Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-08-14

Why did upper Wisconsin take the
worlds championship award in alfalfa
at the last worldwide contest?
Why are the pea canning concerns
placing nearly all the new factories in
upper Wisconsin?
Why are the beet sugar factories
looking to upper Wisconsin for in
creased product?
Why does the best clover seed
come from upper Wisconsin?
Why arg the pastures good in upper
Wisconsin when dried out elsewhere?
Why are several of the worlds larg
est manufacturing creameries in the
upper Wisconsin counties?
Why are so many pickle factories
and sailing works being located IN the
upper Wisconsin counties?
These are but a few OF the salient
points in which the vacant lands of
Wisconsin have advantages over other
regions of cheap lands, but they are
enough to be convincing when fully
dlgested. They open the way TO q
more complete consideration Of the
situation. In this more complete con-
sideration, we make full use OF the
United States census, the record
made by Wisconsin in the National
Corn show, which is the only recog-
nized international contest; the
weather records and other unques-
tionable data. It is thus seen that
there is no buncombe in our cam
paigns for Observation-Disclosures
why we get scores of letters compli-
menting us upon our methods. The
state is to be congratulated that it is
unnecessary. to do otherwise than
give the actual, unqUestioned and IN
questionable facts.
have spoken OF eyeryone's inter
est in development | believe that
we have too long looked only to the
people who sell land for farms or
sites for factories, assuming that they
We're the only ones receiving benefits
from the transactions For ilIustra-
ton, we viii take an ordinary Wis
cOnsin town. A factory is located by
some enterprising real estate man. Is
that the end, or is it only the begin
ming Of the benefits resulting from
the sale Of the site? Or. taking the
farm land situation, we find that the
man who sells a tract of wild land
for farm merely starts a chain of
transactions that end, or rather never
end with the merchant. banker,
printer, doctor, lawyer, and all 9th
ers in profits, and to the community,
county and state in taxes. The land
man spent most Of his profits getting
his customer and is through in the
single transaction, while the others
had no initial expense and are never
through. Who, then, as a matter of
fact, is the most interested in the
matter? 1t is so with new factories
and in practically every move calcu-
lated to bring about more complete
development Of any section To car
ry the matter a little farther, what
would be the effect upon the fac
tories, jObbers, banks and other in
situations of Milwaukee and other
wisconsin cities, if $4,000 new far
mers were located in upper Wiscon-
sin, If scores of water powers were
harnessed, if hundreds of cities and
towns were founded, if the popula-
ton of the state We're doubled ffor
this matter of development is a state
wide proposition)- the ultimate it
is proposition of millions of people
and billions of wealth.
| believe that many, if not most.
of the cities and towns of this state
should enter the publicity field We
are in an advertising era. Every
where publicity is shaping largely the
destinies of people and communities.
The pessimistic will harangue against
it as a useless expense, the Iethargic
Will ignore it, but the fact remains
that the successful are awake to the
dynamic effect of publicity.
Once this nation was termed the
worlds bread basket" Today we
are close to the border Of an i'm
porter of foodstuffs Soon. at the
present rate of progress, we will find
our lightly mentioned high cost OF
living" a permanent social and eco
nomic problem, and attention must
be given to greater yields from the
lands now under cultivation.
1t is easy to say that We are maxi
ing marvellous strides in increased
yields, and figures can be found up
on which to base the assertion-but
the fact remains that we are mere
ly maintaining the level of produc-
ton. 1t is equally easy to point to
the much larger yields of certain
European countries, and discourse
upon the fact that those lands have
been farmed for centuries, but the
fact remains that they were once de-
pleted and it has taken decades and
tremendous expense to bring them
back to their present productiveness
If we are to bank upon the progress
of these European people we should
appreciate the pressure and distress
that drove them to it-and the time
it required. l am sure that no one
here wishes such experiences in
America. We are in position to con
tribute largely and profitably to the
food necessities of the future, and in
doing so strengthen our position as
a manufacturing state, for in the fu-
ture distribution in Industrial activi-
ties the cost of living will be a ma
terial element.