Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 January 1912 — SAY FACTORY COMPLETION WILL COME IN SPRING. [ARTICLE]

SAY FACTORY COMPLETION WILL COME IN SPRING.

Officials Say Subscribed Stock Was Not Paid mad Water Must Be Secoired Before Starting. 1 W. W. Sterling, president, and P. T. Longachre, secretary-treasurer of the United States- Match Co„ were in Rensselaer Wednesday after an absence of six weeks, and to a reporter for Thd Republican they talked freely of the situation here. They laid off most of the force employed at the factory after the building was completed and'&tn’ four or five weeks qnly a few men have been on the job. They have been putting in the heating plant and doing the plumbing necessary to match making. -In the meantime at Elkhart machines for making the matches have been under construction. One of them has been completed and only a few days ago was run for some time, cutting the match sticks, some-of which Mr. Long achre brought with him. The sticks are round with, a small grove in one side. The machine is claimed by them to. be superior to any other match making machine in use and therefore will figure materially in reducing the proportionate cost of manufacture. This machine might have been shipped here and matchmaking have started by Jan. 1 and this plan was at first considered but there are several good reasons why it was not done. In the first place, water must be procured for fire protection and not a wheel can turn until this is secured. In the second place, the cost of heating the big factory will be large and with a single match machine is could not be operated economically. Another reason is the that for part of the work it will require no more hands with four machines than it does with one*Under the combined circumstances it would have been impossible as well as impracticable to have tried to start by Jan. Ist. Various rumors have been out that the company was out of money and the. officials talked freely about this matter. When they started the pro motion of the company, they sold a certain amount of stock, taking in payment a small per cent of cash and accepting notes for the balance. The stock subscribers have failed to come up. with their part of the agreement and consequently the money which bad been expected for fise In the factory has not been available. Mr. Longachre will now give the matter his personal attention, aided by Mr. Sterling, and they anticipate no difficulty in getting the needed funds to proceed. Some time ago they Vere asked by several if there wis any stock for sale and at that time there was none. Now, however, by the failure of settlement by same subscribers, the stock will be placed on the market and Mr. Longachre is able to show figures that should convince any one that the investment is a good one. Wednesday he had with him ' a price list from a large match company, and he showed that with the use of tfie machines'that will be installed here, the matches can be sold at a 50 per cent profit over manufacturing cost and still be sufficiently lower than offered by the big factories now operating to cause an active sale. The machines are very neat In appearance and of the highest quality. There has been some little hitch between the city and the factory people in reference to extending the water main to the factory to afford the protection essential to procuring insurance. The cost of this extension will be about $2,500' mid the council has not felt Justified in the expenditure pt that sum of money unless protected by bonS from the match company. That this will be adjusted to the satisfaction of all Is confidently expected. Mr. Longachre will he hers the first of next week and will probably stay on the job until All the matters are adjusted. He states that noshing can stand in the way of the completion of the factory and that four match making machines will be installed and if the water can be procured by the last of March, the factory can be started by that time. During the meantime a small force nfill Re employed making cement blocks’" for the Rouses it is proposed to build in the spring. Frank Kelly, who has been the foreman daring the building construction,” will have charge of this work and prpbably of thd' house building in the spring. There are at present no vacant houses in Rensselaer and when the factory starts the workmen must have places to live and k is expected that as fast as houses are vacated in the spring by people, moving to the country they Will he rented b 7 match factory people. > . That there i§ a great business pos-

sibility in the match making business the committee from the Commeiv clal ,Club satisfied themselves when the negotiations were first begun to locate the factory here and if operated on the plan of the contract, which the officials say they will do, it will prove a great advantage to our city. The present delay is not a serious one and/if the factory is able to start in the spring with four machines working it will be mighty satisfactory to our people.