Lansing, Michigan: A Progressive American City (1926)

Copr-oi(ht 1926 t1' .Qr.sLtLg C/t trut,be r o/' Contttt,ez,co L.rnsrnd )lichi(.rri

.-'as in 183J. The two rivers are dtill there, but the forest has vanished. So, also, :ave the few log cabins, but a big city radiates from where they once dtood. And only graves ::rnainasmemories of the brave handful who blazed the wayfor the approximate ninety thou, ..-nd who now tread the same ground.

The ineradicable picture of the dam builders, arduously working with the crudest of tools .;ain$t heartbreaking odds, inspired only by the frontiersman's fortitude and the pioneer's :timism, and with but scant expedtation of great material reward, must surely serve as the - sr r-isualization of Lansing community indudtry. Flaming cupola has displaced the brush, '. :od blaze; the clang of the axe on tree limb is lodt in the roar of the forge, the crash of the ,:r:-hammer and the whir of a thousand machines. Industry was a Lansing birthright, and its ,:::rt has persidted down through the years, re.vitalizedwith each succeeding generation, and :.:'.'ing as an ever,present symbol of commercial development.

The labor of the pioneer workers was not unproductive. Water power, made available :::.1r efforts, stimulated the growth of the small settlement and the next few years saw - :r:e improved by bridges and other undertakings which marked a village in embryo. :-rtr lrom outside intere$ts by a wilderness of trees, and inaccessible to all but the hardiest -.,":-ars, the firdt decade of its activities is but vaguely chronicled. But through the dim" l: time is seen the shadow of an energetic and assertive community, emerging from- :r. dusk of isolation as the site for the capitol of the great state of Michigan. That -..--:r:o, Detroit had enjoyed the distindion, but in 1817 the legislature voted ro remove l - : :l:l-3 --apitol to a site more centrally located, and in December of the same year the site where :: .:-ri:los'Stands was given official approval. The specific reasons for its selection are not : - :.l. rut it can be assumed that geographical advantages and the character ofthe residents .r:. : : lrl.onsequential factors. Fifteen hundred acres of land on both sides of the Grand

River were laid out, pursuant to the act of the assembly authorizing the new capitol, and the Town of Michigan came into being.

Several years passed before the next development, which was the building of a plank road to Detroit. Its completion in 1852 marked the end of the town's general isolation and afforded it the means of capitalizing on the prominence which had followed its selection as the capital city of the dtate. Its population of three thousand in 1859 lr,hen the name of the capital city was changed to Lansingdoubled with the coming of railroads, five of which entered the city between the years of 1863 and f 87g. Indudtrial activity, u,hich began rvith the building of the dam a quarter century before, now beganto assume significant proportions. and the areas along the Grand River designated on the 6rst plats of the city as being apportione d ior "Hydraulic Manufadturing" were utilized to full capacity. By the late nineties Lansing u-as eitablished as the leading gasoline engine town of the country, and tt was a Lansrnq man R. E. Old,. who first built and marketed the automobile, thus creatlng for Lansing the honor oi bernq the cradle of the automotive induStry.

So much for Lansing, historically. Its childhood has been but briefly reviewed because Lansing is not living on traditions; it is creating them I It is essentially of the twentieth century, working to the ideals of the present, planning toward the greater ideals of the future. Prudent, ly progressive, sanely stable, always considerate of the human element.

Lansing's growth of population to neariy ninety thousand in less than ninen' \'ears rs moderately gratifying -had population increase been the main community objectrve. For. tunately, it has not been. Lansing has never competed for numerical diStinction, preferring to

Michigan State Capitol

let community prosperity be measured byand a sequence ofthe prosperity of its citizens. It has been positive in its many negative a&ions, prudently repressing large census increases until housing facilities and public utilities were increased to provide for them. Thus, Lansing has never been a boom town in any factor which the term implies. Its charted growth shows a Steady upward trend without a single "valley" in its course, indicating a degree of stability which cannot be associated with cities showing abnormally large growths.

lnlg2T,whenthecountryat largewas suffering an industrial headache which followed the commercial orgy of 1919 and '20, Lansing's prosperity was never more evident, and its building permits for the year totalled the greate$t sum of any year in its history. During the po$t.war boom years Lansing seemed alone, as a community, in visualizing an inevitable re, action, and refrained from expanding its normal facilities simply to cater to a temporary boom. When the depression came, Lansing had no gigantic failures, no shut,downs, no unemployment worth mentioning, no breadlines.

It must be considered that Lansing has grown from within;its increaseas a city has been coincident with the growth of its own industries. Reo and Oldsmobile each employed but a few hundred men at their inceptions, and each employs today in the neighborhood of 6ve thousand people. The Motor Wheel Co., Novo Engine Co., Hugh Lyons €d Co., and the Michigan Screw Company are others who forced acity growth by their own increasedactivities. Practically every Lansing indudtrial insitution of today was organized and financed by its own citizens, a record probably not equalled by any city in the country of corresponding size and prominence.

The question may arise as to why Lansing has never made serious effort to bring other indudtries to the city. Such a question has been partly answered in a previous paragraph. Lansing has not invited a large influx of population on account of the many problems which follow in its wake. Abnormal growth always taxes public utilities beyond immediate capacity. It finds an insufficiency of living accommodations. It brings a large floating pop, ulation, which is not a desirable class. It results in labor troubles and industrial unrest, particularly during dull business periods.

