Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-02-12
DOUGLAS PLANT TO BE RE-.
sUlLT-coNcERN CAPITAL. I.
lied At 100000.
WILL BUILD FACTORY ON
SITE OF FORMER PLANT
City outbids Peoria for Mamr 9th
csnosrn-To Add 70 Prsduets 81
Former Starch Plant Destroyed BY
Explosien-vtill Employ i,4oo Men,
According to Announcement

CeQdr Raplus, Z Ops AsACQuisisaoA
of another industry which should
earn for Cedar Rapids a. much ma.
tional recognition as the Quaker Oats
was formally announced by the
Chamber Of Commerce. The new
enterprise, which in reality will be
an expansion Of Penick q Ford, Linz
tied, of New Orleans, the largest re-
finers Of food molasseA, In tho world,
will represent an investment locally
OF approximately so.oUe.o0o. 1t will
be a consumption Of the Douglas
Starch Manufacturing Company.
which was practically put out Of
business by an explosion and fire
last May, but will be operated on
much wider scale.
The announcement yesterday
crystalizes the deal which has been
pending ever since the starch works
disaster, and about which there have
been numerous and varying rumors
concerning the kind of organization
ital that would be involved. 1t had
been generally known In business and
commercial circles for some time that
negotiations were under way Tor
bringing to this city one of the larg-
est industries in the country, but the
details were not given formal pub
licity because of requests that the
newspapers withhold it until all ar
engagements had been perfected.
Add to Products.
The Penick G. Ford concern has
been in existence for twenty years
and has molasses refineries and fac
tories in four different cities in the
Memphis and Jackson, Miss. In COM
ing to Cedar Rapids the company Is
branching out In the manufacture OF
new products, it being announced
that in addition to the regular prod
ucts of the former Douglas company.
which consisted Of starch, corn oil
and stock feed, corn syrup will be
added.
The capital interested will be prac-
tically all foreign, which Is empha-
sized by the officers of the new COM
pany, which announces the absolute
purchase Of the holdings of the for.
mer Douglas company. A. W. II.
Lenders, vice president and manager
of the former Cedar Rapids COM
pany. will be retained in a like ca
pacity with the new concern, and it
was admitted that it was due to his
earnest endeavors that this city was
chosen as the northern location, and
not Peoria. Since the suspension Of
operation Of the Douglas plant, Mr.
Lenders has had many overtures to
affiliate himself with other enter
prises. outside Of Cedar Rapids and
could even have profited greater in
financial way had he induced the
Penick & Ford company to accept
the Peoria proposition instead Of the
one offered here.
y In addition to the plant and facili-
ties belonging to the Douglas COM
pany, which will be taken over as
whole. the new company will immedi-
ately spend $4,000, 200 in new build
ings, additional plant properties and
equipment. The expansion of the old
plant naturally necessitates consid-
era BILE additional territory, and one
of the principal features which at
tracte dthe concern was the willing
ness Of the city to procure neighbor-
ing properties. Thru the chamber
Of commerce options have been, OBJ
tanned on the block between Eighth
avenue and the Milwaukee right Of
way, First street and II street west.
A committee of business men has
been engaged on this end of the pro-
ject for several weeks. and the, final
option was obtained late last night
there being twenty separately owned
properties involved.
Build Now Refinery.
Prominent in the way Of expansion
will be the erection Of new refinery
and canning plant. which will enable
the production Of the new product,
corn syrup. When completed, the
plant will have grinding capacity Of
$4,000 bushels Of corn day, and in
practically every department the ca
pacity of daily production will be ma
terially increased. 1t Is reported that
the company contemplated an aver
age production of twic,. that of the
old company.
Employ 100 Mon
A general indication of the magni-
,tude Of the plant and Row 1t will be
an invaluable asset to the city, is
plainly visible n the announcement
that between 1900 and 400 men will
be employed soon after actual opera
ton is begun. All Of the employee.
will have to be furnished by Cedar