Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1913-01-21


senis itself will be heartily supporte
BY the business people of Cresco. WE
NEED ONE AND WE ARE GOING
TO HAVE ONE, is the slogan from
now on. First come. first served, and
the Commercial Club are bending every
effort to get either. one or the other
proposition in proper form to get busy
on.
The following letter from Mr.. Hart
explains the reasons for the slow pro.
Rress of the matter concerning 'exten-
sion Of that line of road, and it beh0oves
us to get busy on the other propo-
sition.
Charles City, Iowa, Jan. II, 1913
Mr.. r. A. Huber,
Sec'y Of Commercial Club,
Cresco, Iowa. ..--s ~,
Dear Sir:4Our Mr.. Bennett has in
formed the writer that you would like
to have him give a talk before your
Commercial Club concerning extension
Of the Charles City Western to your
town. The writer will be unable to do
this, but will set forth as :near as pos
sible in lthis letter the situation. Our
first step for reaching your city would
be to get our road built TO some point
on the Chicago. Great Western Rail-
way. Suck work should be well under
way by this time. and would have been
we're it not for the fact that the COM
mercial interests of Charles City have
been making some serious blunders and
are just at present very much scatter
ed. Our Commercial Club is not rep
resentative and. accordingly, has no
power of accomplishment. As a result,
our railway has not been supported or
appreciated or taken advantages Of by
the town ss it should have been. Up
to this time any move for extension
would not have received such united
support and encourag sment as must be
had for a success. An election of a
new directorate for our Commercial
Club vill soon take place. If thereby
our commercial interests may be har-
monized and a representative board.
possessing the confidence of our busi
ness interests elected, there is much
hope of accomplishing some real city
building and the extension of our rail.
road. If matters continue as they
are. little or no progress will be made
As you know, our railroad now ex.
tends from Charles City to Marble
Rock, and is enjoying heavy:business.
Our forces are all splsadidly organ.
lied and our facilities very complete.
This being true, and with head Offices,
shops. road and equipment all in good
working order. extension is simple and
could be accomplished with great
efficiency. The easiest move would be
extension to the southwest from Mar
bic Rock to q junction with the Chi
cago & Northwestern at cost of not |
over $3.50, 900. As first step this ap-
peaIs to Us much because of it's low
cost. Or, we may build northwest to
4 junction with the Chicago. Great
Western Railway. on to Cresco. and
eventually through to the Mississippi
river.
A 5 per cent tax within the towns,
and an average of $4 per acre for
belt of country six miles wide would
make the cost of such line, furnishing
a service interurban in character and
freight service with through billing
over four trunk lines. The building of
such q line would promptly add $50
per acre increase of value over such a
strip of territory and return five fold
to the cities entered. 1t would seem
then that the building would be clear
business proposition to the cities and
farmers along the way. If, BY such
an investment, they can promptly gain
500 per cent where the company oper-
ating such line would require more
than 25 years for such profits, there is
certainly justification in asking the
cities and the farmers to contribute
something toward the building of
railroad. Unless such contributions
can be substantial the Charles City
Western Railway Co., can see nothing
to be gained by them in extension.
They, accordingly, are simply await.
iYg that united support and substan-
tial aid before they undertake further
construction. 1t3
We much regret, and in fact, feel
somewhat ashamed of the fact that our
end of this deal is the one that is hold
ipr back progress. 1t seems certain,
however, that Charles City will soon
awaken tother opportunities, get to-
eetber in her commercial life. and take
advantage Of the prosperity which is
being literally forced upon Der. There
would thensssem to be no reason Why /
Charles City and Cresco. and the belt
: .>...x.,, hntwAnn ah0a1ld not cO.Opef.