The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-04-21
Manufactures
And Higher Pay
Badly Needed
By PHILIP KING,
One Of Washington's Leading Mer-
chants.

| In discussing What's the Matter With
/ Washington" as regards the business
/ life Of the city, one fact is Immediately
apparent. It is that the Government
| employees should have higher salaries.
/ There is no doubt in my mind that the
| average Government clerk IS underpaid,
I when you consider the increased cost of
] living in this city. / don't think there
] can be any doubt of this IN the mind Of
| any man who has familiarized himself
with the situation.
Government employees. under present
1 conditions. cannot buy all that they
want 10 buy, or all that they should
buy for comfortable living. The cost
Of food and all the other necessities of
life, including rents and values IN real
estate. has risen In the National Capt.
tai Those who lived on $500 ten years
ago are living on It today. Nothing has
been given them TO bridge the chasm be
tween a low cost OF living and a high
cost.
A Commercial Organization.
Another great thing that IS needed in
the business life Of this community is
a strictly commercial organization. an
cIusively OF commercial men BY COM
merciaI men I mean business men so
deeply interested and concerned in the
commercial and business life Of the
city that they viii devote their ener-
gies to developing and charging the
commercial activities Of the city and to
keeping the trade OF the city in the city.
It is a noteworthy fact that the Job
toward keeping the city's trade in the
city. BY that I mean there are now
less people than formerly in this city
who go 70 Baltimore, Phi ladeIphia, OF
New York TO make their purchases.
They are beginning TO realize that these
purchases can be made here as well
and as probably as elsewhere.
The commercial organization 10 which
] refer would perpetuate this sentiment
besides doing many other things that
would swell and elevate and multiply
the city's trade and business. The func-
tons which would be inherently pecu-
liar to the commercial mems associa-
ton could not well be discharged bv
the Board Of Trade or even by q
chamber OF commerce. They should be
worked out by strictly commercial men.
Manufactures Needed.
And this discussion of the h1,sinass life
OF the city suggests the old problem of
whether II would be well to have manu-
factures in the District of Columbia
10 this 1 say il would be well. Those
who oppose the manufactures for Wash
Ington seem TO be misled by the idea
that the factories would be set down
in the very midst OF the city and the
residential portions Of the community.
Such a conception is entirely erroneous.
Manufacturing plants do not gravitate
toward sections where land is expensive
and space scarce. They would go 10
the outside portions OF the District.
along the river, where they could not.
under any circumstances. be a nuisance
to residents or an injury to the beauty
of the city.
Population Would Increase.
They would greatly increase the popu-
lation, the resources and the money of
the District. PROFESSIONALLY. they would
be benefits, not drawbacks, in the
growth and development of the Capital
Of the greatest nation on earth.
That the District of Columbia should
have representation in Congress is also
undeniabIe. II IS like Banquo's ghost
and, ike Banquo's ghost, ii will not
down The question is agitated periodi-
cally, and the agitation has so far al
ways resulted in no tangible evidence
that we will secure the representation.
Nevertheless, I believe that every agi-
tation Of it tends to bring US nearer
to the final goal . believe the time
will finally come when the District will
be represented in Congress by men who
viii look after her interests and see
that her legislative business is transacted
with dispatch.