The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-12-14
Industrial Report of Fairmont Gives
Many Suggestions for Improving
Bad Conditions of City
NEED FOR PARKS AND FAIRGROUNDS SHOWN
Property Not Assessed at True Vaues-Wages Lower
Here-Food Prices Lower Than CIarksburg-
Surplus Female Labor.

That fairmOnt is Il good town in
which to live and that living condi
tons here are as good, and are better
IN some respects, than III other cItIcI
OF the same size is the general con
cluslon reached after careful peTusal
OF the Industrial report OF the city
recently made by the Baltimore and
Ohio Commercial Development de-
partment, copy OF which was receiv.
ed by the local Chamber OF Commerce
today. The report goes thoroughly in.
TO every detail and phase OF condi
lions for living and WORKING in this
city as well as comprehensive sur.
Xey of the opportunities Tor industrial
development Ill Fairmont
This report, which is a closely type.
written book Of lI5 pages, lists The
bad qualities OF the city as well as
the good. and contains many sugses
lions for improvement in various lines
The book Is divided into IL chapters
Including the summary and Conciu
Sions. and the intrUuuc ion. Each o.
ethe chapters is pacNcd with statistics
tand a number of maps and pictures are
inserted to make the work more clear.
The summary and Conr!us. ons,
n,
devoteS Il great amount o. space to
statistics and gives the population az
10000. OF which less than | per cent
is estimated as negro ana less than
per cent. Is foreign. The assessed
valuation OF the city is given as SIS,
763,524. Nine schools are listed as
being in the city and the total number
of churches is given as II. The csti
mated population of the county is
;. give at $4,000. The elevation OF the
town is given as 279 feet.
In the line OF suggestions and mat,
ters in the city that could be improv
ed are the following health recommen-
dations: Close private wells. pro
vide milk inspection 10 check tuber.
culosis, and provide one full time
health office" As to the county and
the city i'll general the survey gives
the following: Tax rate is S1.9ll4
per 500 including state. county. dis.
trict and city taxes. Assessments
equal about two.thirds OF the actual
value"
Regarding labor supply this chapter
says that both boys AMI men are
scarce at present. in keeping however,
with conditions over the entire COuu.
try, but that there are approximately
500 women available for employment
AS for the wages paid here they arc
summarized as being slightly lower
than is paid for the same class i'll 9th.
er cities and sections OF the coun
try.
Tho gas and electric supply is re
ported as being n good asset of the
community and the production Of coal
Is given as. from 100000 to 1000.
900 tons annually. The assets of the
five banks here are given as SS,O00,.
900 with more than 1900 depoSitors.
The fact that there are excellent fac.
tory sites offered here by the Cham.
Der of Commerce and that it is prob.
ably a good opening for wholesale
grocery. drug and dry goods houses is
given and Il portion Of the summary
Is devoted to the Monongahela Valley
Traction company. In connection with
the factory sites and business oppor.
tunitieS the fact is told that the city
Is at the head Of navigation and slack
water IS maintained to Pittsburgh nv
n series OF IL locks.
In the introductory chapter. after
giving the reasons and the manner OF
obtaining the various statistics, the re.
port states that the death rate here
Is but 11.3 per thousand for last year.
The two most serious diseases are
given as typhoid and tuberculosis. The
fact that there are many wells In the
city, is given as an unfavorablc fea.
ture, and that many Of the cases of
typhoid have been traced to this
source.
Among the undesirable features of
the city mentioned in this chapter is
that the city has no sewerage dis.
posal system. The condition OF the
sewers flowing into the river and in
many places standing in creeks is
given as dangerous. Much space Is
given to the water supply of the city
and the mention is all favorable.
The urgent need of the city for parks
and Fairgrounds is given In the re.
port and the fact Is stated that al
present there are no parks or play
grounds. The hotel condition is bad
according TO the report although the
construction OF the new hotel is men.
toned