T'hat labor condttrons in Lansing are rdeal is indrcated by the fact that there has never been a serious strike in the city's historynor even the semblance of one. Labor has always been reasonable. And always employed. While there are workers available, there is no sur, plus as to condtitute a problem. There are neither slurns nor poverty, and 80/6 of the fifteen and a half thousand male workers are home owners.

Recent civic developments and the extension of public utilrtres have prepared Lansing for a substantial increase in population, so that industries desiring to locate in a city of Lansing's size and strategical position have the assurance that their coming u'r11 be welcomed by more substantial elements than smali,tow,n optimism and enthusiasm.

Prudence in the management of its civic affairs is indicated by its bonded rndebtedness of but $8,342,800, which is the lowest per capita in the state. Money borrou,ed during 1925 called for an average interest rate of only 3.69o,i6. The assessed valuation of the city rs $146,000,000. Building permits1800 in numberduring t925 represented a total in, vestment of $5,500,000. Business figures are equally interesting. Lansing indudtries paid in wages, during the same year, $22,000,000, which represented manufactured products of a valuation of $180,000,000, with bank clearances of g140,000,000.

POPULATION

Conlidence in the future growth of Lansing is ably supported by certain racts. Even though there were no census figures to show previous growth, one could Str1l estrmate the future of the city solely by its present character. The once densely u,,ooded plateau upon which the firdt lines of the city were laid out is now compa&ly built up. The native foredt trees have modtly disappeared, but on the $treets are many others, more artistically arranged, to

Reo Motor Car Company Manufacturers of Reo Autcmobiles, Spee.i Wagons and Busses

!take their places. But one of the moJt significant guarantees of future expansion lies in the resources of the city attra(Iive to manufadturing interests.

The progressiveness and stability of Lansing are shown in the population records. The orlcial figures are as follows:

1860 3,074

1870 5,247 1880 8,319

1890 1900 16,485 1910 31.229 1920 57,327

Previous to 1900, the rate of growth was not remarkable. Lansing was a comparatively small city and small cities frequently show high percentage of growth. But after 1900, when the rate of growth should naturally have dropped, it rose. The populationoflansing almost doubled in the 10 years following 1900, and in the last decade showed a growth only slightly less pronounced, 83 per cent.

The 1926 issue of the Lansing directory contains 10,425 names including Ea$t Lansing and adjacent unplatted teritory and indicates a total population of 90,956 (over {,000 increase for the padt year) based upon the conservative estimate o{ 2ll population to each name. Lansing is large enough to possess a metropolitan atmosphere and environment and yet small enough to be homelike and free from the obnoxious features of the "forced growth" city.

LOCATION

Lansing is situated in the heart of Michigan and one of the greatest agricultural sedtions of the United States. Only two hundred and twenty.eight miles from Chicago and eighty, five miles from Detroit, Lansing is in direct conta& with the trade and induStries of these great cities and finds in their markets a large output for its manufactured produdts. Lansing is also in close proximity to the other large cities of Michigan. Battle Creek is forty,nine miles away; Flint, sixty miles; Grand Rapids, sixty'four miles; Jackson, thirty'seven miles; Kalamazoo, seventy-four miles; Pontiac, seventy,one miles and Port Huron, one hundred and thirty miles.

One of the busiedt indu$trial cities of the $tate,I ansing is n3tsra1ly well served by the railroads. Passenger and freight transportation are well taken care of by the Michigan Central, N6w York' Central, Pere Marquette and Grand Trunk lines. A total of thirty,two daily passenger trains entei Lansing. The Michigan Central makes conneCtions at Jackson for all points eadt and west and serves Lansing to the north as far as Saginaw. The New York Central runs south to Hillsdale where it connects with the main line. The'Pere Marquette is the direc line between Detroit, Grand Rapids and Chicago and also reaches the northern resort se&ion. The Grand Trunk connects Port Huron and Chicago and points ea$t.

Railroads serving Lansing had a record,breaking year in L925, eachhandling more tonnage @gi" any previous 12 months in the city's history. Freight agents of local roads have made it clear that as a result of the big business volume handled in 1925, nothing will be left undone to improve the freight service. The Michigan Central has rendered an out$tanding service in cutting the time required for coal shipments from WeSt Virginia and Kentucky to Lansing, from twelve to fifteen days to from four to five days. Freight handled in Lansing by The Pere Marquette showed a twenty per cent increase over 1924 and new trains have been added to provide fast freight service. The Pere Marquette has spent more than $50,000 in enlarging its facilities in Lansing and now has a 400 car yard. The Grand Trunk operates fa$t freight service. not only to Michigan points, but to the west coast and to New York andNewEngland. The New York Central maintains excellent freight service through connedtions at Hillsdale with the main line east and wedt.

The Michigan Eledtric Railway operates passenger cars from Lansing to Owosso and Lansing to Jackson where connections can be made to Ann Arbor and Detroit. Their cars run practically every hour throughout the day and until late at night. The Michigan Electric Railway also operates a quick freight service to various points around Lansing and as far east as Detroit.

'

Lansing is amply supplied with bus service to Detroit, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Jackson and intermediate points. Thirteen busses leave Lansing daily to Detroit and five to Grand Rapids. Workmen who are employed in Lansing but live in adioining towns are served by dependable bus facilities throughout the year.

