The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-01-25

ing a special city tax levy FOR band.
George N. Draper said that while
there was such law, this was not
put into the city tax levy.
The discussion brought gu; the fact
that while last year it cost $1,350 to
get the band to give twenty-fo
concerts, this year the band could be
gotten to give twelve concerts for
$500, according to what was UNDER
stood in conversations with William
Sandon
Mr.. Draper remarked that last year
the band concerts had brought thou
sands of people to Mankato and he
thought it very desirable to have
them again this year on that account.
He said there had been some talk of
attaching the band to Company G of
the home guard. Lieutenant Roy
Bates said the proposition was not to
attach the band to Company C but to
make it a part of the headquarters
company of the sixth battalion.
M. F. Sullivan was in favor of hav-
ing the band give the concerts just
on Sunday. 1t was mighty good
way of boosting the town. Help might
be gotten from the street car COM
pany and the city.
H. H. Perrin remarked that Liber-
ty bonds would have to be bought
and war expenses met and it would
be necessary to keep the money in
circulation. He favored an optimism
club. He did not like the continual
cry that people were paying too much
for what they had to buy here. He
criticized the newspapers about this.
There should be something to bring
outsiders to the city of Mankato. Mr.
PERKINS, remarks were greeted with
applause.
Mr.. Fisher hereupon called on all
in favor of a band to stand. 1t ap-
peared that the whole assemblage
rose.
Favor Community Picnic.
The next subject taken up was the
community picnic. Mr.. Fisher re-
marked that the merchants were toe
slow last year to have one. He
thought If the stores should close up
and all the merchants go out to the
picnic, taking the band out there, he
believed it would go far to elimin-
ate much of the hostile feeling that
had been spreading through the
country.
Mr.. Richards favored going ahead
with the picnic.
Mr.. Draper at this time told how
he was called before the grand jury
about the Merchants association. He
was kept on the carpet for an hour
and a half. He told the grand jury
that the association was not a body
to fix prices He told his questioners
that if they did not pay their bills
| they would find out what it was for
Mr.. Fisher said the idea of the as
sOciation fixing prices was absurd
If the grocer, for example, should fix
prices, the other members would tel
them where to get off at" The as
ISOLATION was an organization of all
kinds of business. How could such
an organization fix prices?
He went on to say that the farm
ers were the only ones these days
who got enough additional pay to
Offset the increased cost of every.
| thing. This was not true of clerks
school teachers, preachers and 9TH
ers. The farmers had the money
They were good bunch of men, il
one got on the right side of them.
| Mr.. Sullivan remarked that he con
sidered it slam on the business mer
of Mankato to bring any of them be-
fore the grand jury, as was done. He
thought those who did that owed the
association an apology
! Mr.. Fisher now called on all O
those present who would close III
| their stores and go out to the com.
munity picnic to stand up. AS al
stood up, he told them not to for
/ get it.
The Bank Plan.
A. e. Berg, the secretary, gave his
report, which included a very inter.
esting statement of the working Of
the bank plan of carrying credits
By this plan, man who owes
number of bills to different mer.
chants makes his payments on tn,
whole amount at once at a certain
bank. Each merchant receives from
the bank the money for the full
amount of his bill and gives back
note to the bank in that sum. Aft
er the bank has collected the none,
from the debtor, it is divided u
among the creditors and the note
are paid off, Mr.. Berg said:
|, Since the bank plan was first pu
into operation last May we hav,
made sixteen loans aggregating So,
) 4SS.1 The first bank to take thi
: up was the Mankato State bank iron
, whom we have borrowed $631. S5
The National Citizens bank was th
| second to follow with loans aggregat
) ing 1868. 03. The First National banl
| was paid back 1887 The loan
, have been paid back to each respec
tive bank as follows: Mankato Stat
!, bank, $149 so; National Citizen
, bank $3.50; First National, $62; tota
: paid, $600.5O Balance unpaid, 81,
SS7 81.
: II wish to make It perfectly clea
: that these loans have been made a
/ irregular intervals and extendin
/ from the month of May up to tn
present month This accounts fo
the large amount that remains un
paid, but which is really not due a
D yet in many instances. Some of TIL
debtors have never missed a singl
payment. A few have been rattle
careless but the others have dor
ri very well and have paid as prompt
as means have permitted Taken a
r a whole and in view of the abnorm;
7 conditions of money matters. til
/. debtors have done very well. Tt
e Dank plan affords the well meanin
g debtor a splendid opportunity |
G work his way out of debt and VI