Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 35, Number 66, Decatur, Adams County, 18 March 1937 — Page 9

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT Decatur, Indiana, Thursday, March 18, 1937.

KJtion I\, .; : ’ ; ;

GOVERNOR SEES CITY’S INDUSTRIES

L e 0/ficia/s lyisif Decatur In I Inspection Tour

j t Os Commerce Konsor Os CoverKDav Program ObEd Here Today. Ifl’C.E SI’CCESS fcdt.tiugnk.h.nl a.. ..ni plinh KjwiuM'i t-xiay ">*’ Km, o f the Governors Day unique event -In ln«ianti its pre- , Ebrlong the thief credit for Eootheo!') holds as one of Kjj industrial venters in the < Km active organization, ■fill begin immediately after K program for the third anKxinir Free Street Fair and Cnl exhibit, August 2 to 7. ■am »ho have been chiefly for the rueeess of the L an banded together for Ernie in IW2 with French IB president It was reorgana a«i with John H. Heller . id the first achievements of W was the location of th? I Glove factory in Decatur H During the decade which < members of the organizaUiag independently aa a comobtained the Holland St. Sugar Co., (now the Cenpr Co.) the General Electric pv and the Decatur Castings l*y Iter years the chib was active obtaining of trunk line roads it county. t Sponiored Celebbrations bt major relent bation sponsor- 1 | the organization wae Old

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Decatur’s Manufacturing Industries McMillen Industries: Central Sugar Company—lndiana’s only Beet Sugar Refinery. Central Soya Co —Oil and Meal. McMillen Feed Mills — Livestock and poultry feeds. McMillen Fertilizer Co.—Fertilizers. General Electric Co.—Fractional horsepower motors. Beeatur Casting Co—Gray iron castings. Klrck-Tyndall Co.—Drain tile and building block. Mutschler Packing Co. — Pork and beef Packers. f loverleaf Creameries, Inc. — Ice cream, dairy products. iSubsidiary of Krafti _ p,lenlx Cheese Corp.) i-a Fontaine Handle Co. — Farm implement handles. The Schafer Co. — Harness and wholesale hardware. "emhoff Monumental Works. Ueeatur Cooperage—Barrel hoops. uL. r dement Co.—Cement products. White Stag Cigar Co. aether Cigar Co. . A Colchin Cigar Co. Adams County Lumber Co. Burk Elevator Co. —Feeds, grain. , tost Bros.—Stone quarry and contractors. Keed-Mac Elevator Co. ‘ taley’s Dairy Products — Butter and ice cream. Becatur Hatchery. J!* 1 * H a'chery. • Hlers Bakery—Wholesalers of Bread and Pastries. "ayne Novelty Corp. "all's Bakery.

Home Week, a hugh success in honor of the location of the Holland ' St. Ixtuls Sugar Co., here In 1912. In 1934 the Decatur, Free Street Fair i and Agricultural Exhibit wavs held. J which was the forerunner of the De<alur Centennial Celebration, an ; event still being talked about over j a wide area of the country. It has always worked In cooperation with the city industries. Among the major achievements in recent years are the location of the Wayne I Novelty company here, the location of a receiving station ror the Crampton Canneries. Inc., and the new addition ut the Cloverleaf Creameries. Inc., now under construction. . Officers of the Club are: Dee Fryback, manager of the Decatur License bureau president; John L. DeVoss, city attorney, secretarytreasurer; I. Ward Calland. field manager of the Central Sugar company; Clarence E. Bell, proprietor of the LaFountalue Handle Factory; Roscoe Glendenning. cashier of the First State bank; E. W. Ixrnkenau superintendent of the Decatur branch of the General Electric company; H. P. Schmitt, proprietor of the Schmitt Meat Market; Felix 1 .Maier, proprietor of the Maier Hide and Fur company, and Pete Reynolds. city editor of the Decatur Daily Democrat, directors. i C i Tank Heated by Sun Honolulu. — <U.R> —The manual training department has comple'ed and installed the largest solar water heater in America at Punahou school. O. F. Shepard, president, I reports. The heater, utilizing the sun's rays to supply the school with hot wtaer. covers 308 square feet of rdbf area and has 1.4(H) feet of i copper tubing. 1

PHONE CO. IS LOCALLY OWNED Progressive Policies Have Increased Company’s Patrons Two distinctions are claimed by the Citizens Telephone—one that it is one of the few remaining locally owned concerns of its kind in the state and the other that it extends service to its patrons at a rate far below the average for Indiana. It “points with pride" to the large number of rural patrons, a total of 645. representing more/ than 25 per cent of the entire number. A progressive faiSn community recognizes the advantages of telephone service providing rates are fair, officials of the plant believe. In pace with the economic recovery of this community more than 500 new patrons have been added to the list in two years time. Today there a total of 2,522 patrons, divided among the three switchboards as follows: Decatur. 1,667; Berne, 775, and Monroe. 85. Long distance service is provided by a north and south toll line from Geneva to Fort Wayne and an East and West line froiji the Ohio state line to Magley. During its years of operations, it has endeavored to keep abreast of the improvements in telephone equipment. The small convenient modern telephones of today are vastly different from the five foot telephones of 40 years ago which contained built in walnut cabinets with wet batteries, generators and many other appliances, since elim-, inated. The old system called for open wires strung’ on poles, many of which have now been eliminated by the new means of underground conduits or buried tape armored wires. A total of 34 persons are now employed by the Citizens Telephone company in this community. 1

LIKE that of a tree, the growth of an individual, a manufacturing concern or a city must be healthy. Deep-rooting, careful pruning, proper nourishment ... all are necessary. NATURE, in the case of a tree, can be counted upon to care for adequate growth . . . but nature alone cannot provide for the groups of individuals. Individual effort is needed; cooperation and careful planning play an important part.