Lansing is at present busily engaged in building an airport for the use of passenger and freight airplane transportation. One company is now operating a regular schedule between Detroit and Grand Rapids and in the near future it is predicted that airplane transportation will further increase the city's accommodations.

trn summer, Lansing has an average temperature of 72 degrees. Cool nights and warm days make the summer season delightful and create bumper crops throughout the rich farming distrie surrounding the capital city. The winter average is 25 degrees and the cold, bracing air is a tonic in itself. The rainfall averages 30 inches annually, providing abundant water for the farmer.

The Grand River, originating near Jackson, meets the Cedar River in Lansing and flows west to Lake Michigan. This river praCically divides Lansing in its center and is crossed by m.any subsantial and artistic bridges. The Grand provides water power for many of Lansing's indu$tries and enhances the scenic beauty of the city by its pi&uresqueness.

Lansing's trading area is be$t indicated by the fa& that the city's leading department $tores have a delivery radius of approximately twenty miles throughout.the surrounding territory.

INDUSTRIAL LANSING

Diversity of lines dtarted Lansing in the path of indu$trial progress. In the la$t twenty years Lansing has risen to a point where, industrially, it is one of the leading cities of the state. It was famous as the leading gag engine to*n of ths world before the advent of the automotive industry,.snd at a time when a huge number of wagons and buggies were products of Lansing shops. Today, approximately one hundred and eighty manufacturing concerns are doing busi. ness in Lansing and employ 16,000 men and women, 13,000 of whom work in the eighteen leading fa&ories. Lansing is known around the woild as the home of such va$t industrial enterprises as the Reo Motor Car Company, Olds Motor Works, Motor Wheel Coiporation, Novo Engine Company, Durant Motor Company, Lansing Company, Michigan Scre* Co-, pany, etc.

- Although Lansing is beSt known for its automotive industries, it is a city of many diversi, fied.fa&ories as the following will show. Manufactured prbducts from Lansing inciude agri, cultural implements, automobiles, automobile accessori'esl automobile and bus'bodies, aito

Durant Motor Co. of Michigan Builders of the Star

elecrnc suppiies, auto tops, auto seat covers and cushions, motor trucks, auto wheels, auto windshields, awnings and tents, bats, boilers, books, bricks, brooms, butter, castings, cement blocks, candy, cigars, cigar boxes, chemicals, concrete mixers, culverts, cut $tone, dies and tools, display fixtures, doorstops, drugs, dump bodies, drop forgings, Diesel engines, feed mills, fire escapes, garden tools, gasoline engines, gum, hardware specialtres, harnesses, hoidting machinery, ice, ice cream, ladies' garments, lawn mowers, lighting sy5tems, leather goods, mattresses, metal novelties, metal stampings, movie slides, mirrors, monuments, oil heaters, paint and varnish, patterns, pumps, paper. radios, road machinery, rubber $tamps, rugs, salad dressing, sales books, sausage, scrapers, sewer pipes, silos, spray pumps, sugar, screws, steel produits, tanks, thrashing machines, traCtors, undertaking supplies, wheelbarrows, fa&ory trucks and windshield glass.

Lansing factories paid out $22,000,000 in rvages aione in 1925. Lansing's annual output of manufadtured produdts is valued at $180,000,000. Peerless labor conditions charadterize Lansing's industries and ideal relations between employers and employees exidt. The diversi' fied indudtries of Lansing afford cititens consant employment and the foresight of Lansing's induStrial leaders has levelled off the peaks of inflation and the valleys of depression to a condtant plane of prosperity. No serious strike has occurred for a number of years and induStrial farlures of any consequence are unknown in the city's recent history, a fact which clearly in' dicates that Lansing's factories are efficiently managed.

Lansing enjoys a wholesome labor market. There is no labor problem. A sprrrt of co' operation and good,will permeates all industrial activities. Recreation and social activities of employees have been well organized by the indu$triai branch of the Y. M. C. A., and have played no small part in promoting harmonious relations between employer and employee. More than five hundred foremen actively participate in a Foreman's Club which meets regular' ly. Classes in foremanship and executive training have been regularly promoted by the Y. M. C. A. and Michigan State College. Lansiirg is totally free from union influence, there being no organizations in the automobile, metal and woodworking trades. Less than one'half of one per cent of Lansing's workers are union members.

Novo Engine Conpanl

Wages are on a par with the average throughout the countrybut are not excessively high and not controlled by the unions. While some parts of the country pay higher wages, *i11, the constancy of employment and the ideal conditions under whictr the workers live in Lansing, more than compensates for the few cents more per hour obtainable in those cities where conditions are unattradtive. The characteristic feature of Lansing industries is the $teadiness of employment. More than half of Lansing's workers enjoy a work year of more than 260 days employment. Prevailing hourly wage rates in Lansing's fa&oriesarehighenough to satisfy the workmen in Lansing and not too high for the manufaCturer to rcalize a fair profit on his investment.

The prevailing hourly wage rates in the building trades compare favorably with other cities in the country. The following table gives the hourly wages in the leading building trades of Lansing as of April, L926.

