The Belding banner-news., 1919-09-24
SAYS BELDING IS A
GOOD HUNDRED CITY


CONTINUED from page one.)
equipped for the production Of brass
| castings during the war to make bull
lets for Uncle Sam. With the end Of
| the war, the work was discontinued
and the plant left just as it had been
during its busy days. Announcement
was made few days ago that the
company was going to reopen the
| factory at once. This will give Bel
ding another Woodworking industry
and add another unit TO its versatile
industries.
The silk mills of Belding are suffi-
ciently interesting and important to
Justify chapter by themselves, and
they would receive il were space.
available for that purpose. For
more than half century the indus
try that put the city in the map has
fiourished in all weathers and sea-
sons, through busy and depressed
tines. The mills have been represen-
tative, also, of the best ideals of con-
structive industry. While high class
silk was being produced, the work.
ers have been housed and employed
under a condition that made for their
best developement, loyalty and desire
for high grade craftsmanship.
The first thing that impresses the
visitor in the mills is the immaculate
cleanliness of the workrooms. Large
forces of men in all departments and
units work continuously to keep all
dust and dirt removed. The long
workrocms remind one of a base hos
pital in a well conducted camp, where
neat attendants go about quietly at
their appointed tasks, without con-
fusion.
The progress Of making cloth or
thread out of the skeins of silk as
they come frcm their wicker con-
tainers all the way from Japan is
process that must be seen to be APP
preciated and enjoyed. The mere de-
scription is matter of futile words.
So ingenious is the machinery, so
well does it absorb all the routine
and drudgery, so considerate is it to
the tiny strands of the fine work Of
the precious silkworm that only a
visit through the plant would suffice
to give the interested person a real
idea of what the mills at Belding
accomplish.
One of the most interesting phases
of the silk industry is the manner in
which the employees are cared for.
Young women come to Belding from
all over the country to work in these
mills, for they have an enviable rep
utaticn for their humanness. To the
stranger within its gates. ,Eelding
is very good. If that stranger is
woman. There are three handsome
and completely equipped dormitories,
each with rooms to care for about 100
girls in comfort and without over
crowding. The buildings lcok as nice
and are as comfortable and the ma
irons are of the sort that keep one
reminded of home ties. Charges are
all very nominal and food and all
other factors of life in these buildings
are of the kind that answer every
normal requirement.
The plants of Belding Bros. & Co.
and the Richardson Silk Company are
now under unified control. The Bel
ding interests, prior to the absorp-
tion, were the larger. Its plants con-
tain 20 acres of floor space and the
employees aggregate 5000 year. The
industry is capitalized at $4,000, 900.
This represents growth and service
for, when the industry was founded in
1868, it's original capitalization was
$4,000.
Two men, each with more than 80
years of service to their credit, man
age the silk factories operations. F.
w. Howard is in charge of the Bel
ding mills and F. A. Washburn is
head of the Richardson plant. They
are cordial gentlemen cf the old school
both with a large amount Of civic
pride and personal interest in their |
organization. They are respected |
and their judgement sought in the CT
ty and their activities are responsible |
for much Of the common accomplish
ment of the community.
Belding, like almost every other
American city, is short of homes. It's
expanding business interests and the
of its working condi-
tions are constantly bringing new
workers. At present there are no
vacant houses. and Secretary Byron
F. Brown, of the Board of Commerce.
is authority for the statement that
so new homes could be rented as soon
as erected.
IS Owing to the extremely low level
Of rents there has been no great i'm
petus toward building homes for in
vestment purposes. It has been pos
sible to rent a house in the city for
as little as SO per month, and while
this has resulted benefcially. to the
people, 1T has not made for housing
expansion. The city claims to have
more than half its population owning
its own homes. The Belding mills
recently undertook to provide some
more homes and has six houses under
which will approximate
5000 each in cost. That is practi-
cally all of the housing work that has
been done this year.