Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-28

Everett. V. Perkins for president
headed the slate of officers for the
Augusta Rotary Club, reported by
Chairman Elmer f. Newbert of the
nominating committee at the regular
session of the club held in the ban
quet hall at the Augusta House. Fri
day evening. The other nominations
to the executive group of the local
organization Of Rotary International,
which will be voted upon at the
meeting of April 81 were John E.
Wis, secretary; John r. Gould, treas
urer, and Power S. Mooney and Hor-
ace Colburn, directors.
| The vice presidency Is a new re-
quirement under the bylaws recent
ly adopted. Fred Davis was re-nom-
| mated to function as secretary for
| another year and the reading of his
| name met with the instant approba-
| ton of the more than four score
| members present last evening, as
Fred has proved a most genial, eff
| ficint, resourceful, and energetic Of
| ficer. Besides Past President New
| bert, the members of the nominating
committee were D. w. Adams, Har-
ris Woodman, c. f. Bilodeau and
Past President Paul D. Sargent.
Paul Bailey of Winthrop was the
speaker at the Friday evening session
and delivered another of the interest
| ing and enjoyable talks in the series
by members, speaking on their own
vocations. Rotarian PauIs remarks
were on the manufacture Of linoleum
floor covering and proved especially
interesting, inasmuch as his story
of the famous Bailey factories at
Winthrop Center and Winthrop, con-
h4 IL tot 80 \
an industry originated in Maine over
70 years ago, and which has been
continued by the same family
through disaster and fluctuations and
greatly changing methods of manu-
facture, to the present time.
The speaker interestingly recount
ed the early beginnings of the floor
oilcloth industry from the time of
the conception of this product by the
late c. M. Bailey in 1914, when by
improving the method used in the
manufacture OF table oil cloth, Mr..
Bailey produced carpet which soon
found ready market, and the man.
ufacture of which has since devel-
oped into a great industry.
The original floor oil cloth was de-
veloped by process of treating, fl
| ling, painting and block-printing on
burlap. G. M. Bailey manufactured
his first floor coverings in a shed at
the rear of his home and spread the
| material on the nearby fields to dry.
! Later he moved into larger quarters
in barn. which burned in 1847. and
was the first of six fires which have
| completely destroyed the Bailey oil
cloth factories, each time to rise
again Digger and more modern than
| before.
The plant at Winthrop Center
which was originally built and oper-
ated by Moses Bailey and was later
acquired by the c. M. Bailey and
Sons Company, was burned to its
foundations, four years ago. since
when the fine new plant at Win
! throp was erected which is now the
home of this historic concern.
The speaker told many interesting
anecdotes of the founder of the in
dustry and the early days of the
product. For over 60 years the bur-
lap, which was the foundation on
which the floor covering was built
was imported from one manufac-
turer in Dundee, Scotland. The ma
/ terial used as ground for the pres
ent type of linoleum floor covering
is rag fiber product, similar but
| heavier than roofing material.
An interesting letter was read at
the meeting last evening from A. w
Brooks a member of the Augusta
Rotary Club, telling his fellow club
members of his participation in a
luncheon session of the Rome, Italy
Rotary Club. Mr.. Brooks sent an
enclosure which was inscribed by a
member of the Rome club purport-
ing that Michel Angelo was the first
Rotarian, as he signed all of his
paintings with wheel. which is the
insignia Of Rotary International.
There were about a dozen guests
and visiting Rotarians at the lunch
con session last evening, and three