Michigan Screu. Company Mrnufacturers of rll kinJs of s;rcq, rn.rchine pr,rJucts

Any hiStory of tansitg's indu$tries would be far frorn complete without giving some fa&s relating to its chief manufaCturing concerns. The Reo Motor Car Company was organized in 1904, and is one of the oldest companies of its kind in business today. Production was $tarted under the roof of one small building with 304 men employed. Today the shops of the company have a total floor area of more than fifty,two acres. More than 5,000 men are on the payroll and the annual business approximates $55,000,000. It is now claimed that the Reo Motor Car Company manufadtures the moSt complete line of motor transportation offered by any one concern.

The Olds Motor Works (a part of the General Motors Corporation) is one of the modt modern automobile fa&ories in the country. The property consi$ts of approximately eighty' six acres. The inception of the Olds Motor Works dates from the e*ablishment in 1880 for the manufacture of gas engines and later incorporated in 1897 to make automobiles. The Olds Motor Works is, therefore, the oldest in the United States. There are in the entire plant nearly thirty buildings from one to four dtories in height comprising a total of nearly two million square feet of floor space.

The Durant Motor Car Company was the first built by W. C. Durant for the manufacture of Durant cars. It is among the large$t of the Durant plants, covering about fifty acres of land and having approximately six million square {eet of. floor space. At present this huge manufacturing enterprise is devoted exclusively to the making of Star motor cars.

Hugh Lyons and Company, manufacturers of papier mache form models and display fix' tures and automotive bodies and equipment was organized in 1886. This is the large$t and be$t known concern of its kind in the country.

The Novo Engine Company, manufacturers of gasoline engines, hoists, pumps and air compressors was organized in 1908. It has three hundred thousand feet of floor space and does an annual business of approximately $2,000,000.

Atlas Drop Forge Comlanrof Michigan's Larges; Fcig: C::::::::

Pagc Tuclv

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The Motor Wheel Corporation, embracing the Prudden Wheel and Gier Pressed Steel plants, is the world's greatest fa&ory for producing automobile wheels.

The Lansing Company manufactures five hundred different produdts and is the largedt builder of wheelbarrows and faitory trucks in the world.

The Auto Body Company manufactures motor coach and bus bodies and has five hundred thousand square feet of floor space.

The Michigan Screw Company owns a modern and well,equipped factory and is one of the largest manufacturers of screw machine products in the country.

Lansing's indusries employ an average of 8f .t per employer as againdt 31.36 in the United States. The average annual earnings per worker is $1130 and the average for the country as a whole is $1158.

CNIC FACTS

The city government of Lansing is vedted in a mayor and a common council which considts of sixteen aldermen, two from each of the eight wards into which the city is divided. These olficials are elected by the people as are the various other city oficers such as the city clerk, city treasur er, city assessor, etc. A board of education supervises school affairs, and a board of police and fire commissioners has charge of police and fire protection. In addition, there are a board of water and electric light commissioners and a board of cemetery and public parks. The judge of the municipal court is elected by the people.

Lansing's tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation is $26.45, which is lower than a majority of the Michigan cities of prominence. The city's bonded indebtedness is $8,342,800 Total value of city property is $11,850,000 and the assessed valuation of the city is $146,000,000.

PUBLIC UTILITIES

Lansing has a municipally owned and operated ele&ric light plant that has been steadily reducing the coSt of light to the consumer since the city took over the plant in t892. With current consumption $teadily increasing during the laSt six years, the engineers of the ele&ric light board have succeeded in keeping the coal consumption down and have remarkably increased

Hugh Lyons and Company Display Fixtures and Special Bodies for Llommtrcial Vehicies

the efficiency. The city has three fuel-burning plants that furnish more than 95/6 of the current. Expressed in figures, the current and coal consumption of the 6scal years ending April 30, 1926, are:

" COAL CURRENT TONS KILOWATTS

1921 -_ 89,385-- -37,648,000

1922 64,999 37,351,000 L923. 96,131 55,418,000

COAL CURRENTTONS KILOWATTS

Lg24 95,042 ..63,047,000

1925 69,716.____55,123,000

1926 8r,407 _. .._72,614,000

The effect of such eficiency has been the consistent lowering of rates to users of both light and power. and Lansing's rates are much lower than those in cities of comparable size. Rates vary according to the service required. For residence lighting, the net prices of cur' rent are 6 cents for the firSt 25 kilowatt hours per month; 4.4 cents for the second25 hours; 2.4 for all over that. The same rates apply to commercial lighting and miscellaneous power service. Regular and optional primary power is supplied to the larger users through either customer-owned or city,owned transformer in$tallations. Indicative of these rates are those charged for regular primary power to concerns owning their transformers; these are: $2.50 per kilowatt per month for the firs 100 kilowatts of maximum demand, and $t.50 for all over that; plus-1.15 cents per kilowatt hcur for the firdt 100,000 kilowatt hours; 1.05 cents for the next 400,000; and 0.95 cents for all above that.

Sixteen hundred and eighty,three miles of electric iight lines are used and three hundred and twenty,two rnen are employed to give Lansing electricity.

Gas is furnished by the Consumers Power Company, a Michigan corporation having one thousand miles of gas mains and four thousand employees. The rates are $L.21% per 1000 cubic feet for the firdt 100,000 cubic feet;99 cents for the next 100,000; 85f cents for the next 100,000; and 76rl cents per 1000 for all over a million.

