Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 143, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 June 1911 — MATCH FACTORY LOOKS LIKE IT IS A SURE GO. [ARTICLE]

MATCH FACTORY LOOKS LIKE IT IS A SURE GO.

Commercial Club Directors and Factory People Meet Today and Agree Upon Terms and Conditions. 1 ' ’ h ri * ■ The directors of the Commercial Club met the match factory people in a conference today and agreed upon a basis for the location of the factory in Rensselaer. The matter now hinges upon whether the city will extend the water mains and light wires to the factory addition. The council agreed to meet at two o’clock this afternoon to take up the matter and it is probable that they will agree to meet the wisbes of the. commerical club and the factory people. They do not ask for free water or lights, but do ask the privilege of being allowed tQ use city water and lights, for which they agree-to pay like other users. . Attorneys are drawing up the contract today. The conditions have been agreed to by both parties and it will probably be signed today if the city council agrees to furnish water and lights for the factory. The Republican will publish the contract in full when signed. The conditions of the contract are about as follows: The match company agrees to erect a cement factory building containing 33,000 square feet of floor space, a duplicate of the factory building that was destroyed by fire at Elkhart. It is estimated to cost >25,000, but it may be that it can be erected for >20,000. The match company agrees to put into the building a >6,000 heating plant and to install four match making machines and other necessity machinery at the beginning. They agree to start operations with from 75 to 100 hands. One third of these will be female help, the other men. They agree to commence building operations ten days after tile contraci is signed. The Commercial Club is to give the company >IO,OOO in cash and all the unsold land in the Commercial Club addition. This >IO,OOO is to be placed in the hands of a trustee, to be paid out for building operations as the building progresses. A deed is to be given to the factory people after 90 days, for all the unsold land except the five acres on which the factory will be erected. This is done in order to give the factory people an opportunity to sell lots, the money to be used in building the factory. After the factory has paid out >IOO,OOO in wages they are to be given an unconditional deed for the five acres on which the factory stands. Upon failure to carry out their part of the contract the factory and ground upon which it stands is to remain the property of the Commercial Club. The factory people are to give an acceptable surety bond to guarantee the carrying out of their part of the contract. Although this is not in the contract, the company states that it is their intention to erect from six to ten houses in the addition for the use of their employes, and that many of their employes will buy lots and erect houses for their own use. The carrying out of these plans will mean much to every citizen of Rensselaer and every one should help all in their power to make this enterprise a go. The subscribers to the lots who have allowed their payments to lapse will now be asked to finish making their payments in order to raise the balance of the money necessary to pay the bonus. It is thought that but, few, if any, will refuse to carry out their contract, after the Commercial Club has the contract signed up for the building of the factory here. With work on the factory, new depot, M. E. church and the interurban in progress this should be a busy summer in Rensselaer.