The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-05-20
MORE FACTORIES FOR Hays

luncheon Tuesday noon, Mr.. C. E
Williams pointed out the possibilitiei
for certain kinds of manufacturing
which could be proftably carried OF
IN Hays. Mr.. Williams said thai
while factories, of course, were de
pendent upon certain material things
such as source of supply of the raw
material, distance from the market
!. for the finished product, accessibility
to labor, proper housing facilities fol-
labor, ETC., yet after all, the human
element is the controlling power All
huge industrial successes are explain
able, not on the capital-bonuses given
them, or the natural resources at
hand, but by the brains management
that went into them. We have the
business acumen, we have the push.
There is no reason why we should
not create new sources of wealth and
prosperity from the natural advan-
tages that we have.
Mr.. Williams named the reasons
for the failure of the Cement Factory
at Yocemento, few years ago, and
said that while many people were in
clined to think that that project
would be a success now, that it was
his belief that it would be just as
much a failure now for the reason
that the fuel Oil required to manufac-
! ture a barrel of cement costs about
1918 laid down here, and barrel of
cement at the present time sells for
$500 and it takes about three-fourths
of a barrel of fuel oil to manufacture
barrel of cement, so that the one
item of fuel oil alone would make
that particular venture a failure to-
day just as it was few years ago.
Then the distance from the mark
cts for the finished products was so
great that the freight rate on such
product was another item that would
make success impossible.
However, there is a possibility for
factory in this city for manufactur-
ing paper boxes. Every spring there
ed up in this community which really
should not be destroyed when the
country is crying for paper of all
kinds. There is no question but what
a<boX and paper factory could be
made a success here. It does not re-
quire a great deal of fuel and the
rates are much lower on the manu-
featured product.
Another possibility is a, Condensed
milk factory. It would increase the
value of the land, it would result in
diversified farming and would give
the farmer a weekly pay envelope
and relieve the burden now placed
upon the business firms and the banks
of carrying the farmer for such long
periods on his purchases, besides saw
ing him a great deal of interest on
borrowed funds. In other commun-
tiles the factory has its own trucks
which make the rounds of the farms
and gather up the milk each day. All
the farmer has to do it to set the cans
out by the gate and the trucks gather
them up, weigh them, and each week
sends him a check for the number of
pounds of milk furnished.
Then there is a splendid opportun-
aty for a macaroni factory. The
wheat in this territory is well adapted
to the manufacture of macaroni and
it is in big demand all over the United
States. If we wanted to change our
mill over and manufacture nothing
but flour adapted to macaroni, we
could sell the entire output. The
reason this flour is more adapted to
macaroni is because of the extra
ordinary strength. 1t makes a sort
Of pasty -four and macaroni factory
could be established here for any,
where from $4,000 to $4,000 and
would pay anywhere from 1000 to
20@o on the investment and the out
put could be sold without any trouble.
There are quite number of posi-
billties for small manufacturing
plants which if you had a committee
here to consider such things and get
in touch with people who are interest
ed, could no doubt be secured for
Hays. 1t is true that this county has
a good many handicaps in the way of
transportation but the North and
South railroad may be built some
time in the near future and this will
make Hays double in population in a
short time, and put it on the map as
small manufacturing point Then,
there is no reason why you should not
have more flour mills here. There is
plenty of wheat grown in this county
and the output of our mill will supply
this town with all the flour it needs
for month in ten days, so we don't
find avery large market in Hays and
the location of other mills here would
not make any difference to US.
I think committee should be ap-
pointed to investigate these things
and follow them up.