Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-08-18

| Tact that these factories draw wealth
| from the rest of the world and pour
! ii into these three cities. Fifty
! thousand dollars every seven DAYS
! comes to increase the business of the
| merchants and the banks Take
away this sum and every person in
| The economic area Of these kennebec
| places would find his pocketbool1
| touched.
a "Shoe Minded" Valley
! Manager George G. Clarke of the
! Augusta Chamber of Commerce has
| given his views upon the shoe bust
ness TO the journal in the following
! statement. The future of the valley
will lie in the development of this in
! dustry, in his opinion.
In my opinion the three cities, Au-
gusta, Hallowel and Gardiner will
find their greatest future develop
| lnent in the shoe industry. These
three cities must be taken as unit
and collectively they make com
nunity Of shoe minded people. quick
80 learn the various processes in
Nolved in the manufacture of shoes,
; energetic and speedy and capable
| of turning out shoes that can COM
| pete in the open market with the
| product Of other sections of the
! country. No better evidence Of the
| skill and productivenes Of the peo-
; PIE Of the three above mentioned
! Kennel &C cities need be given than
; the wei known fact that Augusta
} has made shoes in ever increasing
| quantities in spite of the general in
/ dustrial depression that has prevail
! Ell during the past ten months. These
! shoes have been made and sold
! against the keenest kind of compe-
/ tltion for two reasons % the shoes
! are we'll made and ,2l the cost of
/ making them is slightly less than the
! cost in other localities
| Augusta, HalIowell and Gardiner
are admirably located as regards two
! things: G). available labor Of the
! highest type. and te'. low cost OF
! living as compared with other shoe
! cities. These cities are fortunate in
| having plenty of American labor, the
4 - P' " NoihIlldil WHO is QUICK 10
| appreciate the viewpoint of his en-
! ployer, who can speak face to face
! as man 10 many without suspicion Of
! ms employers motives and sense Of
! fair play. men and women who think
| for themselves and who can no. be
! thrown out Of balance by radical
propaganda. All that was best in the
y St,an hA
| with his men and each knew the
! others first name and all about his
family and fortunes and hopes and
ambitions, Las been preserved in
! these kennebec shops. Loyalty and
j corporation are also key words. En-
| pioyces and employers work together
! in the shops and shout together at
the ball games and By this splendid
fellowship and spirit of Corporation
they have been allie to build up the
, industry in which they are mutually
, engaged.
Located as they are in one of the
, most fertile valleys in New England
, where rich soil prevails and where
me products OF farm and field may
: ne had at reasonable rates. served
by tsilcy that makes possible low
! rents, both in and around the cities.
l. IS possible for the resident of these
three cities to save money from his
; pay envelope, to. accumulate both
personal property and real estate ana
there is just enough competition be-
tween the merchants in the three
busy shopping districts Of Augusta.
] Halloreii and Gardiner. to keep
prices for clothing, furniture, shoes
ard food at the minimum
Expansion Lies in Shoe Industry
"As times goes on the people Of the
three cities will become more and
more proticio ut in their work and
still further laurels Will be added to
those already won in the shoe in
dustrT. After the most careful
analysis | feel that the fuure. from
the standpoint Of industrial expansion
OF these cities lies in the further
development of the shoe industry.
The Chamber of Commerce will use
lis entire resources 10 bringing in
new factories, large and small. for
the manufacture of mems, women's
and chlldren's shoes as fast as the
community can absorb them and as
as the shoe industry freaks up in
the larger centors we expect to get
our shore Of the new business that
will result"
That is the story. Shoes. shoes.
ana still more OF them with every
pair bringing wealth to the valley,