New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-04-15
New Ulm Must Subscribe
$50, 100000 In Order To
Secure Line.
Committee Appointed TX
Sound Public Sentiment
On Project.

If New Ulm wants to have the Luce
Electric Short Line extended from New
Sweden, the nearest point to our city that
the line has been contracted for, to New
LHm and south of here, the citizens must
subscribe stock to the extend of $4,000.
That is what Col. Luce told the citizens
who gathered at Masonic Hall Monday
evening to listen to the report of the
committee recently appointed by the
Commercial Club to investigate the Luce
properties and the company's financial
standing. Thru the rural districts the
sum Of 100000 must be subscribed for
every mile of road to be built, and the
farmers thru Brighton have already
raised $8,O00.00 the amount necessary to
secure the line from New Sweden to New
Ulm.
The meeting was called to order by G.
Al Ottomeyer, Pres. of the Commercial
Club who called on Emil G. Hage to make
the report on behalf of the committee
which went to Minneapolis last Thursday
Mr.. Hayes report was decidedly favor
able. The committee took Is mile trip
on the Luce Line, talked over the propo-
sltlon with the elder Mr.. Luce and inter
viewed some Of the leading bankers as to
the financial standing Of those at the
head Of the Electric Short Line. Ac-
cording to Mr.. Hage the bankers spoke
very highly Of the character and financial
standing of the Luces and were quite
optimistic of the success of the electric
a1nat Venture.
Mr.. Luce was then given an opportu-
nifty to address the meeting. He told the
audience how he and his father had
gotten started on the electric line propo
slt'on some eleven years ago and unbe
knownst to the general public had pur
chased the necessary property for termi-
mails in the city Of Minneapolis and the
necessary right Of way into the city. This
meant an expenditure Of 100000 alone
and that in the start it was the intention
of his father and himself to finance the
proposition alone, but that they were
prevailed upon by their financial friends
to give up the idea Of closed corporation
for the electric line company and had
made this an open corporation, but that
the terminal company would remain a
closed corporation as it had been origi-
nally planned. He referred to the rapid
growth of the electric lines within the last
eleven years, approximately $4,000
miles having been built in that space
of time. By means Of slides thrown on
screen, Col. Luce showed the work that
had already been done and the location
Of their terminals at Minneapolis. The
terminals will be situated at End. Ave.
North and Seventh Streets, practically in
the heart of the city of Minneapolis.
Their right of way into the city consti-
tutes the finest entrance that any electric
line could wish.
In the course OF his remarks Col. Luce
showed the necessity of having terminals
in the heart of the city, by showing the
dilemma that the Dan Patch line and
others were in when they had to discharge
their passengers on the outskirts OF the
cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Said
he, ''This is not paper company, but
reality. We have such faith in the pro-
position that we are willing to put our
money in with yours and are confident
that our common stock will be on divi-
dend paying basis in a very short time,
because there is nothing stronger than CO.
operation and with the help OF all the
stock holders along the line a good busi-
ness can be built up in a very short time"
What appealed to most OF those present
was when he told them that with their
limited trains which will make stops only
every Is miles or so, they expect to make
the.distance from New Ulm to Minneapo-
lis in about two and half hours, and
these trains will be run every two hours,
SO as to make it convenient for the travel
ing public. Freight could and would be
carried at the present express rates OF
speed. By means Of better facilities for
reaching New Ulm, the people in the
neighborhood would come here oftener
and the oftener they come the more OPP
portunities would present themselves for
the sojourners in. our city to spend some
Of their money.
It was originally planned to run the
Luce Line along the Minnesota River and
a preliminary survey was made with that
in view, but it was found impracticable by