Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, January 28, 1903.
SIDNEY NOVELTY CO.
May Possibly be Induced to Move its Great Plant to Cortland
IF PROPER INDUCEMENT IS OFFERED.
Would Locate at Junction of Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley Railroads and erect a $20,000 Plant exclusive of Machinery—Would employ 200 hands at an average weekly wage of $10 and would move from 50 to 75 families to Cortland—Output for 1903 all sold now—Board of Trade to make a Canvass for Local help—Assistance of Every One asked for.
Two years ago an effort was made to induce the Sidney Novelty Co. of Sidney, N. Y., to move its plant to Cortland, but the effort failed. A few weeks ago the company had a bad fire which destroyed its largest building, a two story structure 50 by 300 feet in size. As soon as the report of that loss reached Cortland the newly organized board of trade of this city communicated with the company and negotiations for the removal of the plant to Cortland were reopened. A proposition from the company has been made and the board of trade at its meeting last night decided to ask the business men of Cortland to meet it. lf they do so, it will be one of the greatest benefits to this city in a business way that has come about in a long time.
What the Company is and Does.
The Sidney Novelty Co. started in Sidney twelve years ago in a small way making the Eureka child's swing. This article had a tremendous sale and other novelties were manufactured while the plant and its business increased at an astonishing rate. It now has a paid-in capital of $100,000, the four chief owners being A. F. Phelps, C. R. Cosgrove, C. C. Phelps and George Cosgrove. At the time of the fire it was employing almost 200 men, and its business last year exceeded $200,000. It now manufactures step ladders, hose reels, lawn swings, verandah chairs, camp chairs, sleds, rocking horses, ironing boards, nursery bars, nursery chairs, sewing tables, card tables, a line of rocking chairs, a number of articles controlled by patents, und toys without number besides a great variety of small things such as clothes pins, rolling pins, etc.
Crowded at Sidney.
While it might rebuild at Sidney, the warehouse recently burned; it has reached its limit of growth in that town without going to considerable expense. Starting, as it did, in a small way, it is located in the central part of the village. Residences are built on every side except that used by the D. & H. R. R. up to its very walls. It has built over every available foot of land that it can command. To expand would necessitate the purchase of adjacent residences and the removal of the houses, or else the abandoning of the whole plant and the construction of a new plant in the outskirts of the village where more land could be obtained. It could go on indefinitely in the old plant doing the same volume of business that it has done for a number of years, but great possibilities have opened up before it which by expansion it could take advantage of. Its whole output for 1903 is already sold, but a single house in New York which last year did with the company a business of $100,000 has offered to double its order for next year if the company can supply the goods. That is clearly impossible in the old plant in Sidney. Since the fire several cities have tried to secure the plant, but Cortland is looked upon with favor if conditions can be met.
What it Would Propose.
Two members of the company have been in Cortland within a few days and have looked over the field. If it were to come here the company would purchase the 3 1/2 acres of land lying in the triangle northwest of the junction of the Lackawanna and Lehigh Valley railroads and occupying all the space between those roads and the switch on the west line which connects the two. It would erect at once two buildings: a factory 300 by 50 feet in size and three stories high and a warehouse 400 by 50 feet in size and two stories high. It would employ throughout the whole year 200 men and boys at an average weekly wage of $10 each, and it would move from Sidney to Cortland from fifty to seventy-five families. It would expect within two years time to increase its employees to 300. Its plant including site, but not including machinery, would cost $20,000, and it would require 200 cars to move to Cortland its machinery and the timber now in stock ready for use.
Cortland Must Help.
If the change is to be made Cortland will be called upon to furnish financial assistance, not as a bonus to the company for coming, but to partly reimburse for the loss it will incur in leaving Sidney. That town is about the size of Marathon. Its two industries are this plant and the Cortland Cart and Carriage Co. which moved there from Cortland a few years ago after its fire here. If 200 working men and boys and seventy-live families are taken out of that town and brought to Cortland, as would of course be the case, for there would be no inducement for them to stay there and no employment for them if they did stay, such a change would be a bad blow to the place. It is estimated that real estate would depreciate in value 50 per cent. Two of the members of the company own fine houses there upon which they would be called to sacrifice largely, and the plant stripped of it machinery would be a very useless piece of property. lf such a loss is to be incurred the company feels that it must ask the place to which it is to go and the business men who are to benefit by its coming to bear part of the expense. Several places stand ready to do this, while Sidney itself is straining every nerve to try to retain the industry, but for a number of reasons Cortland is looked upon with favor, and if the conditions can be met the company will move its plant here without delay.
Soliciting Committee Appointed.
