair de-
partmeut was moved from here simply
because of the inability OF the company
to get the land it desired.
"A committee OF ten was appointed by
Mr.. Holiday to raise the s2.250 and it
is composed of Frank P. MacLennan as
chairman, J. w Robinson, e H Cros-
by, Warren NJ. Crosby. Arthur Mills,
James Chappelle Lee Monroe, c. q.
BIakely. H. 0. Garvey and William
Dresehel. That this committee will have
no trouble at all in raising the necessary
fund was evidenced by the spirit of the
men at the meeting last night. A half
dozen OF them named good round sums
which they were willing to start the
ball q rolling with and q matter Of
fact If the question at issue involved the
keeping Of the Santa F'e shops here In
Topeka as It has been erroneously stated
that 1t did ten or a hundred times the
amount could be raised just as easily.
But after the committee gets the money
It win have delicate task which Will
demand a little diplomacy in getting 1t
accepted. Mr. Webb told the members
of the club frankly at the meeting last
night that he was dealing with the
Santa Fe and could not accept any
money in the deal unless 1t came from
the railroad company and it is known
that the railroad company does not need
any help to purchase anything and is
averse to accepting any aid on this pro-
position but that the matter will be
adjusted in some way to the satisfac-
ton OF all concerned there is no doubt
and the new and enlarged car repair de-
partnent will be built here together
with the other large improvements to
the shop plant which have been planned
and when these improvements have been
made, and they will cost something in
the neishborhood Of half million dol
lars the population of the city will be
materially increased for the present
shop force of about two thousand men
will be increased by over a thousand.
About fifty Of the prominent busi-
ness men of the town. most of them
members of the club. attended the
meeting last night. which was opened
by President Holiday with g detailed
staten en& of the matter at issue and
the part that had been played in it
so far by the officers Of the CONNER
zeal club When Mr. Holiday took
the matter up with Mr. Hurley and
Mr.. Storey there was a difference be-
tween the Santa Fe and Mr Webb of
$500 an acre. Mr. Storey agreed to
split this difference. and said he would
pay s1,250 an acre bur no more, and
Mr. Webb had announced that he
could not take less than $1,000 an
acre. Mr.. Holiday laid stress on the
sition wag distinct proposition from
the other new shops and the expan-
sion of the present ones which the
Santa Fe had decided on for Topeka.
and said that Mr.. Storey had told him
that the officials OF the company we're
making an effort to concentrate the
shop work here.
1--WE cannot think Of losing even
these repair Shops" said Mr.. Holiday,
regardless of the fact that the other
shop departnn ents are to be enlarged.
Both parties In the present controversy
over this nine acres of land are cor
rect from their particular standpoint,
but something has to be done by US
and done in good and graceful way
Mr.. Webb then explained his posi-
ton in the matter. He said that he
had been selling lots adjoining the
tract in question for 5000 and 1926
per lot and that when negotiations
had been opened with him by Mr.
Storey for the nine acres he had fixed
the price at $1,000 an acre. or $3.50
a lot, because it was a large transac-
ton, cash transaction, and one which
would be of beneft to Topeka.
Several men present VINO are versed
in the real estate values in the vicinity
Of the land in question EXPRESSED The