Lansing's water supply is derived frcm artesian wells. It is unlimited in volume, chem, ically tested and famous for its purity. Net rates vary from 9.6 cents per 100 cubic feet fbr the first 2000 cubic feet per month to 4.8 cents for all over 500,000 cubic feet. In addition, a nominal charge is made for n:eter service, which varies according to the kind of metered service used.

A large section of Lansing is supplied with lcw pressure heating steam, derived from one of the city,owned fuel burning plants, this service being extensiveiy used by the stores, hotels and residences within a reasonable area. Net rates are:99 cents per 1000 lbs. for the firdt 200,000 pounds per month; 90 cents per 1000 for the next 800,000; 85 cents for all over 1,000,000; and 70 cents for all over 2,000,000.

One of the year around employers in Lansing is the Michigan Eleitrrc Railway Company, which, in 1925, distributed $270,000 to its employees on the city and interurban lines and offices in Lansing alone. The system of city and interurban lines centering in Lansing taps a large territory and renders a community service to factory managers and factory employees. In 1925 the company extended its service by the addition of city motor busses. The assessed value of the city lines and equipment alone is $662,000. The number of city operators given steady

employment is 110 and the total number of city line employees is 194. The e$timated freight handled by the company in 1925 was 35,000 tons. An express freight service is maintained on all its interurban lines and operates eight freight trains daily out of Lansing. The number. of cars used in normal operation is thirty,two and the total cars forty,three for actual operation. There are six city bus lines with fr{teen motor busses in service. The Michigdn Electric Railway has twenty.three miles of track in use in Lansing. Passenger fares are ten cents straight or four for twenty,five cents.

With twenty,five per cent of Lansing's $treets paved, the city engineer's department is con$tantly planning to increase paving to take care of the future needs of the rapidly growing city. Lansing now has more than sixty miles of pavements. In planning new pavements, Lansing is keeping in mind the fa&.that new industries coming to the city need good roads to and from their plants and with this end in view paving is being completed as rapidly as possible in the vicinity of the remaining fatrory sites. During L925,five miles of streets were paved 4nd two miles of $treets in the downtown section were repaved. Total cost of paving was $552,000. In addition to the paving, curbs and gutters were built on six and two-thirds miles of streets.

Lansing has one hundred and sixty miles'of sewer put in at a co$t of $2,000,000. The sewage system is one of the bes of any city of its size. The sewage facilities are condtantly being enlarged and improved. For instance, during 1925, tansing built sewers totalling twelve and one,half miles with an expenditure of approximately $250,000.

Lansing was one of the 6rdt cities in the country to adopt a motorized fire department. The city enjoys unsurpassed fire protedtion. Seven fire Stations are located throughout Lansing and employ ninety,seven men. Two new modern 1200,gallon pumping trucks were added to

the fire fighting equipment of the city within the padt year. A total of seven hundred and thirty,six alr..i. *"." answered in 1925 and the value of the buildings in u'hich fires occurred -u. $7,594,055 and the value of the contents, $12,819,580. Total fire loss was only $183,159, a fact which proves the efficiency of the Lansing fire department and makes the per capita loss for 1925,$1.998. The Lansing fire sy$tem ha. orrer seven hundred hydrants and approximately two hundred and fifty alarm boxes.

The Department is careful not to mar the beauty of residential districts with unsightly buildings, ".rb 111ur'ry of the outiying dtations are in architeatural harmony rx'ith the private homes adjoining them.

Lansing's police force considts of sixty,three uniformed olicers made up of patrolmen, motorcycie iolii" and trafic officers. The city has always been free from any decided tendency to crime, due largely to the fadt that its population is made up modtly by contented indudtrious men and women who are too busy to g"i into trouble and who earn a yearly wage amply sufficient to provide for their necessities.

There are no dives nor any underworld districts in Lansing to harbor criminals and cnme in Lansing considts mainly in smaller offenses. Lansing is efficrently policed by its patrolmen, day and.right, and has an enviable reputation throughout the country for moral righteousness'

Pa';e Serentcen

SCHOOLS

Lansing for a number of years has been busily engaged in developing its school sydtem anci today has edlucational facilities not excelled by any city of its size in the country. The Lansing school sydtem represents an inve$tment of $8,000,000 and includes nineteen grade buildings (with otirers ,.,dlr construction), one senior high school and three junior high school buildings. These Stru&ures are among the finest and be$t equipped in the United States' The Lansing fub[c schools employ four Lundred and sixty,seven teachers and have an enrollment of approxi' mately seventeeJthousand pupils and represent an expenditure of more than $1,250,000 per year. The educational sydtem of Lansing also maintains a free public evening school open to all who desire its benefrts. In addition, there are two business colleges in the city that prepare dtudents for the commercial world. There are also two parochial schools' Adjoining the senior high school is the Carnegie library, an imposing building containing forty,ninetho,lsand books foi reference purposes or to be taken out and read at home.

CWIC ORGANIZATIONS

Lansing has fifty,six churches of ail denominations and five religious organi4ations (non' church). Si"x of the churches are located adjacent to.the capitol square. Lansing churches harre aiwrys been the center of religious and spiritual interest. Ever since there has been such a community as Lansing there have been church organizations active in the city. Prac' tically all of Lansir-,g'. .hrrr.ies are housed in modern homes. Many have freed their church buildings from finalcial encumbrances. Several churches are now highly indtitutionalized and have well arranged departments that condu& all branches of their work in a highly eficient manner. To a large"exteni, new building among the churches has kept pace with the growth of the various denominations'

Lodges and orders are well represented in Lansing' Among these are the American Legion, B"rotherhood of American Yeoman, Bnai Brith, Elks, Gnis'Nal Grotto, Improved Order of i.ed Men, I. O. O. F. Capitol Lodge, I. O. O. F. Protection Lodge, Knights of Coiumbus, Knights of iythias, Lansing Rebekah Lodge, Maccabees, Masons, Moose, Modern Wood' *".,] Ord", of DeMolay, Unlted CommerciaiTravellers, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Woodmen of the World, etc.