At a meeting of the board of trade last night a soliciting committee was appointed consisting of D. W. Van Hoesen, B. L. Webb, H. L. Smith and F. D. Smith. Within a few days members of this committee will call upon every business man in the city and ask for aid for the project. A strong contract will be drawn by which it will be clearly arranged that none of the money subscribed will be paid over to the new company till that company has on its part fulfilled the obligations to which it binds itself, in the way of coming, of erecting a plant, of bringing new people to the city and of employing a stipulated number of people.
Benefits to Cortland.
The coming of such a plant can not fail to benefit a great number of people in this city and in its vicinity. To begin with if from fifty or seventy-five families are to come to the place it will call for the creation of new houses, and that will furnish employment to carpenters, masons and every class of builders. It will call for timber and various kinds of supplies. The same thing will be true in the erection of the two big buildings of the plant. If seventy-five families come to the city it means an increase in population of from 400 to 500 people. Every merchant, grocer, butcher and market gardener will feel this in the increase in trade. If 200 people are employed fifty-two weeks in each year at an average weekly wage per man of $10 this means $104,000 that will annually be paid out to employees living in this city. The greater part of this will be spent right here in Cortland. Every merchant, grocer, butcher and tradesman of every variety will get his share of this money.
Every business man knows approximately what his percentage of profits are upon his sales. He can easily figure what he can afford to do in helping secure this industry, bearing in mind the fact that if he pays out all his expected profits of the first year on his sales to new customers he has the industry still here for future years with all the people to continue buying and the prospect of an increase in the number of employees and consequently of trade.
The Board of Trade.
Some have objected that a board of trade in Cortland was of no use; that it did nothing to get new industries. Here is its first practical work. It has secured a proposition from a big company that is willing to come to Cortland and bring men, business and money to the place if the citizens will help. And the proposition is not considered exorbitant, but a good business venture. It is now up to the citizens to do their part.
ELMIRA CHARTER.
Two Measures Presented Before Senate Cities Committee.
Albany, Jan. 28.—Two former candidates for governor of New York state, J. Sloat Fassett and John B. Stanchfield, appeared before the cities committee of the senate and discussed the Elmira charter amendment bills.
The measure was introduced by Senator Stewart and is favored by the Republicans of that city while the other was drafted by the Democratic majority of the common council and was introduced by Senator Grady, the minority leader.
Mr. Stanchfield claimed that the Stewart bill was a gerrymander of the wards to give the Republicans a majority of the common council. Mr. Fassett asserted that the purpose of the rearrangement of the wards was to equalize the voting population. The committee will pass on the bill in executive session today.
 |
| Emma Goldman. |
Emma Goldman Arrested.
New York, Jan. 28.—Emma Goldman, the anarchist, and a man who said he was Mr. Badinsky, got on a cross town car at the East Forty-second-st. ferry last night. Badinsky had a bundle which attracted the attention of Central Office Detectives McMullen and Oppenheim, and they took the two to police headquarters as suspicious persons.
Sergeant Pfaebhler telephoned to Captain Langan of the detective bureau for instructions. The couple were accordingly released without investigation of the bundle.
The prisoners protest their innocence.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIAL.
Spread of State Socialism.
Two significant utterances touching state socialism recently made and coming from men in high station are calculated to set conservative people to thinking about the tendencies of the times.
One of these was the outgiving of Judge Grosscup of the United States district court of Illinois and a jurist of recognized eminence in an address before the Hamilton club of Chicago, in which he said:
Either the process of consolidation now in full course will, under beneficial restraint and supervision of law, eventuate in a proprietorship of our industries widely spread among the people at large, restoring in this way the foundations on which the republic was builded, or at some time in the not distant future we will be called upon to reckon with those schemes of state paternalism which, beginning in restricted public ownership, will end in universal state socialism.
Judge Grosscup further declared that another winters experience like the present will produce a public sentiment in favor of governmental ownership of coal mines that will prove irresistible.
But a few days ago Chairman Jenkins of the judiciary committee of the house of representatives introduced a resolution asking for authority to inquire as to the power of congress to order the taking of the coal mines and coal carrying roads under the sovereign right of eminent domain, with the view of their being conducted by the government for the benefit of the people.
It must be remembered that these expressions do not come from theorists and dreamers, but from a United States judge and the head of one of the most important committees in congress. They give voice to a sentiment more prevalent than is generally believed. Whether it bodes good or ill to the republic, no sober minded observer doubts that there is now a decided popular trend toward government ownership of public utilities, which in plain terms is state socialism. The fuel famine has set the tide running strongly in favor of government ownership of the coalfields and the facilities for coal transportation, possibly upon the theory that conditions could not be more intolerable under such ownership than they now are. At any rate, if it had been the purpose of the coal combination to promulgate the doctrine of state socialism it ought to be extremely gratified by the startling success it has achieved.
A COMMITTEE APPOINTED
To Arrange for Plans for a New House for the Pastor.
