Norwich bulletin., 1916-01-08
TOOK HOLD OF HOUSING PROBLEM
Hopkins and Allen President Promsies to Pay $20O00 if Housing Company Raises $1O.0O0 in Week Housing Company Officers Look Upon Prospects With Enthusiasm.

MCGregOr or the 1Opk1nS ana Alien Arms company revealed the possibiii- pany in the manufacture of rifles for the warning nations in Europe,
 Speaking of his Knowledge of the immense pressure of business upon all United States and of the fact that two New York men are now trying to place on order of 3:000.0 900 rifles for the Rus sian government, President McGregor stated that the present situation boiled down to the fact that the only arms manufacturing plant in the coun- try now in a position to book any more orders for delivery in a reason able time is the Hopkins and Allen Arms company of Norwich.
 This came in the course of an ex- ceedingly lucid explanation given by President McGregor of the status of the arms manufacturing business gem orally and of the situation as regards the Hopkins and Allen Arms company particularly, and the 325 men present plause as they did numerous other points in President McGregor's ad- dress before the meeting called by the Norwich Housing company to con slider the Norwich situation as to pro- vide housing accommodations for. the influx of new employees of the com pany when 1t gets to work on the pres ent contract which it has with the Bel gian government to furnish 15O,o0o Mauser rifles.
 Will Match s1o,ooo With $2o,ooo.
 There were other points in which the enthusiasm of the meetong broke forth into applause and one of these was when President McGregor capped the climax of the meeting by stating the Housing company at this meet ing the second $20,000 which the Hop- kins and Allen Arms company had subscribed conditionally would be paid over by Treasurer George s. Watts at once.
 After the meeting had adjourned President McGregor extended the time for raising the $10.000 to a week, agreeing to pay the $20,oo0 on call as soon as the $10,000 was subscribed and that the Housing company should keep on to raise second $10,000.
 The officers of the Housing com pany expressed themselves as greatly gratified with the spirit shown in the meeting and the progress that had been made and declared. their confident been started in it for more subscrip- lions was certain to realize that re- suits that are the goal.
 For the City of Norwich.
 President Walter F. Lester of the Norwich Housing company. opened the meeting with brief explanatory, re- marks as to the purpose of the meet ing which he said was not in the in- terest of any company of individuals or corporation except the corporation of the city of Norwich in which the citizens ought to look upon themselves. as all partners and work together with confidence and harmony. Opportuni- ty is knocking at our doors he said, and we want to hold the door wide open. The Hopkins and Allen Arms company has gone forward in good faith, made its investments in Nor wich real estate and equipped it's fac- tory to do the work on its con- whether Norwich is to live up to its part of the obligation. He believed we were to do so.
 Mayor Murphy Speaks.
 Mayor T. c. Murphy was introduced nd was greeted with applause as he rose to speak. He said he wished to speak as a citizen and he referred to the mary efforts he had made to get industries to locate in Norwich, but we had one right within our doors, coming unsolicited and locating right in the heart of our city.
 He spoke in admiration of President McGregor and of the way one Nor wich man had spoken when they went to ,him on Friday and told him that MT. McGregor wanted to close liar vey lane. That was was Thomas A. Holmes, said the mayor, and his answer had been that President Mo Gregor and the Hopkins and Allen Co. can have the whole lane if they want it. (Applarse.)
 Hopkins 6 Allen President.
 President McGregor of the Hopkins & Allen company was given a rousing greeting as he was introduced by President Lester, the citizens rising iand applauding as MT. McGregor step- ped to the front of the desk.
 At the opening of his address MT. McGregor briefly reviewed the business that the company was engaged in, stat ing that 12 1-2 per cent. was paid on the Belgian contract when it was signed and that another 12 Ia per cent. was paid last October when the company had completed certain con- ditions- But this money is to be used for making rifles and not for building houses, and the money that the Hop kins & Allen company has already subscribed to the Housing company was not the money from the contract He made this statement, he said, be- cause he had heard it argued that the Hopkins & Allen company had plenty of money and could build their own houses.
 Work on the contract is proceeding nicely, he said, and along in April we will be employing some 2,500 or 5000 men and women. There is much of the work that can be done as well by women as by men.
 At the present time there are q different factories that are making the tools for the Hopkins & Allen com pany. The machinery Is now practi- cally all in. but before it can be start ed the smaller tools must be had It would have been impossible to make these tools in two years in Norwich, but soon they will be coming in, and then the company must have the men and the houses for them to live in.
 Real estate investments won't run away, said the mayor, and are the surest and best.
 Quoting from the Review of Reviews, the mayor gave figures as follows to show the remarkable gains in popyila- tion made in American cities that have benefited by war orders in their in- dustries:
 City. Before the War. Now. Bridgeport =. so,0os 14o. 900 Hopewell, Va. ... .... 1S,000 Penns Grove, N. J. 1000 5000 City Point. Va. 200 5000 Dupont Witty, Va. ... 5000 Carney'e Pt., N. J. ... $500 Petersburg, Va. 2b,000 32,000 Wilmington, Del. .. S7,411 110,000 Detroit, Mich. .... 100000 6S2.O 900 Bethlehem, Pa. .. 12,83T 1s,2OO