Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-01-19
Secretary WeidenfeIer's Report


entirely by the shippers who received
the information. The next step was a
meeting of this committee augmented
by q number of Ottumwa shippers
with Iowa Central officials at OsKa'
loosa and also meetings at the Com
mercial association rooms with wa
bash Rock Island, Burlington and Mil
waukee officials of their freight depart
ments. The result of this work by the
committee has come to me through
shippers who state that the service
has been much improved since the
committee got busy.
lnterurbans. I,
No Others feature of the assocla-
tons work in the past year has caileu
for, or received more actual work IMAM
has been given the matter OF BUILDING
an interurban line into OttumWa. NO
let up will be considered until the
Iowa City-Ottumwa Interurban or
similar line is built. At the present
time the outlook for an mterurban IS
good and the heroic effort put forth oy
the association boosters during the
past year must soon bear frult'
At this time MI Campbell who is IN
terested in financing the proposition is
abroad in an effort to secure the neces'
aary money to construct this line
None here but remember the inter
urban campaign which will go down
in the history of the association anu
the city generally as an evidence What
boosting. properly directed, can do
when necessity arises. The result OF
the whsrIwind campaign was $lO4,OoV
in stock subscriptions towards the
building Of the Iowa City OttumWa line,
and the association Is still busy, nav
ing raised outside the city consider
able in stock subscriptions and right
of-way for the proposed line. The auto
trip taken in thirty-four autos from
Ottumwa to Keota, carrying l5O Ot.
tumwans to Keota where a like croWd
from Iowa City was met, and talk
fest was had over the ways and means
for building interurbans and injecting
some of the interurban spirit that pre-
vailed in Iowa City and OttumWa lhto
the residents along the proposed route
was made possible by the united, en-
th1siastic effort of the interurban com
mittee.
Hotel CommHIS0s
With regard to the work of the hotel
COMMITTEES there has been much hard
and trying labor, but little apparently
to show for the efforts put forth. A
splendid proposition was before the
association during the past year and
was viewed with much favor by the
committee and the association gener-
alllv. this. however, through the death
of one of the promoters, Mr.. Hoyt, was
made impossible of contamination:
However, the hotel proposition is one OF
the projects that should be taken up
by the association this year and push
ed vigorously. The addition OF one
story, twenty-five rooms, fully modern,
to the Frasier hotel has been one OF
the ACCOMPLISHMENTS of the hotel COM
mittee.
New Industries Committee.
This committee has been one Of the
most active In the association during
the past year. This committee I'M
mediately following the campaign for
interurban subscriptions made sec
ond campaign to secure funds to make
it possible to secure the OttumWa-Mo-
line Engine and Pump company. The
campaign was success, 100000 being
raised for this purpose; land was I'm.
mediately secured, buildings erected
and the plant Is now almost ready to
be numbered among the acuVe
factories of Ottumwa.
This committee also secured the At,
las Acetylene Lighting company and
assisted and encouraged the Locating
of the Midland Metal Manufacturing
company, Harkert Cigar factory, Cum
minRs Ice Plant, johnson Gear COM
pany, Sunray Acetylene Light COM
pany. solicited stock subscriptions TO
increase working capital for several OF
our local factories as well as fnVestl-
eating a great number of other prop
ositions, which for various reasons
were dismissed for the time being. This
committee is at present investigating a
number of propositions that II secured
will mean several new factories Tor
Ottumwa this year.
Parks.
While ostensibly the association IS
one for the industrial and commercial
welfare Of the city, still the association
has found time to view things from a
less material standpoint, though no
less essential one. In realizing that Ill
work and no play may make Jack q
dull boy, the thought OF al DuSHIeoa
and no recreation might have sim !.
liar effect on city. With this thought
in mind the association lent Its EFFORTS
to the securing of another park 70
add to those already in the possession
of the city, and the Blake park, a
beautiful spot Of natures own making
on the south side Of the river was
made possible by the park committee
in aiding to bring together the PARK
and the owners OF the
land.
committee whose activities have
resulted in the accomplishment OF pet
ter things in the direction set out 70
improve is that Of the passenger serv,
ice. Starting out to secure Improved
service into and out Of Ottumwa g
good measure of success has attended
It's efforts One of the first incentives
to get busy was brought about early IN
the year when the Wabash railway
thought to change the then existing
service enjoyed by Ottumwa, to an IN
ferior type of service.
10 lose a good service for decided
w bad schedule stirred the passenger
service committee to action and the re-
80 ho former service