The Mankato free press., 1923-04-20

| tune Mr.. OISOn has served as eXecu-
tive secretary of that organization. The
entire arrangement has proven very
| satisfactory. and has resulted in good
! for both organizations. Building plans
are obtained for the use OF members
I all Of whom are notified by mail Of re
/ Ceipt Of such plans. This exchange is
rendering u real service 10 Mankato as
IL enables many of our contractors TO
secure Jobs that they otherwise in
! many instances, would probably never
! hear about. The Exchange holds a
luncheon meeting at the association
Offices on the first Monday of each
month. excepting during the summer
, months.
+ MILITARY MATTERS
Valuable assistance was rendered by
the Civic and Commerce association in
securing basis for credit in order that
the seating for the Mankato armory
could be purchased. Firms and in
dividuals signed 500 notes for the pur-
pose. 1t is not the intention, however,
to have the signers pay for the notes in
question. as ii is the plan to raise the
necessary money through entertain
ments or in some other way. A COM
mittee has been selected to cooperate
with the Orpheus club in the advance
sale OF tickets for that splendid or
ganiZations Spring Music festival
which is TO be held in May. The Or
pheus Club gave a note for $1,000 when
seating. and has generously offered to
apply the proceeds from the music
festival. after actual expenses have
been paid. on this note and any profits
the general indebtedness. The Armory
would not he complete as a community
building without this seating
Now that we have the enlarged ar
mory. we can hardly understand how
we got along without it. Yet, il did not
wit bnlyt effort HiffirI,It
task to convince some OF our people
that we needed such a structure in
Mankato. We had several committees
that worked patiently and diligently
for a long time To bring the PROPOSE
tion TO a reality. One of our member
ship meetings was devoted TO q dis
Cussion of the question. and those of
YOU who were there will no doubt re-
call that there was some strong op-
position manifested at that meeting
Let it be said however: in a spirit Of
fairness. that thetproposal at that time
was for the construction OF new
building entirely. The point is never
the-less that many fine' things would
he done quicker il it were possible TO
set the public 10 see things with
clearer vision.
II is hardly necessary to call atten-
tion again to the interest that the as
sOciation has demonstrated time and
again in orr national guard. When the
men returned from camp in 1921, we,
with the cooperation OF the ElkS pro-
Vided more than 500 of them with a
sunptuous feast A committee from
this association appeared before the
city council In behalf of the regiment
al band, who were awarded the sum
mer concert contract. We also raised
more than $500, OF which the associa-
tion paid about one third out of its
funds, In order to provide the band
with a leader. The balance of the
money was raised through a tag day
and through dances. conducted by the
committee. When the re-organized
band was waiting a new supply of
musical instruments from Washington.
the association helped to speed up
matters by dispatching a wire to
Washington. Our National Guard COM
panies bring a considerable amount OF
money to Mankato yearly, in the form
OF compensation for enlisted men, and
are of value to the community in many
other ways
On November 11th. last, the associa-
ton had placards printed and distri-
| buted to business houses announcing
the ArmistiCe day closing.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
Securing new industries for q COM
munity during the past three years,
which were years of curtailment
rather than years of expansion, has
peen a well nigh impossible task. We
nave had strong industrial committees
functioning constantly. and while some
results have been achieved, they have
been only in a small way. No single
committee of the association has put
In so much time on its work as has the
industrial committee. Many out of
town inspection trips have been made
a special committee was sent to Chi
cago at the expense Of the association
in one instance. We have plenty in
Qulries'. but investigation usually dis
closes that the concern in question il
on the verge Of bankruptcy and wants
to be re-fnanced or wants n big bonus
or wants to float a big issue of stock,
and in such instances the committee
cannot see its way clear to continue
it's negotiations. Getting industries from
without is not usually as sound nor as
wise a policy as developing industries
/ already here, or developing them from
within.
The Truth Tool company was brought
| to Mankato by our industrial commit
| tee, as was also the local units of the
st. James Cab and Body Manufacture
ing company. and the Bowen Paper
company was established here as a re-
| suit OF activities OF this association
Nearly ever community in the United
| States has made a bid for the proposed
Yeomens Childrens' School Home and
| so have we. and we have good reason
to believe that -Mankatos sight is still
| in the running. This association had
a representative in the Minnesota del
egaton that went to Des Moines. where
the society's headquarters are located.
| last December to help present Mime
sofas case in the question. The mark
| ed improvement that has taken place
| in business conditions should make it
easier for Mankato to secure worth
while industries in the future.
LEGISLATION
/ All of us are effected by legislation.
so it is quite natural that our associa-
| tion finds itself interested in Iegisla-
| tive matters very frequently, and in
| this type of activity, it is eminently in
| a stronger position to render service
| than Is the individual concern or per-
son. Bills pending in the legislature or
! in congress are often opposed or favor
ed. as the case may be. BY this asso-
citation. The appropriation for the
State Teachers college was a legislative
matter. The association Subscribes reg
ularly for the House and Senate Jour
! nal This journal gives a detailed &C
Icount of proceedings of both the house
and senate day by day. Members de-
| Eiring to refer to these journals are al
| liberty to do so.
CONVENTIONS
| Securing conventions for Mankato is
| another plank in our program. Con-
ventions are a detriment to a town
| unless the visitors leave it feeling that
| they have been treated properly. Man
Ikato, beyond a doubt has succeeded ir
II Ioing this. We have been host to some
livery important conventions during the
II been made in regard to the Hoist cir
L state meeting. The Southern Mime
sofa Medical association meets here
il iannually, and is of great value to the
community. The association provided
| them with. q meeting place last fall