The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-09-19

were SUCCESSFUL IN securing lOo per
sons to buy a lot at $50 each. In
soliciting the subscriptions, am told
that many of the ones solicited were
assured that the shops would be
started in 1912 and If not then, sure
ly in 1913. The $15,50O which was
to have been realized from the sale
of the lots has been paid in, with the
exception of abou. $4,000 and it Is
the part which your association has
taken in collecting this money in the
face and eyes of the fact that not a
shovel full of dir. has been turned on
the premises, to which l wish to call
your attention. Many OF the lot sub
scribers purchased the lots against
tneir better Judgment and actuated
entirely by their loyalty to the city.
Some Of the lot holders were anxious
to find excuses for not paying for
their lots and the fact that nothing
has been done gave tlem the excuse
they were looking for. 1t was nee
essary to overcome all objections for
since your association lad taken OPP
tions on the entire lands, the money
had 20 be received from somewhere
to care for the options. How well
this has been done will more fully
appear in the committees report on
the Ann Arbor project. 1t not only
was necessary to provide for the rails
ing of the difference between the
$4,000 alreaGy raised and the sum
of about $4,000 which the land
needed, actually cost; but your as
ISOLATION has had considerable trou-
BILE in persuading some of our farm
friends that it would be better for
them to have the car shops adjacent
to their property and not have so
easy an access to tne city than it
would be 20 have an easy access and
no Q6& shops. Your directors have
had MI less than seven meetings with
the officers of the township and in
with them.
Trunk Line Highway.
Trunk line highways should be
built. having the following points:
1st. The mos. direct route be-
tween centers Of population.
End. A route that will do the
greatest good to the greatest num-
Der of people.
3rd. A route with the least grade.
4th A good route at the least cost.
9TH The most beautiful route.
Wlen the last legislature enacted
laws covering the building of trunk
line highways in Michigan practical
ly every locality in the state put on
an active campaign to have the trunk
line highways pass their way regard
less of any. of the points mentioned
above, Shiawassee county was no ex-
ception to tlis rule. Your associa-
ton believing that the five points
above mentioned were well taken,
used it's influence as we are advised,
to good purposes in persuading the
powers that be in the state highway
department to place the trunk lines
in Shiawassee county where they
ought to go, having in mind the
points enumerated above.
Carnegie Library.
This is another proposition, l am
advised, that had been presented and
a2d offered, somewhat. The
same obstacles that the good roads
did in that many of those
on whom it was necessary to depend
for the steps to be taken, were abso-
lutely opposed to the proposition. 1t
took abou. ten months of hard work
on the part of your association to ov-
ercome the difficulties in the way. AS
many of you know, ground has been
broken for the building following the
letting of the contract and by next
spring Owosso will be graced vita a
building in which mucn pride
can be taken.
and Charity Solicitations
The business man in every city is
asked many times a year for sub
scription money. Many OF The OBJ
iects that the promoters have in mind
contain merit, many do not. To as
sist the business men in determining
the question as to whether tne OBJ
jects have merit, plan was devised
by your association to have commit
tee work with your secretary in an
investigation of the various projects
to the business man.
AS many of you know, the plan was
to have the business man when solic-
tied for charity or outside advertis-
ing to request the solicitor to appear
before the proper committee and
present his plan for investigation. If
the investigation discloses that the
project was one of merit, the commit
tee directs your secretary to give the
person a card of Identification and
Your association has
had some thir.y-one applications for
cards and has issued six. 1t would
seem that this simple statement
would suggest to the business men OF
Owosso the value of the plan for 1.
will demonstrate the fact that this
one feature of the associations work