Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-05-02
''GINGER CLUB" IDEA
An Improvement Scheme Started
by Business Men.
ITS HELP TO A KANSAS TOWN

Hiawatha Prospering In Face of Evil
dent Disadvantages = How Public
Spirit and Consistent Civic Improve
ment Rescued 1t From Lethargy.
The merchants of Hiawatha, Kan,
have taken up the ginger club" idea
started by Kansas City business men.
Those in each block will form a club,
and each will try to Guido the other In
improvements. The clubs will work
with the Civic Improvement club to
beautify Hiawatha this summer. The
first club to- organize is called the Five
Hundred Block Oregon Street Improve
ment club. The officers are:
w. o. Noble, president; II. D. Ad-
ans, treasurer, and p. NJ. Smith. secre-
tary.
The officers form the executive COM
mittee, with full power to spend mon
ey for necessary Improvements. This
club Is formed in the smallest bust
ness block In town. Every business
man and woman in the block Is a men,
Der Of the club. They have subscribed
$50 monthly for improvements, says
the Kansas City Star. Electric lights
have been placed every twenty-five feet
along the block, and the lights are kept
burning all night The buildings in
the block will be painted a uniform
color. Lights will be placed in the
alleys and kept burning all night as
protection to property.
The club has made a special Sprin-
king contract for this summer, and
the streets are swept each day. AS
the streets are not paved the club has
induced the city council to put in a ce-
ment crossing in the middle Of the
block, and property owners have
agreed to put cement walks in the al
legs. The clubs in the other business
blocks will work along similar lines.
A civic improvement club has been
In existence in Hiawatha for several
years. 1t has done much to beautify
the town. Work for this summer has
already commenced, and the residents
are taking hold with new vigor. The
members of the improvement club
have adopted the slogan, make Hia-
watha a beautiful and spotless town."
The members of the club plant and
tend flower beds in the city park,
which faces the main business block.
The park will be strung with electric
lights this summer. The improvement
club will turn a vacant lot near the
center of the town into a children's
flower garden.
Each year the club offers prizes for
the best kept yards, churchyards and
school yards, for the best garden plant
ed and tended by a child, for the best
garden planted and tended by a man
over sixty years old, for the best look
ing yard kept in order by a woman
and for the best flower gardens.
Those who are too poor to buy flower
seedS-and there are few of them-are
furnished with seeds by the club. In
the fall flower show is held, at which
the prizes are awarded. The business
men and others pay the expenses Of
the club, and the officers give their
services. The city council and the
board of county commissioners appro-
pirate money toward the support of the
club.
The city administration is in hearty
sympathy with the town improvement
movement. An ordinance has been
passed fixing a fine for any person
found guilty of splitting on any side
walk or crossing in the city. After
each rain the dirt streets are dragged
at the city's expense, and movement
has been started to pave the streets in
the business section. City employees