At a joint meeting of the several boards of the Presbyterian church held at the parlors of the Cortland Savings bank this afternoon a committee was appointed to select an architect and to procure plans for a new house to be built for the pastor and his family and to call a meeting of the church and society to consider the plans when procured at which time a vote may be taken as to the desirability of building and as to the plans submitted. The committee consists of H. F. Benton, T. H. Wickwire and F. J. Peck.
HON. SAMUEL A. CHILDS.
One of the Foremost Citizens of the County Passes Away.
At 1 o'clock p. m. on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 1903, al his last residence which is the country property of his son, E. W. Childs, in the town of Scott, solemn obsequies conducted by the Rev. E. E. Merring of Syracuse, were held over the remains of the late Hon. S. A. Childs, who died on Sunday, Jan. 18. The services were largely attended and loving kindred provided an oblong pillow of beautiful flowers marked "Father" and a large cross which almost covered the handsome casket containing the remains that, owing to the inclemency of the season, was later deposited in the receiving vault in the pretty rural cemetery about half a mile south of Scott village.
Mr. Childs' picture is given in the Cortland County Book of Biographies, which also truthfully gives most of the following concerning him:
Hon. S. A. Childs, ex-member of assembly, ex-supervisor of the town of Scott, and one of the most favorably known men of Cortland county, N. Y., was a son of Chas. and Mary (Hemstraught) Childs, and was born in the town of Owego, Tioga Co., N. Y., Jan. 25, 1830. In 1847 with his parents he came to the village of Scott. He obtained his education in the public schools and Cortland academy which he studiously supplemented by much general reading. He left school at the age of 20 years, engaged in teaching and taught seven or eight winters; he also taught five terms in the Scott public schools. Subsequently after running flax mills, he owned and operated one of the largest and best improved farms in the vicinity of the village of Scott.
In 1886 he moved into the village where he retired from active life. Politically, he was an untiring and consistent Republican, laboring zealously and conscientiously in behalf of that organization and devoted much labor besides considerable sums of money towards its advancement. He filled the office of supervisor for ten years and was chairman of the board in 1877. He also filled other town offices.
In 1879-80 be represented Cortland county in the state assembly. While in the assembly he was instrumental in having passed the oleomargarine bill, in conjunction with Maj. Oscar H. Curtis. The bill is now in force as a law. He was also active in the support of many other measures calculated to promote the interests of his county. He served on the committee of public education, being the only member on that important committee. He served also on the committee of the affairs of villages, charitable and religious societies. He was chairman of Cortland county conventions many times and represented the party frequently in caucuses and conventions.
He was a man of good business judgment and his advice was often sought by others in matters of business. He was chairman of his town war committee all through the [civil] war and was enrolling officer for the towns of Scott and Preble.
On April 9, 1853, he was united in marriage with Miss Lucilia O. Whiting of Scott and they reared the following children: Ernest W., now school commissioner for the second district of Cortland county; Henry Ward, who for years has represented the American Book Co. in Syracuse, N. Y., and Harold, who died at the age of 16. The first Mrs. Childs died Sept. 24, 1889, aged 56 years. Mr. Childs was again united in marriage with Mrs. Elizabeth Niver of Scott, March 25, 1893, and she died Jan. 14, 1901. Since her death he had lived with his son, Ernest W., in whose farmhouse he died as before stated.
The character of Mr. Childs secured for him the respect and affection of his associates. While he was quick and impulsive in the temperament that makes leadership, he was also sympathizing and generous. He was a man of wonderful resources and untiring energy besides having great executive ability. Mr. Childs believed with the poet, that
"There is no death, what seems so is transition:
This life of mortal breath
Is but a suburb of the life elysian
Whose portal we call death."
Covey-Weeks.
Mr. E. W. Covey of Willet and Mrs. Minnie Weeks of this city were married at the pleasant home of the groom on Eaton hill, Thursday, Jan. 22, Rev. D. D. Brown of Willet officiating. Mr. and Mrs. Covey are in Cortland for a few days, but will soon return to Willet to make their home.
BREVITES.
—A large delegation of Sir Knights [Templars] went to Preble this morning to attend the funeral of their brother, Sir Knight Seth Hobart.
—A public installation of officers of Court Cortland, No. 1,077, Independent Order of Foresters, will be held in the Vesta lodge rooms this evening at 7:30 o'clock.
—New display advertisements today are: Hotel Empire, page 5; G. H. Wiltsie, Drygoods, page 5; W. W. Bennett, Special sale of tea kettles, page 5; E. E. Davidson, "No Room in the Heart or Life for Christ," page 5; M. A. Case, Special sale of Irish table damask, page 6; C. F. Brown, Violet soap, page 8; Corner grocery, Special prices, page 4.
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