The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-01-14
HOW PROGRESS
Can BE BLOCKED
Factory Sites Must be Available and
at Reasonable Price If the
City Expects to
Grow.
CHEAP LAND REQUIRED
Commercial Club Must Have Some
Vacant Land to Offer to Fac.
tories Which Wish to
Come.

Keokuk people can easily block the
progress of the city and spoil all of
the chances OF the city growing by
TOO great display of excitement over
the building Of the water power dam
and exaggerated idea of the value of
real estate. If every owner of prop
erty decides In his own mind that his
land Is now worth dollar square
inch Keokuk will not grow a particle,
but will remain where it now is, IL
not go down hill and backward.
In order to benefit from tile water
power project, Keokuk must be able
to offer inducements to manufacture
Ing industries to come here and locate
and unless the land can be secured
upon which to build the factories,
they cannot come, but will go else
where, for the cheap power can be
enjoyed at ST. Louis, Hannibal, Quin-
cy, Fort Madison. Burlington o. any OF
the smaller towns between.
A big factory employing 1000 hands
desires to move to the river where
it can secure cheaper power and the
advantages of river transportation.
The management comes to Keokuk,
the scene of the dam, to Investigate.
He has not thought at the start Of
securing the power any place except
ing right at the dam When he ar
rives in Keohuk and tries Go secure
a couple Of acres of land, he finds that
prices are so high that he cannot buy.
Then he learns that Fort Madison Of
fers two acre piece of ground for
$100 cash, give away price in order
tn, Oh nt foa ut c1c Lac q
that he can get the power there Just
as cheap as at Keolsuk.
To save several thotc.ad dol
lars on the price of factory site. he
decides to locate at Fort Madison and
thus Keokuk loses one opportunity
This is an illustration of ho~ things
may happen if property owners take
the view that their land is worth fab
ulous prices.
The Commercial club has foreseen
this trouble and is is anxious to secure
options on some available factory
sites close to town, for the psspose OF
offering them to prospective new in
dustries. If the land cannot ne Sc
cured, Keokuk can prepare to sit idly
by and watch 9th, localities build
up and enjoy prosperity
The water power people are not
worrying about a market for the 600.-
600 horse power. II it cannot be sold
right here at Keokuk. it can easily be
sold elsewhere, being transmitted
through cables to hundred places
within 100 miles Or more and without
being solicited for. AS soon as the
dam is built applications will pour in
from all over this section FOR power
and the company will soon have a
market for it's entire output, by the
LAYING of cables.
Keokuk's proper move is to ses
that there is market right here for
enough of the available power to
make the company decide that there
will be no need in laying very many
cables.
The Commercial club mas already
commenced calling the attention OF
the industrial world to Keokuk as a
good location and before long will
have number of applications for
factory sites.
There are a few Keokuk property
owners who will make low ana
reasonable price on their holdings in
order to benefit the city but there are
others who will put an exnorbitant
price upon their land, too high for it
to be handled.
Keokuk will not grow into city ir
the people do not do tleir part The
city must get busy and keep busy,
working all the time and do it's share
toward helping the expected growth
of Keokuk