The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-02-07

j. e. reynolds spoke very strong
ly in favor of promoting the fac
tories that are now doing bust
ness in MankatO and said that the
Commercial club has at times been
asleep; unaware of what could be
done with what Mankato has. He
kato should take day off and go
around and get acquainted with their
city, find out how much raw ma
terial is shipped into Mankato, how
many articles are shipped out and
What the payrolls of the various
factories amount to. Then, Mr..
Reynolds asked that the people en-
deavor to find out how much money
has been sent out of the city aud
invested in poorly paying PROPOSE.
lions in the last few years and then
try to estimate how much good this
money would have done Mankato
had it been spent at home He de-
plOred the fact that Mankato has
been growing but little in the last
fifteen years and cited instances
where the Commercial club has had
opportunities to secure factories. He
bStu iOllO"cu up ltpOiJS vi JutSt
factories, after they had been lost
to Mankato. He spoke of one fac
tory in neighboring city which last
year paid fifty-twO per cent on the
amount invested. Mankato should
have had this factory He spoke of
the shoe factory which located in
Faribault after Mankato refused TO
raise $12, 500 to induce the company
to locate here. Faribault secured
the plant while Mankato was fool
ing away time and for the first
year it's pay roll amounted to $27,-
000 Since then the payroll has
been increased constantly every
year. I'VE want TO add to the num-
Der in the class who carry the din
ner pail" said Mr. Reynolds, but
if we think that things will come to
us we are going to get sadly left.
We have got to go out and get them
in order to have them here. | am
interested in Mankato, and | want
TO see it grow to one of the largest
cities in the state"
Willing to Boost Mankato.
George Atchison was called upon
for his views and he said that he
would like to have about $4,000
worth of that fifty-two per cent
stock of which Mr.. Reynolds spoke.
He was very patriotic to Mankato
and said that he had lived here
number of years and expected to
die here. He came to MankatO with
very little and by hard work and
attending strictly to business he has
tt ,,11
please him more than to be instru-
mental in boosting Mankato. He
was strongly in favor of helping to
make the industries now here as
profitable as possible before adver-
Using for more factories.
Lawrence Mayer of the Mayer
Bros. Manufacturing company, re-
lated the experiences of his COM
pany since coming to Mankato and
gave a brief history of the concern.
He told of the hard struggle the
company was forced to go through
at times when a little help in a
financial way through the CONNER
cal club would have smoothed the
rough place considerable. Finally,
by the most stringent perseverance
the company had got on its feet
and he had purchased an automobile
and commenced to enjoy life lit
tie. Later on as the factory grew
and the business assumed larger
he bought a larger au-
tomobile and announced that be was
now on easy street. He said that
it was not his purpose to say any
thing at the meeting but he came
simply to see what color OF soap
bubbles which were going to be in
hated BY the Commercial club next.
He said that he was still extend
ing his business and that this spring
he intended to put on the market
a new road grader which has many
over the ones now III
use. In getting men to serve on
the committee to investigate the mat
ter of inducing more factories TO
come here Mr. Mayer suggested
that men who knew something about
he business of starting new con-
Germs be selected.
Mr.. Reynolds spoke q few words
more recalling the time when he
had spent nearly a week visiting
the various factories in Mankato and
obtaining from each interesting
lata. showing the amount OF the
Davroll. the number of men en-
oloyed, the amount of goods turned
,ut and in fact all he could find out
n connection with each one. His
story of the conquest occupied about
.wo columns in newspaper and
ne said that as far as he knew onl!
,ne man, John E. Meagher, was
Interested enough in Mankato to
purchase extra copies OF the pa
Der and send them to his friends.
And Mr.. Meagher was not then
living in Mankato but was interest
ID in the city's welfare. He bought
fifty copies of the paper and sent
hem to his friends, besides reading
he article to group of travelling
men in the lobby of the Saulpaugh.
they were very much surprised 70
earn that Mankato possessed so
many factories and the extent OF
heir output Mr.. Reynolds suggest
d that MankatO get acquainted with
tself
DR.. ]. w. Andrews echoed the
entiments of MIR. Reynolds in en-
home industries and SAID
hat he failed to see the advantage
f furnishing two-thirds of the cap
tai for some factory to come Ill
ere and let them furnish the
rains and choose the heads OF the
apartments. He said that the rea-
on why the Mayer brothers had
zen successful was because they
we're excellent mechanics and busl-
pSS men,