The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1911-04-06
SOMERSET COUNTY HAS A LARGE PART
Of NAMES RESOURCES
Her Ponds, Lakes and Scenery Cannot be Sur
passed---State Has Wonderful Possibilities

state west of the Mississippi river
would be considered of sufficient i'm
portance to warrant the maintenance
of a complete advertising and publ
city staff, as well as the expenditure
of thousands of dollars in inducing
settlers to see and be convinced.
The writer who takes Maine for his
subject is not obliged to call upon
his imagination, for he will never
exl aust the material easily available
The foundation of every extensive
business venture is good advertising
The same is true of every state
which is keeping step with the march
of progress. Western states appre-
ciate the value of advertising more
than do we of the East, and devote
large sums of money and much ener-
gy to it. AS old and staid state as
New York however. has been as in
dustriously advertised as any of
them Niagara Falls, Saratoga. the
state house at Albany and Brooklyn
bridge were once the chief stock in
trade. Just now it is big railroad
terminal, a tunnel or two, a huge re
servoir or Fra Albertus.
Maine has few of the spectacular
works of man with which to arrest
the attention of a curious world, but
the state is rich in the wonderful
handiwork of nature No man ever
possessed the power to make cold
type adequately describe the gran
deud of old ocean, the peaceful beau
ty of river valley or the majestic
dignity of our great pine soitudes.
One must stand on a bold headland
and hear the roar of the surf. climb
to the summit of rocky hill or
tramp among the cathedral pines to
get any conception of these works of
God One who has had such an eX-
perience tells his work weary neigh
Dor of the city, as best he can. Of his
experiences and urges him to come
md drink at this fountain of youth
The second pilgrim tells a third, and
SO on until the journeyings of a few
assume the proportions of a pilgrim
age That, in brief, is the history of
Names advertising. The greatest and
best work has been done by those
who have seen and felt the wonders
of summer vacation in Maine. A
summer visitor is Names best ad
vertising medium. Not only have
summer tourists sent other vacation
lists in large numbers but they
have also taken note of some
of our great natural resources. such
as water power and mineral wealth
Their demand for the telephone and
telegraph has stretched wires into
forest fastness which were hereto
fore at least a weeks journey from
modern facilities for communication.
Their demand for household conve
niences has brought reforms to the
| isolated homes which are a joy to
the housewife and have added years
to her life.
In Maine nature has a vast store
house filled to overlooking with her
best. Here is a beautiful land, farm
and forest, field, fen and granite
hills. Here is peaceful, thrifty,
hospitable home-loving people who
welcome the stranger-not to a will
derness from which he must wrest
every foot of tillable land, but to fer
tile farms and thriving villages
where telephones, trolley cars, cleo
trio lights and power water systems,
schools. churches and where all the
social advantages are already estab-
lished. Maine people welcome the
newcomer and will help him to a
home and prosperity.
Maine is an industrial state Her
tremendous water powers spell OPP
portunity, not only for the millionaire
investor, but for the man of small
means, who is looking for cheap
power and ideal industrial condi-
tions. Her great factories, which rep
resent an investment of $l50,000,-
0O0 give employment to 10000 men
and women, who fashion products
worth $15O,O0000O every year
There is a school building for every
40 scholars and $40 per capita is
available for the education Of the
children Since many leave school
before they attain the age of q, the
sum per capita actually spent is ap-
preciably more than $40. A modern
system of school aid and superinten-
dence enables the son of the farmer
in the rural districts to get as good
an education as his city cousin. The
State deals literally with her schools,
as she considers them valuable as
set
Maine farms, cultivated according
to Maine methods, yield more dollars
per acre than do the farms of Iowa,
Kansas or Nebraska, three great agri-
cultural states. In Maine the farm
er takes $4100 from each acre; in
Iowa. $40; in Kansas, $40, and in
Nebraska, 1884; yet Maine land is
selling as low as $500 an acre and
Iowa land at about 500. This State
of affairs will not exist long.
Maine land is worth more because
it produces more than similar land
in other states Let us take the five
great agricultural states of Illinois
Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas
five states, which have lured thOus
ands of sons of Maine from the old
Pine Tree state, and compare the
yield, worth and price of seven lead
ing farm crops, corn, wheat, oats, hay
potatoes, barley and buckwheat, in
the light of the last agricultural re