Martinsburg journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1920-1977, 1922-09-23
MOVE TO PUT WMSPT.
PIKE IN CONDITION
FOR NORMAL TRAVEL
Action Taken After Statement
From interviewer.

Following upon a visit to the
manufacturing plant of the Inter
woven Mills, Inc. yesterday after
noon during which the tremendous
value of the plant to the city as a
business and economic asset was
yisibly demonstrated to the mem
bers of the County Court, represen-
tatives of the Wiliamsport Turn
pike Company and Chamber OF
Commerce who were shown over
the plant by President c. w. Kill
bourn and Resident Agent George
". F. Mulliss, a committee from
the Chamber was named yesterday
afternoon TO confer with road CON
struction contractors regarding the
type and cost of maintaining a
roadbed on the Willamsport pike
between this city and the river
within the revenue Of the pike
corporation This committee in
cludes c. w Kilbourn, Ward Nc
!4anahan and b. A. Poland. They
will act Immediately with the view
Of getting repairs under way on
the road promptly so that normal
travel over the road may be re-
sumcd and the concededly bad
conditions, on account of the poor
state of repair in which the sur
face stands at present, remedied.
interviewer Wants Action
Attention to the need was focus
sed through the announcement by
the interviewer people that the
Williamsport pike is in such con
ditioa that it is too costly for them
to use it in pursuing their present
arrangement of shipping raw ma
terial from their parent plant here
to the branches in Hagerstown,
Cham bersburg and other points by
auto truck and bringing back the
gray" or unfinished material for
the finishing processes here. No
finishing work whatsoever is done
at the branches, it was explained,
and the management has proceed
ed on the theory that it would
continue the ever growing plant
here as the exclusive finishing fac
tory, from which the finished pro
ducts are distributed directly to
the retailers through the Interwo-
ven Stocking Company, Inc, with
offices in New Brunswick, n. j.
The company explained that it is
I'D against the problem of making
further expansion in its finishing
equipment. With guaranteed good
roads between this city and the
town whore branches are-Hag-
orstown, Chambersburg, Greencas-
tie, Shippensburg, Berkeley Springs
and Hancock, through Hagerstown
and Harpers Ferry to the SOUTH
the additional equipment would be
located without hesitation here.
But because of the poor road to
HagerstoWn the management de
clared it was compelled to provide
for the future and determine whe-
Their it would be more economical
to take the expansion to Hagers-
town, where the company is about
ready TO omen a new spinning de
partment that will eventually have
as many machines as in the plant
here, from which good roads radi-
ate to all branch towns except
Harpers Ferry. The crux of the
problem IS the road and the pros
poets for the future, it was said
The raw material is distributed
from this point by a fleet OF six or
seven trucks, with more being add
ed gradually. and the gray stock
IS returned here in the same way.
Use of the trucks is economical
because it gives quick delivery. en-
ables the factory TO work the ma
terial into finished products with.
out delay, avoids having stock and
capital represented by it tied up on
the railroads for periods, and is
generally expeditions; but to con
tinue the sytem it will be neces
sary to have the road in good
shape all the time, winter and sum
mer, because the trucks will be
used al the time.
Repair Within Income
The impression was given by the
business men generally that they
believed the road could be kept in
repair with the funds derived from
the tolls ON the road and still leave
funds for a dividend, The latest an
nual report of the turnpike com
pany showed receipts up to March
the end Of the fiscal year, with {
balance of $441S.76 from the pre-
cedins year, amounting to $24731.
Ga; the expenditures shown in tn,
report amounted TO $21,732S5. leav
ing a cash balance Of $2,998.79, l
was thought by some that the roat
could be put into first class condi
ton for $4,000 or $1,000 and KEEP
ar thar 0Oint