The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-01-21

Speaking of prosperity--the Cooper
Underwear company has the real pros
perity story today and it is, a story
which rings true in Kenosha and means
a lot to Kenosha people. This morning
President R. S. Cooper of the company
announced new plans for the future and
at the same time he began a search for
young women of Kenosha who are will
ing to accept positions with the com
pany. The first advertisement of the
company asks for fifty girls and these
young women are needed to carry out
the plan of the company to increase the
capacity of the muslin underwear de-
partment by so per cent. The Cooper
company started making men s athletic
underwear last July. It was : new
venture in new line and the depart
ment has increased just 500 per cent
since it was opened ana it is now in-s.
creasing with the same rapidity. In
fact, when the fifty new operatives are
put to work in this department it will
be the largest muslin, underwear de-
partment in the United States and this
means the largest. in the world.
Aside from this the department
where the knit underwear is made has
increased phenomenally during the past
few months and the directors of the
company are now debating whether to
blast the frozen ground with dynamite
or to wait until the opening of spring
before work is started on great new
building which will contain 10000 feet
of floor space. The building will be
directly north and connecting with the
present factory building and it will
have a basement and four stories. Work
on the building is being rushed on ac-
count of the fact that the company IS
now unable to fill its orders and orders
are coming in so fast that the new
plant is necessity.
"Yol can see the need of the in.
crease in the size of the plant when [
say that we are turning down orders, "
said Pres dent Cooper this morning
@ In the past few weeks we have had
offers of twelve bona tide orders for
underwear to be shipped to the coun-
tries in Europe now at war, but we are
unable to accept these orders on ac-
count of the fact that we can not I'LL
the orders for domestic trade. Our
statesmen in many territories in the
country are now forced to put on as
sistants in order to take care of The
retail dealers who are seeking to han
die the Kenosha made products The
domestic trade is being expanded every
day and we want to feel that we are
able to take care Of the home trade be-
fore we accept order to ship goods to
other countries. The increase in the
business has Of course been gratifying
to us and we are hopeful that it will
prove of real value to the people of
Kenosha. We are making this a real
Kenosha institution. We are advertis-
ing for English speaking girls and you
will notice that we want Kenosha girls.
It is the policy of the company to en-
ploy only Kenosha residents and we
seek to carry out this policy at all
times. We have had applications from
many girls from Racine and other cit
les, but we have always said to these
young women that we were part of the
city of Kenosha and that we felt that
it was the duty we owed to Kenosha
to employ Kenosha people"
The Cooper company is not emily
for an increase in the plant
but the clerical force in the office has
been increased three hundred per cent
during the present year and the in
creases are still going on.
Interesting in the business of the
is the adoption of trade
mark. Henry s. Cooper has been ac-
lively connected with the knitting bust
ness since 1876 and his name has al
ways been associated with the highest
quality of products from the knitting
mills. Starting now every piece turned
put from the Cooper plant in Kenosha
will bear a label, Cooper Quality since
1876" Henry S. Cooper has retired
from the presidency of the Kenosha
but he is still one of the most
active influences in the management Of
he great and constantly growing plant.
The Cooper company has been dis
;inctively Kenosha company and It's
growth and the coming of new. eraeof
greater prosperity will be of special
interest to Kenosha people.