Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-08

The chance Of lifetime has come
to Augusta and her citizens to gain
not only unlimited wealth but I'M
limited prominence in the business
world. 1t is business plan of great
novelty, but in the minds OF the oriei-
majors and promoters 1t has great
possibilities. One of the foremost
workers in the move to launch this
business and to secure what is bound
to be great proposition, for this city
said yesterday:
Yes. to be sure. We have a great
IDEA and we are at work on it. The
possibilities seem SO great that we
have determined to go slowly and thus
surely. We do not want to make any
mistakes on the start, as this is a mat
ter which has come to stay and which
in time will mean tremendous
amount Of prosperity to the place
which secures it. We hope 1t will be
Augusta, but when the news gets out
we fully expect to be swamped with
applications for us to locate in thi,
and that section. But, Augusta shall
have the plant if she wants it.
The idea is this and l wonder that
no one has before thought of it. You
know that cat skins are valuable and
becoming more SO every year. Now,
we plan to secure a good-sized island:
well protected from the extreme cold
OF winter and we want one we'll pro-
Vided with water. This island will be
carefully divided in halves. No COM
munication between the occupants will
be possible. On one half we shall es-
tablish great colony of cats. On the
other will be greater colony of rats.
Yes, l thought you would be sur
prised and was even prepared to hear
You laugh. but listen! The plan is a
good Jun and a world-beater if carried
out. Hear the plan.
1T is well known that rats multiply
rapidly. in fact four times as fast as
cats. So, just to illustrate, we will
say we have placed 100 cats on one
side of our island. On the other side
we have placed 400 rats. That makes
the right proportion, as you will see.
we are now beginning operations.
The stock is at hand and the opera
tives, who will be skilled men in their
line, are ready. To continue the illus
tration we will say we kill one cat.
The skin of that cat is removed and
carefully prepared for the fur mar
ket by our skilled help.
And now for the great idea. the one
which will bring to all interested vast
wealth. The carcass of that cat will
be thrown over into the rats en-
closure. Why? Because-and listen
we'll One carcass will furnish food
for four rat for one day See? Then.
once a day, whenever the feeding time
may be. we will throw four live rats
over into the cats enclosure. Why?
Because-and listen we'll. Four rats
will furnish food for one cat for one
day. See?
There is the whole proposition in
nutshell. The cats will furnish food
for the rats to wax fat and multiply
and the rats will return the compli-
ment so there will be no friction, no
trouble, but a steady increase of cats
and rats--we all the time having more
cat skins for the market and the price
all the time going higher and higher.
See?
NO, I am not at liberty to make
public the names of the promoters. but
I will say that we are at work on the
organization Of the company and we
propose going ahead as fast as posi-
BILE. So, if you want any stock / will
see that a block is reserved for you.'
| The Journal man admits that he was
| interested. But he also had an idea.
And not wishing to invest cold cash
when his idea might be worth thou
sands, he suggested that his idea
might be exchanged for stock. That
proposition is under advisement. but