The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-04-26

HoA. l.. ID. Jenningss report on
Civic and Public affairs consisted
largely of sketching the steps where
by the Chamber of Commerbe brought
about the present system of city gov
ernment. He told of the enormous ia
vorable publicity that Sumter had
received through it's controlled -execu-
tive, or City Manager plan Of gov
ernment; and cited as proof Of it's mer-
1T saving of nearly $4,000 a year in
the operation of the water department
alone. He attributed this to the fact
OF having q man ION the job all the
time" whose training enabled him to
see such opportunities. Mr. Jen-
nings also went into the matter of
paving, telling of the steps taken
successfully before the legislature to
submit to the people an amendment
permitting property owners to consti-
tute streets and areas into paving dis
tricts for the purpose Of providing
funds for street paving under a plan
whereby the city will guarantee the
costs and the property owners have
20 years TO pay their share Of the
costs.
Mr.. X. ]. Manning made q very in
teresting report on the work of the
transportation department. He advo-
Gated n union station, better conditions
at the A. c. l.. station in the way of
shedding and concrete walks. and
,sketched the history OF the seaboard
road into Sumter. He stated that his
information Indicated that II would be-
fore long be extended to Charleston,
and at his suggestion the special com
mittee In charge of Seaboard matters
was continued
Both Mr.! Manning. and Mr.. O'Don-
nell in speaking for the department of
commerce. said that Sumter had done
so much last year. so many things
requiring capital, that the business
men were now taking it bit easy.
1t was 'the swing of pendulum"
Mr.. ODonnell, discussing commerce
said that the past two seasons had not
been particularly good ones from the
crop viewpoint, and that il would not
De unnatural To look for a reflection
in business conditions. The general
business conditions, however, had been
better than might have been expected
from the basis of the cotton crop and
cotton prices. The banks, for in
stance, showed but small loss Of
aggregate deposits. and some of them
showed an increase over a year ago
In the condition OF wholesale and re-
tail trade in general was much to con-
graduate ourselves on. He also spoke
o fthe two new bank buildings and
new quarters of a third bank as illus
trative of the strength of the local
banks.
Mr.. ]. w. McKeiver, the head of
the department Of industries, reported
the new factories established during
the past year, the Parrot Milling Co.,
the shoe factory, tn broom and
handle factory, the new 3-M magnetic
and the gas plant, and commented on
the excellence of older industrial en-
terprtses. He bespoke home support
of home enterprises, both i'm the way
OF investment in stocks and purchas-
ing OF their outputs. Stating that i'm
all likelihood the options on Telephone
Manufacturing Company stock at 90
per cent premium would be- taken up,
throwing large amount of outside
capital into Sumter in addition to the
local capital To be repaid To the in
Vestors, he urged intelligent invest
mcnt Of that money in home con-
Germs, confident that Sumter afforded
the best sort of opportunities for all
legitimate enterprises.
me report ON Publicity and EduCa-
uon' Mr.. G.. \. Lennon, told Of the
uses To which the sumter folder had
been put and of the widespread re-
quests for Information about the sum
ter plan of government 'Hhcs" re-
quests come from all over the cOun-
try from Maine to Texas and from
Oregon To Florida. Fifteen hundred
ropics of rev pamphlet ON the city
Manager plan have been sent to ncw9-
papers. and constant private demand
is being made for them.
The report also told of the fine re-
suits of the exhibit of manufactures,
pictures and agricultural products
In the Arcade at Columbia during the
Corn Exposition, and stated that one