Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-01-14
WITHIN THE TOWN.

Although there are still few lag
CARDS, who have been in no special hur-
ry. stocktaking has about been COM
pleted and the local business people
are ready for the fray during another
year.
The gross receipts Of the Yorkville
postoffice for 1909 show an increase Of
s153.3S over 1908. The gross receipts
for 1908 amounted to $6.54365, and the
gross receipts for 1909 amounted to $6,-
697.03.
There Is not thing the matter
with Yorkville The town Is possessed
of every natural advantage for bus
mess and to bring 1t rapidly to the
forefront, it Is only necessary for those
who have the ability to do at all, to
do all they can.
Mr.. J. ]. Keller, Of the firm Of ]. ].
Keller & Co.,. has been over from
Rock Hill this week taking measure
ments of the Parish lot, recently pur-
chased by Mr.. McNeel with view to
preparing plans for Mr.. McNeel's pro-
posed buildings.
The fire department was called out
last night at about 8 o'clock, because
of the burning of kitchen on East
Madison street, belonging to Sam
Jackson, colored. The fire had made
considerable headway before the alarm
was given. and 1t was necessary to lay
nearly a thousand feet Of hose before
it could be reached: but the response
of the department was prompt and the
fire was extinsuished in short order.
AT the annual meeting Of the stock
holders Of the First National bank last
Tuesday. directors were elected as fol-
lows: w. B. Moore, w. I. Witherspoon,
w. G. White, ]. L. Rainey, w. NJ. Love,
]. NJ. Strou- o. e. Wilkins, r. c. AL
lein. The directors reelected Mr..
wilkins as president and Mr.. Allen as
cashier. The last statement Of the
bank, issued December 81, showed sur
plus and profits Of s19.631.36, and de-
posits Of s2O1,130.
The announcement that Mr.. S. M.
McNeel is to develop the Parish hotel
property has been received with gen
eral pleasure and satisfaction through
out the town. The pleasure begins
with the fact that Mr.. McNeel is the
purchaser Of the property. 1t Is very
we'll understood that he was not only
able to buy it and pay the cash for 1t;
but that he has the cash with which to
develop 1t, and he Is not the man to let
it lie idle. 1t Is an unfortunate fact
that the building spirit has been dor
mant in Yorkville for a number Of
years. There has been but little incli-
nation to invest in brick and mortar.
The fact that the renting business
had been run along such slip -shod lines
for so long and, that average rentals
were not high enough to pay fair in
terest on the investment had operated
as a deterrent. There has been very
material improvement during the past
few years, especially as to rentals, the
average increase being from 25 to 100
per cent. Even yet, the building spirit
has not been developed. 1t seems to
have been held by a prevailing no
ton that there is no demand for houses,
ithcr for residence or business pur-
poses The idea however, is based
more on a lingering appreciation of
past conditions rather than on a real
ization of the present. Although there
were a number of removals from the
town last summer and fall, and people
who are inclined to dwell on the dark
side Of things, were lamenting tine fu-
ture outlook, it Is fact that there are
very few unoccupied dwellings in the
town now, and those are unoccupied
only because they do not happen to
suit any of the numerous families that
would like to occupy them. The scar
city of business houses is even greater.
We know of at least two new business
concerns that would have been estab-
lished in Yorkville within the past few
had there been available store
rooms, and the probability is that there
are others of which we have no knowl-
edge. The last notable building addi
tion to the town was when Mr.. G. H.
O'Leary put UP the Shandon hotel and
the Thomson store building. There
were those then who said that Mr..
OIr1.y was merely getting rid of some
of his surplus wealth; that the invest
ment would never pay interest or he
needed. at least not for years. The en-
tire property was occupied before 1t
was completed, and no single invest
ment that has been made in the town |
since the war has been Of greater ben
eft. Mr.. r. ]. Herndon developed a |
part Of the Parish hotel property with
out any definite idea as to what he was
going to do with it, and although he !