South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-04
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TO LOOK INTO MATTER
Would Do for This City What
Engine Works Did for Bat
tie Creek $500 More
People.
BY JOHN HENRY zUvER.

south Bend has an opportunity.
The burning of the Grand Trunk
car shops at Port Huron, Mich, caus-
ing a loss of millions of dollars 10 the
railway corporation, may rebound to
South Bends benefit, II the city viii
but take hold and push 1t across.
1t is a job for the Chamber OF
Commerce. brought to the attention OF
the News-Times in the following let
ter:
Lagrange. Ind. Dec ,. 1913.
Editor News-Times.
Dear Sir: Enclose you clip
ping from the Toledo COhio)
Blade. What is the purpose of
your Chamber OF Commerce
aside from an occasional feed a
one Of your local hotels2
Travelling Man.
The clipping enclosed reads this
way:
BATTLE CREEK. Mich. Dec
2.-That the Grand Trunk has
decided not to rebuild its car
shops at Port Huron and will
consider Battle Creek when IL
comes 10 erecting new shops. de-
clares Assistant superintendent
A. b. Atwater Of Detroit, in
letter received by Mayor John W
Bailey in response to inquiries.
For a while cars VIII be made i'm
Secretary Takes Hunch.
I'VE will take that matter up i'm
mediately." said Secy. L. .. Manning
of the Chamber of Commerce, when
the matter was brought Co his atten-
ton Thursday morning The sugges-
tion is new 10 us. and a good one,
though it comes from an apparent op-
ponent to the organization"
The secretary then dwelt somewhat
at length on the possibilities Of getting
the car shops here. what South Bend
might offer as an inducement. South
Bend has "a number OF things that the
Grand Trunk has not. and which II
would like to have. the conditions fur
nishing a splendid opening for negO-
tiatiOns Here is something more.
Battle Creek already has the ma
chine shops of the Grand Trunk rail-
road where new engines are made
and the old ones kept in repair. These
shops were secured for FoOdtown back
early in the present century. the result
of negotiations involving the use of
Hall street for tracks. under condi-
tions somewhat similar to those that
prevail here with regard 10 the use
of Division St
The cereal city then had one Of the
worst old. dilapidated Grand Trunk
depots that could be imagined-out
side of South Bend--but IL has "A new.
splendid depot since 1905 and in 1908
the big machine shops were opened
which are today employing approNt-
mately $500 machinists
The Battle Greek shops we're built
and equipped at a cost Of upwards OF
S250O.O0O. covering an area TO th9
northeast Of the city OF something
like 100 acres. taking IN shops,
roundhouse and yards. The company
is said 70 own so acres additional up
on which to erect the car shops should
il so desire
Was Once 30 Intended.
At the time the machine shops We're
built il was generally understood that
the car shops were 10 occupy this eN-
ira so acres, but Of a sudden the COM
pany changed its mind and decided
not 10 remove its entire plant from
Port Huron-Only the engine works.
General Manager Hays. who since
went down with the Titanic, explain
cd that il would probably be the pol
icy OF the Grand Trunk not 10 con-
centrate its manufacturing plants IN
any one city. but TO give the various
cities along its lines more of a chance.
CONTINUED ON PACE FOURD