Interest Is Growing

INTEREST IS GROWING

In the Beet Sugar Factory in Ann Arbor.

THE FIRST STEPS TAKEN

To Organize a Big Boom for Our Fair City.

Interest in Beet Sugar Factory Growing Steadily.-A Meeting Last Night Develops a Healthy Feeling.-Push Is Needed Now.

Ann Arbor will miss the greatest opportunity of its history if it neglects to secure a beet sugar factory at once. Realizing to some extent this fact a number of public spirited citizens met at Wadhams, Ryan & Reule's store Friday evening to talk over the matter. Mayor Hiscock called the meeting to order and spoke of the importance of the matter. There was no question but that a factory would be of great material advantage to Ann Arbor, and would not only help the farmer, but every line of business in the city. In Bay City real estate values had been greatly enhanced and all the business men had been greatly benefited. He had been informed that the country in this vicinity was especially adapted to raising sugar beets. It was a large undertaking. The smallest factory would cost $300,000 and from that up to $450,000. To secure it will require the united efforts of everyone in the city. He said he would like very much to see such a factory started and called upon Mr. J. D. Ryan.

Mr. Ryan spoke of the effect of the beet sugar factory in Bay City as simply wonderful. Two or three years ago business in that city was absolutely lifeless. The vast improvement there is attributable to the beet factory. Farm land has increased in value from $20 to $60 an acre. Farmers told him that they netted from $29 to $65 an acre after figuring out their labor. A factory here would mean $200,000 to $250,000 paid out here. William Ball, of Hamburg, recently attended a farmers' institute at Bay City and since he came home has been trying to make arrangements whereby he could ship beets from his farm in Hamburg to a Bay City factory. The first factory in Bay City is so successful that stock for the other factories was quickly subscribed. There are no dozen factories can do as much for a town as a beet sugar factory could do.

H. W. Douglas said he didn't know anything about sugar until two weeks ago, since which time he had been looking it up. He had been told that a small sized plant was not as profitable as a larger sized one. A 500 ton plant working 100 days would need 50,000 tons of beets which at $4 a ton would bring $200,000 to the farmers in one season. If the sugar beets were more than 12 per cent sugar the farmers would get more. The people who put n the machinery guarantee to produce sugar for 3 cents a pound. In 100 days such a sized factory would produce 9,000,000 pounds of sugar.

S. W. Beakes, when called on, spoke along the line of the articles which have already appeared in the Argus. He was confident that the factory would be of great and lasting benefit to the community. He spoke of the large sum sent out of the county each year for sugar.

P. G. Suekey was called upon to talk as an expert on the subject. He spoke of his employment in the beet sugar factories of Germany, before coming to this country, and of his work at Bay City, where he was employed in the first factory there. The German statistics showed that land on which beets were raised every fourth year produced from a third to a half more of other crops in other years. He thought the soil of this county the best that could be found for sugar beets. He told how successful the Bay City factory had been as a money maker, besides enhancing the value of the property thereabouts. There was no difference between beet sugar and cane sugar. They were chemically the same. The American Sugar Trust imported beet sugar as well as cane, but consumers could not tell the difference for there was none. The consumption of sugar doubles itself every 15 years. It would take 16 factories to supply his state alone with sugar. He was asked and answered many questions indicating that all present were taking a decided interest in the subject.

Senator Ward was called out and said that he had heard nothing in Lansing about the sugar bounty as yet, but expressed himself as personally opposed to it. J. D. Ryan and Titus F. Hutzel took issue with him on this point and he explained that he was expressing simply his own opinion and not how he would act.

Titus F. Hutzel favored a factory and thought some action should be taken to interest capital.

County Clerk J. F. Schuh moved the appointment of a committee to arrange for a meeting. This committee consists of Mayor Hiscock, Titus F. Hutzel and H. W. Douglas. They were also instructed to endeavor to get some of the capitalists to go to Bay City to investigate the factory and conditions there. E. S. Gilmore thought he might secure permission from his general passenger agent for passes over he Ann Arbor road and a number present offered to contribute to their other expenses. E. H. Scott, Wm. Dansingburg and others asked questions or made remarks indicating great interest in the project. The meeting seemed to be a unit in the opinion that Ann Arbor was missing its greatest opportunity, if it did not at once build a beet sugar factory.