There are {orty miscellaneous clubs and seventy,five women's c1ubs. Local associations and clubs include ihe American Automobile Association, American Red Cross, Boy Scout Council, Chamber of Commerce, Country Club, Lansing Credit Exchange, Lansing Associa' tion of Credit Men, Insurance Exchange, Music Teachers Association, Teachers Club, Michigan Retail Dry Goods Association, Grocers and Meat Dealers Association, Lansing Traffic club, Merchants Bureau, Michigan childrens Home society, Ministerial Union, Parent,Teacher Council, Purchasing Agents Association, Radio Trade Association, Social Service Bureau, Social Service Center, Salvation Army, Volunteers of America and $/omen's Clubhouse.

Numbered among the women's clubs are the American Association of University Women, Daughters of the American Revolution, Druggists' $/ives, Fellowship Club of Business and Professional Women, Lansing Woman's Cl"b, League of Women Voters' Lansing Mothers Circle, Matinee Musicale SJciety, S/omen's Clubhouse Association, Y. W. C. A', Zonta Club, Woman's Christian Temperance LJnion, etc'

Upper Four

Nerv \Val,Engine Co.

Lindell Drop Forge Co.

Meiling Forging Co.

Federal Drop Forge Co.

Lower Four

ldeal Pou,er Larvn Mower Co. Jarvis Engineering Co. Hill,Diesei Engine Co. Rikerd Lumber Co.

Men's organlzations include the American Business Men's Luncheon Club, Army and Navy Club, Druggists Club, Dental Association, Exchange Club, Foreman's Club, Grand Arrny of the Rep-u"blic, Hoo Hoo Club, Gnis,Nal Grotto Club, Inter'City Golf Club, Izaak Walton League, Kiwanis Club, Lansing Trades and Labor Council, 119th Field Artillery, Lions Club, Madter Plumbers Association, North Side Commercial Club, Rotary Club, Y. M. C. A., etc.

The Lansing Chamber of Commerce is one of the city's most important civic inftitutions and is in a position at all times to furnish information regarding the advantages of Lansing as a city in which to w-ork and live.

RECREATIONAL FACILITIBS

The parks of Lansing have an approximate total area of 450 acres and are valued at $500,000. Eleven in nuriber, they piovide outdoor recreation for thousands each year' potter park is one of the most poprlur play grounds and is distinguished by a well'stocked Zao. Brick ovens and tables for eating out,of,doors are provided, as are tennis courts and play ground equipment for the children. Moores Park on the River Drive is a naturai amphi' in.",I. with rolling ground and exquisite gardens. A large completely equipped swimming pool is one of the ieJtures of this park. Playground facilities are also much enjoyed by the children and several tennis courts are in daily use. Ba.ncroft Park provides an unusual beauty spot for outings and recreation. Here, a1so, are brick ovens and tables for the hungry and a -od".. base ball diamond for those athletically inclined. Adjoining Bancroft Park is the Municipal 18,ho1e Goif Course, one of the be$t in the country. This course can be played for a very moderate fee. Cak Fark has a swimming pco1, tennis courts and a base ball diamond, also playground equipment for the children. Durant Park, Ferris Park and Central Park are situ;t€d Lore in the central sedtion of the city and are unsurpassed natural beauty spots' In addition there are srnaller parks scattered throughout the city which provide delightful re' laxation and an opportunity for phy.ical advancement. In addition to the Municipal Golf Course, Lansing tu. t*o other golf courses, the Lansing Country Club and the Inter'City Golf C1ub. Both clubs have a large membership and attractive club houses' Lansrng has a number of attractive theatres showing legitimate stage productlons and moving plctures'

BANKS AND OTHER trINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS

The largest gain in bank clearings ever made by Lanstng was rer-ealed in the totals of 1925 and thJ pei clearings in the city'. ba.nking history was reached at that trme. Total clearings amounted to $14b,946,490 or a gain of $12,53'1,'148 over 192-1' The average gain each rnonth was $1,044.537 which shattered all increase records ir-r the annals of Lansing banking. These figures rndicate that Lansrng 1s olle oi the most prosperous ctties tn the countrv.

Lansing has fcur banks, the City National Bank, the Amerrcan State Savings Bank, the Caprtal Naiioral Bank and the Pecples State Savings Bank. The total capitalization of these lrur-,k. is $1,7C0,CC0 and the total bink surplus $1,042,621. Ail oi the banks are housed in convenient and beautiful quarters and represent the backbcne of Lansing's financial progress. Lansing's banking in$titutions loan r-cr.ey at s1x pel cent and pay four per cent on savings jeposits. Each bank renders a complete bankine service to cuCtomers'

In addition to the four banking institutions of Lansing, the city is proud of its five Build, ing and Loan AsBociitions. These companies are housed in the business district and commen, surate with the city's thrift have enjoyed a healthy growth. Combined resources of these associations were, in 1925, approximately $U,000,000.

