Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-09-19
ORGANIZATION is NEEDED
Wausau Should Have a Good, Live
Body to Promote New
Enterprises.

1t must be with extreme satisfac-
tion that the people of Merrill note
the work of their Chamber of Com
merce, an organization founded for
the purpose of booming the city's
business interests. The organization,
1t seems, is composed of men whose
makeup is principally of ginger and
cayenne pepper. They don't go to
| sleep on the job, but are always alert.
We have noted that in the past few
months a number of new enterprises
have been secured, among them a
shoe factory which is employing a
large number of hands, and which is
advertising Merrill wherever the shoe
product is worn. A new hub factory
has lately been secured, which will
manufacture hubs for the Studebaker
Wagon Co. of South Bend, Ind, one
of the largest concerns in the world.
This plant, in building, will repre-
sent an outlay of $35, 900. There are
good prospects of getting another
factory which will manufacture broom
handles and other wood products. 1t
will cost $40, 900 to build this one. A
manufacturer from the state of
Maine lately looked over several sites,
with the intention of locating fac
tory for the manufacture of wood
bobbins, spindles, spools, etc. He
will probably locate there
At present no other town in North
ern Wisconsin,, unless it be Marinette,
is making such strenuous efforts to
secure industries to take the place of
vanishing sawmillS as is Merrill, and
the spirit is commendable.
But what about Wausau? Are we
going into Rip Van Wrinkle sleep :?
Wausau, city Of beauty, noted for a
spirit of progress and the big hand of
fellowship-usually ahead of most
Wisconsin cities in everything else
seems to be at a StandStill in the
efforts we were just speaking of.
And WhyP Just because we have no
such organization as the Chamber of
Commerce. We had body here a
few years ago, which appeared to be
given more to getting away with big
suppers and spouting hot air, than
in doing anything for the real ad-
vancement of the city.
What plants have been located
here in the first have come in I'M
solicited, and the only inducement
thrown out has been free sites, with
strings tied to them, donated by the
city council.
Without organization little can be
in any line of human
progress. 1t is the centralized effort
that wins in this day. No one busi-
ness man cares to take it upon his
shoulders to boom Wausau. And his
shoulders are not broad enough to
carry the load, if he did take the
responsibility.
We have four saWmills and nine
woodworking plants in operation in
the city which are not permanent
fixtures. When the numbering in
dustry gets Winded, as it certainly
will, these plants will fade away and
be forgotten. 1t is true we have a
number of other plants which manu-
facture iron, granite and quartz
but they alone cannot hold
up fast growing city. Neither can
a good surrounding farming country,
When a business man or a laborer
finds that what he is engaged in is
he takes up some other
line of effort. AS supports of the
city, our woodworking institutions
will soon be failures. There will be
surplus of labor which must be taken
care of, if we are to prosper, and con-
ditions must be met and met soon,
or we will be as a stone tied to the
kite of advancement.
We don't wish to be accused of
taking part in any anvil chorus, but
we do wish it understood that we
believe that q boosters club should
be organized here at once.