The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-12-15

The Citizens Industrial committee
named by Mayor Sprague Immediately
following the tornado. Messrs. J. Q.
Shattuck, A. NJ. Bentley. D. M. Chris
tian, E. o. Dewey, Fred Osburn, j, M.
Terbush, J. Il. Robbins, g. T. Camp
bell, q. L. Taylor and A. L. Chandler,
together with DR.. A. M. Hume, d. B.
Sturtevant, DIR. A. L. Arnold and w.
D. Whitehead who were added to the
committee Last week, have given q
great deal of time and thought to the
work assigned it. viz. the rebuilding
in Owosso of the plant Of the Estey
Manufacturing Co. and the protection
of Owosso's Industrial interests. Fre-
quent meetings have been held and the
plans in hand given each week to the
Tuesday meeting Of the Improvement
Association so that the committee q u!d
have both the advice and the assistance
Of all who might be present at the noon
dsy luncheon. The members OF the
committee faced Q serious problem with
the determination to work 1t out so
that Owosso citizens could and would
approve it's actions. This has been
done in 30. far as the committee is con-
cerned, "a resolution looking to the
financing of the work of reconstructing
the plant Of the Estey Co. in sub.
stantislly the same shape 1t was be-
fore being destroyed by the tornado
having been unanimously adopted by
the committee of fourteen at its session
Monday afternoon and subsequently
approved by the Improvement Associa'
tion. With this united action it now
seems almost safe to predict that with
in q very short time the actual work OF
reconstruction will follow the work
(. now being done of cleaning away the
ruins of the plant. Much, however,
; remains to be done and it is hoped that
every Owosso citizen will give the
committee loyal assistance during the
next week to ensure the result all SO
much desire.
The work Of the committee was made
much easier than it appeared at first
by the action of A. Nj. Bentley in offer
ing to return TO the Improvement As
s,ciation the $4,000 expended two
years ago in the purchase of the land
south of the Grand Trunk railroad and
east of Cedar street for the proposed
enlargement of the plant of the Re.
lance Motor Truck Co. Mr.. Bentley
in other words purchases this piece of
land and makes available the sum of
912, 1000 which the Association can use
in re- placing the Estey plant. Mr..
Bentley does not receive stock in the
Estey Co. for this sum az has been
stated. In addition to this, Mr.. Bent
ley has subscribed for $4,000 of the
$4,000 af preferred stock which must
be sold to provide working capital for
the company. But for this action the
outlook would be far from bright; by
it, success is within easy reach II all
win do their part. ga pa'sl9@
ID this connection We quote . portion
OF the letter from the Estey Manu-.
featuring Co. to the Improvement As
ISOLATION:
We came here in 1875 and have
contributed to some extent to Owos-
SOS growth. Since that date invest
ing nearly all the profits of our busi-
ness in Increasing our manufactur-
I ing facilities, having at one time
yearly pay roll Of over two hundred
thousand dollars ($200,O00.00)
In 1906 fire destroyed factory IA
a very serious loss to Us and the city
of Owosso. The controlling inter-
ests of the company at that time
would not rebuild Its plant. The
present stockholders took what was
left (factory "B") and were rapidly