Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-04-15
Local Comment
Observation-Disclosures

Marshall county's representatives
have returned from a session Of the
legislature at Des Moines with a cred
table record. They were not among
the original shouters for Kenyon but
there were wise and justihable reasons
for that from the standpoint Of a rea!
progressive. They did vote right on
the bills to reduce the tax on moneys
and credits and to make the dragging
Of the country roads compulsory and
these were the two most important
and beneficial measures enacted at this
session. They also voted right in op-
| position to the public utilities bills in
house and senate which were about
! as Ubiquitous in their provisions as q
powerful public utility lobby could con-
trive Marshall county can produce
the roll call OF this session with pride
as to where her men stood.
At this time of year when the booster
spirit Is abroad and this slogan I'VE
buy things made in Marshalltown" is
popular 1t would be well to ask some
Of our local employers and manufac-
turers whether they are appreciated by
home buyers OF not. The facts are that
Marshalltown people and Marshall
town merchants are VIGOROUSLY negli-
gent in their support Of home manu-
facturers. This seems to be the gen.
eral complaint The packing house.
for instance. which has lately been
running on low pressure and at small
profit because of the high price of hogs
is little appreciated in Marshalltown
people In the thirty years Of its ex-
istence here it has paid out thirty mil
lions Of dollars for hogs mostly within
n co;.~t~. Every year the packing
r.>t:S. ,,;ls out in Marshalltown over
$4,000 for labor and miscellaneous
supnlias and yet Marshalltown mer-
chants and Marshalltown people fail to
buy Of the local packing house as much
as the packing house paws out in the
city for labor and small supplies to
say nothing Of the million and half or
more which it paws annually to the
farmers of the vicinity. Local sales
vary from to per cent of the total
sales
And there is no excuse for this ex-
cent indifference. either. for the Brit
tain &. Cos. meats are rated of exceed
ing high grade in the foreign markets
where meats from ell over the world
compete. When the federal govern
meHt was pursuing its crusade against
unsanitary packing houses the govern
ment's insnection found nothing wrong
at Marshalltown. Britain e. Co.'S
meats have ALWAYS been srn o1ed with
hickory wood and not painted with
done The quality Of the local meat
products is such that every MARSHALL
town man should demand Britain &
Co.'S goods if he were real booster.
The same COMPLAINT is made by ma
jority of the other local manufacturers
as to the indifference of Marshalltown
people toward the home made product.
The census statistics for manufac-
turing industries are out and of the
five cities in Iowa which the bureau
considers in Marshalltown's class, Gin
ton, Keokuk, Fort Dodge, Boone and
Marshalltown, our own city shows the
largest percentage of increase in the
number Of men employed by far than
any of the other four, and we also lead
all the others in the per cent of in
crease in capital invested and we rank
second in the per cent Of increase In
the value of the products manufac-
tured. In 1904 Marshailtown was next
| to the last of the five in the number of
men employed, Clinton, Fort Dodge and
| Keokuk all being ahead Of her and
Boone alone behind her. In 1909 Mar
shalltown jumped ahead OF Fort Dodge
and now stands with Clinton and Keo-
kuk ahead Of her and Fort Dodge and
Boone behind her notwithstanding the
gypsum deposits at Fort Dodge Those
| who sometimes remark that Marshall.
town should grow faster can find new
information that she has grown fastel
than any OF the cities of her class II
! the number Of men employed In hei