The Central Trus Company, one of T.ansing's late$t financial organizations, does a general savings and tru$t business and is sure to soon become a leading fa&or in the city's future financial expansion.

HEALTH

Frt

Lansing is a healthy city in which to live. Cleanliness is carried ro extremes and an efficient city health department is maintained to guard the population from disease. Lansing's birth rate has always exceeded the death rateby a comfortable margin. A typicalyear records 1550 births as opposed to774 deaths. The birth rate per 1OOO of population is 23.5 and the death rate 11.8. The excess births over deathsis776. In this respeCt Lansing compares most favorably with other leading cities in Michigan and the United States.

The city has four hospitals. During 1925, St. Lawrence Hosoital cared for 2536 cases. A Catholic indtitution, it is interesting to note that of this number 2,011 were Protestants, 21 Jeq,ish and only 504 Catholics. Three hundred and sixteen new citizens enrered the world at St. Lawrence hospital last year. Sparrow Hospital received 2739 patients last year and 254 babies were born there. A11 Lansing hospitals are modern indtitutions and have expert medical help provided by the city's medical profession.

A county tuberculosis sanitarium is located at Lansing in which sufferers from this disease receive expert care and attention. Free clinics are held regularly for the benefit of Lansing's citizens and a city Social Center and active Associated Charities render valuable aid to the needy and to homeless children. Approximately one hundred physicians and surgeons are in active pradtice in Lansing.

POINTS OF INTEREST

The State Capitol is, of course, the outdtanding point of intereSt in Lansing. This im. posing edifice dtands in a magnificent square located in the center of the city. Completed in 1878 at a codt of a million and a half dollars, its estimated value today is g3,000,000.

The dome of the Capitol rises to a heighi of 260 f-eet and from its top an interesting pan, orama of the city can be obtained. In the building itself are found the olhces of the governor and other state executives, also the Senate and Representative chan-rbers.

Within a short walk of the Capitol is the new State Oltrce and Lrbrary Building, valued at approximately $3,000,000.' This houses the various departmenrs of State activities as well as the Library, considered one of the finest in the United States. In it rs also to be found the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Museum.

Six hundred boys are being trained in the Michigan Industrial School for better and more useful lives. This remarkable dtate inStitution provides commodious and comfortable quarters and gives the boys excellent training in vocational lines. Recent improvements in equipment have made this one of the modt eficient schools of its kind in the country.

bwntown Scenes in Lansing

A place of unusual interect is the Michrgan School for the Blind. Modern buildings and eflicient inStruction have given vocational training to hundreds of unfortunates and enableC them to go out into the commercial world on a fairly equal basis with others.

NEWSPAPERS

There afe published, in Lansing, two daily newspapers, six weekly publications, three monthlies and one semi,monthly. Of the two newspapers, the State Journal is the oldest and largest, and through a wide circulation extends Lansing's market into all the adjoining counties. Its contemporary, the Capital News, has been established about six years and is showing steady progress as a fadtor in Lansing affairs.

HOTELS AND APARTMENTS

Sixteen hotels furnish rooms and food for Lansing's transient population. The newest and largedt of these is the Hotel O1ds, recently opened and ereCted at a cost of $2,100,000. This magnificent hostelry occupies a quarter of a block in the heart of the city and is but a short distance from the principal railroad dtations and within walking didtance of the shops, amusement places and garages. Each of the three hundred coTy rooms is elaborately furnished, fully daylighted, of generous size and fitted with tiled bathrooms. The Lansing City Club for business and professional men and women occupies an entire floor of the Hotel Olds. The Hotel Olds is a ccmmunity dtructure, a certain proportion of its building expense berng sub, scribed by Lansing citizens who are stcckholders in the campany. The city's hotels in geneqal charge moderate rates both for rooms and for meals and provide courteous and complete service to gue$ts.

Thanks to the activities of local realty men, Lansing is fringed by a number of beautiful residential subdivisions, pradically all of which have been developed in the past ten years. A11 are within three miles of the heart of Lansing and are well served by public transportation. Random views of a number of such residence districs are shown on another page. Such subdivisions are re stridted as to the types and codt of building to be erected, and restricuons are rigidly enfbrced. The natural beauty possessed by these localities is enhanced by clever 1and, scape planning, with winding roads and small parks superseding the monotor-ious rectangular formation which is so characteriStic of American cities. Many of the nerv additrons have created maintenance funds to provide for the planting and care of tree s, florvers and shrubbery.

Inasmuch as Lansing is drStinctly a city of home owners, apartment br-uldings are not as plentiful as in many other cities of the same size. There are, how,ever. a suilcient number to accommodate the demanclandallofthemarestrictiy modern in every resile.i. Promrnent among the apartments is the Porter, eredted at a cost of half a million dollars and magnificently equipped throughout. The newest apartment building, the Washington, rises ro a height of seven stories and provides living facilities for a large number of people. Apartment building rentals are not high in Lansing. Rates vary according to the location and average between fifty and seventy,five dollars for four rcoms and bath. Heat and water are inciuded in the rental and some apartrnents include phone, eledtricity and ice.

