The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-12-19
S7,OOO,OOO INDUSTRY SOUGHT
Many Reasons Enumerated Why
Government Should Establish
New Plant Here
RAW MATERIAL SOURCES HANDY

The secretary of the navy recently
recommended that the United States
establish an armor-plate factory "a
some suitable portion Of the country.
with view To removing from the
control of private corporations the
manufacture of armor- plate for use on
ships owned by the government. 1t is
estimated that the cost of erecting such
"a plant and getting the new project
under way will be $1,000 900
Under the direction of the Copper
Country Commercial club, Secretary
George l.. Price of the club is endeav-
oring 10 interest the government Off
cials in locating the plant in the cop
per country. Dollar Bay being suggest
ed as the most likely place to erect
such a plant
AS the copper country possesses adc-
quate advantages, Mr.. Price has taken
the matter up with the officials and
presented the following reasons why
such a plant should be erected here.
Proximity of Raw Materials.
Copper iron and nickel are the ma
terials entering most prominently into
amy metal manufacture. There are
! produced in the copper country an
nually 22U0O00OO pounds of the worlds
hnest copper The greatest iron ore
/ and pig iron fields in America lie
within 100 miles of the copper Coun-
! try. in Michigan and within 200 miles
| in Wisconsin and Minnesota. The
largest local deposits OF nickel are To
| be found at Sudbury, Ontario. The
| supplies in each instance are practical
! ~ ineNhaustible. Upon raw copper the
! government would save from one-sev-
enth To one-t third Of a cent per pound
in freight, the saving on iron and pig
| iron. as compared with the Atlantic
coast rate, would be forty-four cents 10
! the ton. Nickel as well as iron can
be shipped in without transfer, by
! boat, and the saving I'm freight would
| be considerable, as compared with any
! inland point Chromium and manga
ncse. of which small percentages are
used in the manufacture of armor
plate, may be obtained in the copper
country as cheaply as at any other
I centrally located point.
In Time Of War.
I'm the event of hostilities. a plant
widely separated from its sources OF
supply could easily be deprived of its
raw materials 10y the enemys seizing
avenues OF transportation The copper
country having an unlimited supply
Cf copper within its boI dcrs; with pig
iron and iron ore at its doors, and
nickel within easy reach by water,
would occupy a strategic position, i'm
that a very small force could protect
the short lake or rail routes over
which outside material would come.
by treaty provision with Great Britain,
the Great Lakes are declared neutral
territory, and it is not probable that
any invading force would violate this
treaty.
Cheap Freight Rates.
Having direct communication by
water with every point on the Great
Lakes. and its canals and harbors ac-
cummodating the largest vessels sail
ing the Inland Seas, the copper country
offers the advantage Of very cheap
freight rates Connels>iil iilc coke may
be delivered ON local docks at a rate
of yiNt! cents the ton, the rate,ou coal
is thirty cents Rates on machinery
ana other heavy supplies are CORES
pondingly low, The limestone best
adapted to pig-iron manufacture and
blast furnace work is found a. Kelley *
Island whence it may be transported
by water direct To any port in the cop
per country.
hdapts5ility Of Site offered
The recommendation Of the honor
able secretary of the navy contem-
plates the purchase of "a site, II ncccs-
sary. at a possible expense OF several
hundred thousand dollars. The Copper
Country Commercial club offers, free
Of any charge, "a halc-mIie of deep
water frontage on Portage lake,
threaded 10y two railroads and com
prising twenty-five acres of high, level
land, with q solid gravel base No bet
ter site for manufacturing involving
the construction of massive founda-
tions can be found within ten miles
of this site, and connected hy water, is
"a splendid deposit of red sandstone.
the best and cheapest material avail
able for substantial and permanent
, structures.
Facilities for Testing.
II good facilities tor testing by ac-
tual projectiles be desired convenient