Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1912-02-20

ThermoS Bottle company formerly OF
New York. now of Norwich. Conn.
The banqueters rose to their feet
and made the room ring with their
cheers of welcome to President Walk
er whose opening words in response
were: Mr.. Mayor, Fellow Guests, and
Fellow Citizens be"
President Walker said that while
this was his maiden speech, he should
wish to be classed as a wooden
Indian in front of a cigar store if he
could not derive inspiration from such
a greeting. He read a number Of let
tiers of appreciation of Thermos, rang
ing all the way from a sheepherder
saved in a Wyoming blizzard to John
d. Rockefeller, Woodrow Wilson, Com
mander Peary of North Pole fame, and
Lieut.. Shackleton Of Antarctic fame
He went on to show how the Thermos
company officers had picked out a zone
to move their business to be bounded |
by line from Poughkeepsie down to
Manhattan island, and then eastward |
to New London, and had been induced |
to include Norwich in. that zone 1t
was strong consideration in deter /
mining the coming here, he said that
there was no Interior or selfish motive !
attributed to anyone here from begin
ming to end of the Norwich campaign. |
hbIiulHS III DIX MOntnS.
President Walker reused another |!
storm of cheers when he announced |
that within six months from tonight
the company expected to be employing
minimum of 500 hands here, and
within three or five years a minimum
Of 1000. on the Mason site, and that
the banks of the Thames had no supe-
r1or in his opinion, in New England
or in the United States as sites for
manufacturing industries.
Reasons for Coming Here.
As reasons for preferring this sec
tien of the country for the locating of
a manufacturing plant, he mentioned
several facts: A population Of more
than 3S,O00,000 people within II hours
ride: parts of 16 states and Canada
within the same time limit; low cost
of electric power; little if any labor
troubles: low freight rates, and the
proximity of an agricultural region,
Reductions in expense which the
company expects to make in removing
to Norwich, he said, were rent. 1000;
traffic, $1,000; labor, $4,000 insurance,
etc. $4,000; in making a glass product
on one floor instead of four, $4,000;
total of $4,000, from which deducting
bonus Of $4,000, would yet remain
the annual saving Of $4,000,
Some Strong Suggestions.
He closed with some suggestions
which were the signal for another out
burst of cheers, lhen he announced
that he stood ready to place the sum
| of $500 available for any worthy
purpose for the good of Norwich in
which the citizens of Norwich wished
to unite. He had been led to believe,
he said, that Norwich had no hotel
worthy the name but the beautiful
dining room in which the banquet was
held had disabused him of that idea,
and as he had come prepared to place
this amount at the head of d subscrip-
ton for building a hotel, he would let
the amount stand in the way he had
indicated
However, if such new hotel had
been built, the company would agree
to equip it with Thermos bottles from
top to bottom with the privilege of
naming the hotel Thermos.
Fund for Advertising City
His second suggestion was for the
| establishment of a suitable fund for
advertising the industrial opportuni-
| ties which the city could offor, and in
this he would desire to he financially
! interested. He suggested that it
might possibly be done in cooperation
with New London, to the end that the
/ banks of the Thames might be lined
/ from end to end with an unbroken line
| of factories. Great applause.) He
mentioned also as possibility the Sc
| curing of the Brooklyn navy yard for
/ het Thames river.
Hydroaeroplne Course.
The third of his suggestions was for
| the making of the Thames river the
national course for hydroaeroplane
races and trials, with fields and hang
ars built at Norwich and New Lon
| don resulting in an incalulIble
amount of advertising for this section
of the state To anyone who might
say impossible" President Walker re
| sponded Lets try" and he closed
with thanks to the people of Norwich
| for all that had been done.
introducing General Hill.
Although the hour was past mid
! night, President Haviland had one
| more speaker to call upon. William r.
| Hell, whom he introduced in three
stanzas of a poem written after the
| lines Of the Charge Of the Light
| Brigade and also with these words:
| We are a city composed of hills and
| valleys; we have round hills. short
hills, long hills and steep hills. We
have one Hill that we are proud of. 1t
is a level Hill, a square Hill, a Hill
that no one dare step on with impuni-
ty. With pleasure l shall ask a man
to stand up and let us look at one who
willingly and without recOmpense al
| lowed his business to suffer giving up
| his entire time TO benefit his city. He
needs no introduction. | call upon
! William f. Hill, General Commanding
! the Boomer Brigade.
Mr.. Hill was greeted by the entire
assembly rising and giving three
| cheers, and his response was a witty
! reference to some of the happenings of
! the campaign, of obligation to Mr.. See