Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-10
Looker-On In Iona

Cedar Falls, Dec. 10-N Is strange
that something collectively is not done
by the citizens of Iowa, to replace the
thousands of men and women and chill
dren row leaving this state to settle
elsewhere. The census figures of 1910
will show falling off in population in
Iowa that may serve to wake up the
public men of Iowa and an emigration
bureau be made state institution or
failing that have a state society formed
those object and aim shall be to induce
people Of other states and nationalities
to come to Iowa At the present time
and for the past Ave years especially.
real estate men have induced LITERAL
thousands 10 leave Iowa. In this they
have been ably seconded by the rail-
road companies, blu the offer OF home
seekers excursions. at reduced rates,
by the offer on the past of the real es-
tate of railroad fare refunded II you
purchase land of u.s." and by news
paper advertising which the real estate
men find pays big return. Men that
are doing business with the farmers
say the spring of 1910 will witness the
Largest emigration of farmers and their
families from Iowa, we have ever
known To offset this big loss what is
being done? Nothing.
Keep a thing seven years and find
use for it, is the old saying. In one
Iowa town some years ago, an opera
house was built on the main street,
and one story in height. 1t didn't pay
/ the owner as an investment and he
gladly sold it for less than cost to an
/ implement firm. This firm soon went
out of business, leaving a great big un-
occupied building on the principal
street of the town. Now garage COM
pany is occupying it as livery, but
this winter the machines will be stored
/ elsewhere and the garage turned INFO
roller skating rink. In other towns
the writer has seen buildings put up
! for skating Kinks turned into imple-
ment buildings the following year.
knows of two church buildings now oc-
cupied as blacksmith's shops, one
church building moved on the main
street and now used as 10 cent thea
ter. and one church building sold to
brewing company. where church serv-
ices were held for the last time on
/ Sunday evening, and beer saloon
! opened in it at midnight, as the saloon
crowd got legal possession Monday
| morning on certain day Of the month.
The Reinbeck hotels are now running
on the European plan. Pay for your
room and eat where you please. Both
hotels have restaurants in the build
ings and one has lunch counter IN
| connection. The travelling public takes
kindly TO the plan, and the motel men
are satisfied it's the best way to run
things The hotel business is changing
in some respects in this state. a mucn
! better class of restaurants is pelng
operated in many Of the smaiier
| towns. Places clean, and reasonable
! in prices, and now with cent rail-
! road fare the tendency is for travelling
men to figure to stop in the larger
towns over night and patronize the
restaurants in the smaller towns. me
hotel proprietors in these smaller
towns with the increased cost OF provl-
sions, help, electric lights, telephones,
and "oranges for breakfast" have gen
orally put up the price to 81 day. SO
that "a dollar day house" Is rarity,
and the $50 per day has almost disap-
peared. There's a big army OF men
travelling on commission and paying
their own expenses, and these men
1 figure finer" than the man allowed
81 per day for hotel expenses" and in
many towns If buildings were erected
with modern conveniences located near
the railroad depots, they would be well
patronized by a class Of travelling men
that now go to the larger towns and
work in and out" OF the town that
furnishes them with what they con-
slider their moneys worth In hotel &C
eommodations.