The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-13
HERE ISA CHANCE
Commercial Club Offered OPP
portunity to Do Something.
Auto Fedan Hay Press Company
About to Move.
IMPORTANT INDUSTRY
Has Been Developed in Past
Two or Three Years.
Manager Says He Goes Because
of Freight Rates.

The .Auto-Fedan Hay Press COM
pany, of Tenth and jefferson streets,
one OF Topeka's important manufactur-
ing institutions. will be moved to Kan
sas City the first of June and all on
account of the. advantageous freight
rates offered by the railroads center
ing in that city. The institution is a
child of the Commercial club and the
management was induced to locate in
Topeka four. years ago, moving from
Empor1a where the inventor of the
press. E. p. Ross; resided at that time.
The institution has more than dou-
bled its output each year that it has
been in business in Topeka and last
year made and sold 800 presses at $225
each. The business this year will more
than double that Of last year and the
factory is taxed to its utmost capacity
to fill the orders now on hand. Be
tween rs and 100 machines will be man
ufactured this month and shipped from
this city. and that in the face of the
freight determinations with which the
firm has to contend.
With the removal of this institution
to kansas City Topeka will not only
| lose the business of the firm but pro-
| baby dozen families will move to
Kansas City where either the heads
| of the family or some member will be
| retained in the employ of the company.
| Including the Office force the institu-
| ton employs from 15 to 20 people the
year around with a pay roll running
| into the thousands of dollars.
II am sorry to leave Topeka" said
| e. p. Ross. the general manager OF
| the company, "but I can no longer see
my way clear to manufacture our
goods in this city with the discrimina-
lions with which we have to contend
| as numerous as they seem to be. We
have done well here and our business
growth has met our fondest expecta-
| lions but we feel that we can do so
much better in Kansas City that the
move appears to me to be a necessity.
Topeka cannot hope to get new in
situations or hold the ones it now has
unless something is done about the
Determinations in freight rates which
now exist and unless the efforts of
| the Commercial club are directed
along these lines they cannot hope for
| any marked degree of success. met
a committee from the Commercial
club yesterday and we went over the
matter pretty thoroughly but they are
not in shape to do anything for us
along these lines.
81 understand that Lincoln, Neb.,
through the Commercial club of that
| city has securedsyfreight rates which
are practically the same as those of
the Missouri river points and I am at
a loss to understand why Topeka can
Euot 90 DIS wen II the proper seIIOII IS
made. Kansas City of course, offers
other inducements to us which makes
the change appear particularly de-
sirable to us at this time.
'It Is the largest center of manu-
facture for hay balers in the United
States and we feel that with the ma
chine we are manufacturing that we
have nothing to fear from COM
parsons with other and older makes
of machinery of this kind. Under the