The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-12-03
Commercial Club Gives First
Dinner Under That Name.
Interesting Features in Tope-
ka's Business Presented.
A TELEGRAPH TRANSM|TTER
Valuable Article Made in Fac
tory Employing so Persons.
One Business Has Increased
%Fifty-FOId in Seven Years.

Topeka has an institution engaged
in the manufacture of machines Whlcn
1engtken the usefulness OF the AVes OF
telegraph operators. This Is just one
of the interesting facts that was pre-
sented to the business men OF the city
last aight at the first Know Your
TowSl'' dinner at the CommerclaI club-
E. H Piersen of the Piersen Iele-
graph Transmitter company. exhIb-
tied one of the telegraph transnltters,
which won the grand prize at the Pan
aTnzk-Pacific exposition, and told some
thing about the machine.
'"Fhe average life of sending OPP
orator in telegraph office is ten
years" said Mr.. Piersen. After that
the man becomes incapacitated with
some form of arm paralysis, common
ly known among operators as the
glass arm BY the use of the tele-
graph transInitter so per cent or the
work of the operator is eliminated and
the other 20 per cent is distributed
over ten fingers and two arms in
stead of one arm and three fingers as
In the old way"
This humanitarian machine was
revelation to the business men who
attended the dinner and there was
ga eat deal of interest in the machine
that is manufactured at 700 East
Eighth street Fifty people are en-
pioyed in the factory.
Works Like a Typewriter.
The machine resembles a typewriter
and Is operated like a typewriter but
transmits the Geographic symbols
eyer the wire. Through this machine
Topeka will not only be put on the
rap as the home of a nationally
known article but of an Internal ton
lilly known product
MI. S Putney, president of the Road
Supply & Metal company, gave some
figures on his business that caused
considerable interest Mr.. Putney
and his company have been in To-
VI,A r.I1
CT business has increased seven times
Eevenfold. In the year ending De-
cember 1, the company spent $4i,2S9
in Topeka.
handles anything from a two-horse
grader weighing $50 pounds, to a
6,5OO-pound grader and builds Gull
verts that will last for fifty years.
- These men who have been making
slseeches against permanent road
building and calling attention to
uas.e in obsolete wood and metal Gull
@arts don't know what they are talk
Tag about" said Mr.. Putney. Their
talk is as tinny as tin culverts.
Credit to Commercial Club.
70 the CONNER cial club Mr.. I'utney
gaze all the credit for the start of
the concern which has shown such Il
remarkable growth
- t'When we came to Topeka seven
Years ago from Michigan we didn't
know where we would locate" he
SAID --Sut after d meeting with some
of the members of the Commercial
club we decided to stay. There was
scmething about that meeting that
Inspired confidence in the town. That
confidence still remains and our mot
r. sfag 3 Always isiD'"s' mo-
the third Topeka industry to be
told about at the dinner was the To-
pekA Foundry Manufacturing com
pany. NJ. Masching, president of the
company, explained the work of the
foundry and showed that the business
was having a healthy growth.
sA''We need more room," Mr.. Masch-
ing told the business men. IF we
could get the right kind of location we
could increase our business so per
cent by handling the Rock Island
work We are handicapped by lack
CO ROOM
The dinner, which was an expert
x-fent of the publicity committee, made
such a hit with the seventy-five men
vsaae attended that probably it will be
repeated. George P. McEntire, a
member of the publicity committee,
pleaded for more cooperation among
the members of the club, and J. S.
Cerley of the German-American
bank, a. new member of the club, told
of the wonderful growth of Dallas,
Texas, due to the work of a live COM
TrserciaI club, the kind Topeka has.
JIG. Holland, the last speaker, made
another plea for an exposition build
ing that could be open every day IN
the pear for inspection by Topeka
vigztors.
During the dinner music was fur
aished by the Sunflower quintet
MaREB az FA MAFT vhnGRFF