Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-08-22
BUILDING UP BUSINESS
AN ORIGINAL PLAN TO TEST
NEW ENTERPRISES.
AN INDUSTRY INCUBATOR
Suggestions as to Assisting Small
Manufacturers Toward Success
and Helping Town Interests.

ment for the people. In fact, popula-
tion Of any city depends upon the op-
portunity that it may afford the resi-
dents gaining a livelihood The agr-
cultural town receives its support from
whatever mercantile traffic it can gain
from contiguous territory, and what
industries in the manufacturing line
that can be advantageously conducted.
The city draws support from the
smaller towns in an area of country,
which, owing to its geographical posi-
tion and what other advantages it may
have, it may command the trade of.
1t is to the advantage of every
town to have as many manufacturing
plants as can be proftably operated.
Natural conditions regulate manufac-
turing to great extent. Transporta-
tion facilities, the cost of raw material
4and fuel are highly important factors;
yet there are certain lines of small
manufacturing that can be well car
lTied on in any community If only
rightly managed. For many years
ambitious towns have followed the
tpractice of offering bonuses to manu-
Hacturing concerns in order to secure
f4heir location. The bonus system has
mot always ope->sad satisfactorily.
iToo often promoters of manufacturing
enterprises look to the bonus offered
gas means of making profit rather
than to the legitimate conduct of the
business. Then, again, there are
stock -jobbing schemes that operate in
connection with the bonus plan, and it
has been known that hundreds of
thousands of dollars have been lost by
ipeople anxious to further the manu-
tgacturing interests of their home
Towns.
Numerous manufacturing centers
FAave been gradually built up through
rthe right kind of cooperation of the
'citizens. There is one prosperous city
lin Illinois that owes its activity main
iy to the plans pursued by an enter
Uprising class of Swedish citizens, who
some 30 years ago organized a
Swedish Aid society. This society ad-
vanced money to worthy workers who
desired to engage in business Officers
'of the society supervised the business
ito a great extent. and small concerns
IL
be factories whose output run well up
into the millions annually. This aid
'society loaned money to be repaid
from the profits of the business. The
plan was a successful one.
The system here referred to sug-
igests a means whereby each town or
,city which desires to build up manu-
featuring interests can do so at the
minimum cost; that is, that the dan
Igers and objections offered by the
bonus systems are entirely eliminated,
tas is also the chance for promoters to
reap harvest through the exploita-
ltion of unsound enterprises This
plan involves the incorporation of a
promoting company. Local capital
may be subscribed to whatever extent
lis deemed expedient. To illustrate:
If an organization be formed with S25,-
700 capital $4,000 of this capital can
be employed in the equipment of a
building for manufacturing purposes.
This building can have facilities for
half dozen to dozen small manu-
featuring concerns. The power neces-
sary may be supplied from a general
power plant. The machinery for man
ufacturing can be installed as required
"A board of directors shall be selected
ITO oversee the business. Whenever
"a small enterprise is found to be seek
ing location, the directors are en-
powered to negotiate for its location
in the town. The concern may be in
corporated and small amount of
stock taken by the holding company.
Facilities for manufacturing and mar
keting whatever the product may be
are afforded. If the enterprise proves
successful it can be moved from the
experimental station into a separate
building, the holding company invest
ing in it's stock, and the dividends on
1the stock can be placed in the general
fund for the extension of other enter
prises. Should an enterprise prove to
lie lacking in merit it can be discard
ed In this manner from half dozen
to a dozen different enterprises can
be carried on and thoroughly tested as
to practical workings. OF course, it
must not be expected that all of the
undertakings will prove successful,
but if good judgment be used in select
ing enterprises, a large percentage
will prove profitable. Those who sub
scribe for the stock of the holding
company can be compensated by re-
oceiving an equitable percentage upon
the amount invested in stock
This plan eliminates the objection
able features of granting bonuses and
the subscribing for stock in concerns
that are in embryo stage and purely
experiments.