As the pulse of Decatur’s business and industrial life, the Chamber of Commerce is proud to act as host to Governor M. Clifford Townsend, Chief Executive of the State of Indiana, and his official party. The third annual Decatur Free Street Fair and Agricultural Show will be held August 2-7 (inclusive). The Chamber of Commerce will appreciate cooperation in making the fair an even greater success than in past years. X Decatur Chamber Os Commerce

Governor Townsend is Guest of City 1 I IMKp \ wSI MBg'.lSfeu. '.4 ' IK üß|||L War, V X xTVX 1 V i \ \ \ W W w » i Governor’s Day sponsored by the Decatur Chamber of Commerce ' will be closed by an address delivered by Gov. M. Clifford Townsend I . at the banquet to be held in the Decatur Catholic auditorium at 6:30 j o'clock this evening. j

' all endeavoring to maintain the < high quality service upon which i the success of the firm has been i built. 0 | None Hears Free Speech i t 1 Berkeley. Cal — 'U.R> - The city-t

Steady Growth-

council insists it has upheld the i right of free speech. It permitted 1 student representatives of the University of California to present i their grievances against the Berk- ! eley anti-picket ordinance, but ; none of the councilmen remained i: to hear Giern. ' i

STONE CO. IS GROWING FAST Meshberger Stone Company Have Become Leading Contractors The residents of Decatur best know the work of the Meshberger stone company by state road 5271 which has drawn this community many lYlinutes nearer to a vast region in Ohio and forms an import ant link in a transcontinental north and south route. , Founded in 1681 by David Meshberger, father of the present own-/ ers, Harry and Oscar Meshberger. the company has become one of < the most important in the state. I The company Is now located within a short distance of its first site near Linn Grove. For many years it was operated as a stone ; quarry alone. It was incorporated under its present name In 1922, , the same year it began the build- -, ing of county roads. Not until 1930 did the company begin the acceptance of state contracts, the time which marked the beginning of the real extension of the organization until it has reached its present high station in the field of road contracting. One of the major factors in the success of the company has been the employment of a high type of employee and the maintenance of good equipment. In addition to the modern equipment Installed at the quarries are a full line of road and contracting equipment, guaranteeing good workmanship. Throughout the years, the name Meshberger has signified the best in service, material and workmanship, a fact which has accounted largely tor Rs growth. State road 527 is only one of many built by the Meshberger Stone company, which is giving good service to the citizens of the state of Indiana and its tourist guests. 11

The Decatur Chamber of Commerce, organized 16 years ago, has played an important part in the growth and development of Decatur and our local industries. Through the cooperation of the Chamber of Commerce new industries have been added to the prosperity of this community. To insure steady growth, continuous cooperation is imperative. The Chamber of Commerce seeks to aid local industries in meeting every day problems, in a friendly, cooperative spirit.

Decatur Chamber Os Is One Os Leaders

Business Men’s Group, Sponsor Os Governor Day, Takes leading Role In City. FORMED IN 1902 The position held by Decatur as a thriving and prosperous community is due chiefly to its many d-lversi-; fled industries, the spirit of civic cooperation and the wealth of the farming area in Adams County. Decatur became nationally pro m-’nent during the depression because of Its diversified industries and the fact that it never actually "hit bottom”. The government rec- i ognizezd this fact when it choee Decatur as a site for investing in the homesteads project, which has at- I traded a large amount of publicity. In announcing its choice as Decatur, i government officials stated that in , their opinion the diversification of industries were a guarantee of permanent employment sufficient to warrant federal funds in the devel- . opment. Two types of products are made 1 in the city’s factories, agricultural and industrial. They employ a minimum of at least 1,200 persons and during times of peak employ between an estimated 1.400 and 1,500 persons. Business Good The large annual pay rolls are reflected in the commercial business of the city. Figures show that: the average Decatui citizen spends far more for necessities and luxuries of life than the average for the state. I Fair wages have made labor prob- ( lems, sit down strikes alid other similar difficulties are things known

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to the average Decatur citizen only through newspaper stories from other cities. One of the chief assets of the city is the fact that it is located on the intersection of straight lines which could be drawn from the Calumet industrial and shipping area, the Toledo and Detroit areas and the Indianapolis and Cincinnati regions. This eliminates costly shipping costs. Officials of the railroads passing through the city have stated Deca(CONTINUED ON PAGE ELEVEN) Road Man Here* B ■ IPT ’ I ‘< X'7/k 1 i a/ // A.-1 Earl Crawford, chairman of the state highway commission, was among the state officials in Decatur i today. During his visit he was eni tertained by Prominent Adams county men, who pointed out the needs of this community.