Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-12
THOUGHTS ON HOME INDUSTRY,
Thomas Sumner Writes from Great
Indiana Manufacturing Center.

Special Correspondence.
La Porte. Ind. July 1o.-~Perhaps
few words in relation to an article
treating on the subject OF home in
dustry might be interesting. Al pres
ent 1t seems 10 me that Utah is one
Of the very best states In the Union
for the establishment OF manufacture
ing plants.
You now have the mineral lands
and agricultural, cattle and sheep
ranges. etc. Utah Is a great prsiucer,
while the eastern states have only the
opportunity OF manufacturing and
this one great and substantial factor
OF any community is almost entirely
neglected in ths state CT Utah, be-
cause. the people there seem TO turn
their attention to either mining
farming, sheep or cattle raising.
When 1t is considered the amount
OF machinery, clothing and other ar
ticles that are manufactured in Utah
they are very few, they are shipped
In from the east. and Utah money is
sent east In return; and by sending
the money east Utah people are help
ing to keep the eastern factories and
people working over time. while many
utah men work six months out of
the year and rest the other six.
When 1t is considered the mum Der
OF young men and women who leave
the school room every year who must
get work, and the number Is in
creasing every year. 1t is very plain 10
see that Utah needs something more
than mining, farming and cattle rails
ing
Manufacturing is something that
yVO1ild hn n hfQ~ halr, IA Utah yNIsa,s
manufacturing Is found a good steady
and permanent growing community is
also found. For instance will nuote:
La Porte, Ind, where L am engaged.
as head dyer at the Wallace 4 Smith
Woollen Mills, up to few years ago
made no particular growth. All that
lived here were farmers. Today La
Porte Is growing fast; during the lasl
six years 1t has doubled in population
Why? Because so many different
Kinds of manufactures have been es-
tablished here
La Porte today is busy place One
can hardly rent "A house, and help
at the different factories is something
they are always short Of.
In this city We have threshing ma
chine, carriage. shoe string, piano,
bicycle, picture frame and skirt fac,
tories; two woollen mills and several
small factories. Each one of the
machinery. etc. to their plants. Every
time they make an addition they need
more help. This means an Increase
In the pay rolls.
1t is true that every kind Of bust
ness would not do better In the west
than In the east, but If any would II
surely is the woollen mills industry
For they ship wool from Utah and
Wyoming and make blankets out of
some of II. After the wool shrinking
% per cent. that Is. there is hauled
so pounds OF dirt on every 100 from
of blanket back TO Utah houses, which
send east the Utah cash.
Some people in the west will say,
oh they can manufacture better in
the east than can be done in the
this, that 1t is not all sunshine in the
east TO manufacturers. and that they
do not have the water powers here,
and raw stock costs them iust
as much and in many cases more And
as far as skilled labor is concerned
they have to send out for 1t or educate
their own.
Eastern manufacturing is very
everything is higher to the eastern
manufacturer than TO the western
manufacturer.
Where Is will there is a
way. and all ii needs Is for the west
10 be determined TO start some good
manufacturing industries and see
how soon others viii follow. In my
opinion the west is the only place