The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-05-06
&. n. DILLON e. co.


The way in which the agricultural
colleges co-operated last year with
the Boston & Maine, the Maine Cen
trail, the Boston & Albany and the
trolley lines of Central Massachu-
sets in organizing the Better Farm
ing Specials" that so successfully
made the tour of many hundreds of
miles of track illustrates how sucu
institutions. as well as various depart
ments of the State governments can
work effectively in these directions.
In recent years the railroads of
New England have been more dis
posed towards positive steps for fos-
tering local industry along their lines.
A notable instance Is that of the great
esta blishment which makes q peculiar
grade of paper products at Walpole.
When President Mellen's manage
ment learned that the company was
dissatisfied with local facilities and
was seriously considering removal to
some more advantageous point out
side Of New England. no time was
conditions. The handicaps complain-
ed Of were removed, the company was
encouraged to make extensive addi-
tons to its plant more favorable
commodity rates were made, and the
industry soon experienced an enor-
railroads have encouraged vast wa
ter-power developments in Maine and
New Hampshire. Under systematic
propaganda by the Industrial Bureau
such Instances of industrial growth
will be multiplied manifold.
The experience Of the pioneer rail-
road Industrial department, that of
the Southern Railway, il instructive
for New England It was organic
ed by Mr.. NJ. ". Richards and WAS
the first instance Of a systematic en-
deavor to promote the exploitation of
~nlt 4uSl pxsG <<l -
Industrial opportunities throughout a
large section of the country. AS in
New England, this department was
made possible only by railroad con-
solidation on large scale. The
Southern industrial field, however,
New England, equally diversified, is
already extensively developed, but
nevertheless, can be made immensely
more productive by the systematic
means proposed. Moreover, the New
England field has an additional feat
ure that exists only to a small degree
in other sections Of the United States
the supreme value Of its prodigious
attractiveness as the greatest pleas
playground Of the country.
One function of an Industrial bu-
reau Is to keep in constant observa-
all along the line: records are kept
Of new developments in industrial
lines. in land transactions, in proper
ties Of all sorts that are in the mar
ket. Municipal improvements are
kept watch Of; waterworks, sewerage
new streets, paving, electric lighting,
new public buildings, also bond issues
for such purposes. Studies are made
of industries wanted in certain places
or most appropriate for given local
conditions. All such Information IS
regularly reported to headquarters to
be recorded and kept on file. The
possession of such information often
means the establishment of enor-
mously valuable industries in a rail-
roads territory. Again, if a new
industrial process is at work any
where, close run is kept of its various
stages of experimentation and deyel-
opment
The creation of the Industrial Bu-
reau Of the New England Lines is an
other answer in the series of replies
that In recent months have been Civ
en- to the question: what is Mr.. Mel
lens new railroar epoch doing for
Boston and New England" AS in
the human organism, SO with a rail-
road system: benefits for one part
benefits all parts. The successive con-
centration of these activities at the
South station is making Boston more
and more the great railroad capital
of New England. Here we now have
the great purchasing department Of
the New England lines, doing a bus
mess of at least $70.00o,000 a year,
with instructions to buy in New Eng
land so far as practicable. We have
the testing department, making a
wonderful record for efficiency. We
have the advertising department, in
which all the organizations are Join
ed for a more effective publicity for
New England. And now the Indus
trial Bureau is just entering upon a
work that can hardly fail to produce
results for New England worthy of
the effort.