Rooms for men can be obtained for a very reasonable amount at the Y. M. C. A., and a certain number of women are acccmmcdated at the Y. W. C. A. The latter associatron is now

constructing a new home which will be one of the modt up-to.date buildings of its kind in the ccuntry. The Y. M. C. A. and Y. W. C. A. are always open, day and night, and the edtimated yearly attendance at the Y. M. C. A. is 350,000. Neariy 2,000 men occupied the Y. M. C. A. dormitory during 1925.

Lansing's growth rnay be recorded by the poCtal receipts for the paSt thirteen years, which are as follows:

1911 $155,202 1918 $340,361

L912 769,L44 1919 373,992

1913 183,782 1920 398,606

L914 202,ty, t92L 466,682

1915 23t,837 7922 503,096 1916 259,108 1923 550,420 Lg17 277,845 1924 574,284 1925 $614,827

Inasmuch as podt office receipts are a very reliable barometer of a city's prosperity and progress, it can be readily seen from the above that Lansing is pushing steadily forward, year after year. The Lansing poSt ofice employs forty,nine carriers and seven rural carriers. Sixty-four people work in the clerical department. The gains in 7925 tn postal receipts were due to Lansing's increased business, induStrial adtivities and increased population. There are nine branch poSt ofices scattered throughout the city. Enlargement of the present podt ofice building is predicted for the near future to care for the increase in business.

ROADS

Lansing is ideally situated in regard to main highways. M,16, a concrete pavement extending from Detroit to Grand Haven, passes through Lansing and affords quick and easy access to a va$t trade area. M-16 is approximately one hundred and eighty miles in length. In the past five years concrete pavement has almoSt totally superseded gravel highways in and about Lansing. The outlying towns of any consequence within a twenty mrle radius of the city are now all reached by pavement and work is at present under \f,iay on a superhighway to connedt Lansing and Eadt Lansing. This highway, vu,hen completed, will be one of the modt beautiful in the country and will give Lansing an eaStern approach in keep, ing with the beauties of the city itself and its commanding position as the capital of the great $tate of Michigan. A glance at the map on page 38 will give a comprehensive idea as to the enormous amount of paving that has been laid in the area surrounding Lansrng in very recent years. Such road conditions are a direct boon to Lansing's manufacturers, who ship a large percentage of their products by motor truck and who are able to get raw materials and machinery and other vitally necessary commodities in the shortest possible time via highway transportation. Paved roads have increased motor haulage in and out of Lansing to an enormous extent and at the same time have greatly benefited the rich agricultural district which surrounds the capital city. A great many miles of the main paved arteries feeding Lansing were built by $tate convict labor and consequently the coSt has been materially reduced to the taxpayers.

Lansing has every reascn to be proud of its paved highways, which are sure to be rapidly increased as the city's industrial and business aCtivities grow.

BUILDING STATISTICS

A comparative table showing building Sati$tics for the past five year-.s in Lansing, follo*s:

1927 gg2 "$4,727,7451922. t926 3.754.138

PERMITS VALUATION

rg23 2548 $6,029,4931924 2037 5,100,325

PERN{ITS VALL]ATION

7925 (n mos.) 1627 $5,702,972

While fewer building permits were issued in 192-5 than in 7921, the value of the permits issued in Lansing during the padt year exceeded that of the previous year. Building in Lansrng during 1925 represented an expenditure of approximately live and a half million dollars, that valuation being divided among approximately 1800 permits. Building for industrial projects showed an increase of approximately $100,000 over 1924. Building of du,ellings represented a valuation of $1,800,000 and about $700,000 was expended for additions to exiSting property. Oflicial figures on city building for the firct eleven months of t9Z-S follow:

PERMITS VALUATION

January 38 $U9,425

February 47 100,955

March r25 74L,402

April 227 360,785

Muy 193 1,591,420

PERN{ITS VALUATIO\

June 180- -$349,087

Jrly 270 342,998

August 163 267,600 September l7S - 350,315 October 165 588,035 November 104 230,950

Comparatively recent con$truction in Lansing includes, in addition to the Hotel Olds (described in another part of this booklet) the new Masonic Temple, the Walter FrenchJunior High School and the Knights of Columbus Temple. The Masonic Temple is one of the largedt of its kind in the dtate and is indicative of the order's growth in Lansing. In addition to being used for fraternal requirements, the new Temple provides another auditorium, pretentious and comfortable, where large gatherings may be held and where dances, lectuies and business meetings will find plenty of space.

The Walter French Junior High School is a magnificent building and one of the most modern school houses in the country. Every facility for the proper education of Lansing's growing citizens has been provided. Plans have recently been accepted and ground will soon be broken for a new high school building to be located on the eadt side of the clty to take care of the condtantly increasing school population of the capital city.

The Knights of Columbus home is one of the most artistic and spacious community houses in Lansing. This new home is a three,Story $trudture and contarns one ot the largedt banquet halls in the city. The main floor has a big auditorium which will seat 1.OCC people. It also has a special lodge room, pool and billiard parlors and a beautiful lounge room. The Lansing home of the Knights of Columbus excels that of any K. of C. home in the state.

Lansing is the chief convention city of Michigan. The Prudden Audrtorium has a seating capacity of 3,000 people and a smaller annex for lesser conve ntion meetings. With the additions of the new Masonic Temple, Hotel Oids and Knights of Columbus home, Lansing can take care of many conventions simultaneously and its central location makes it easy of access from any place in the dtate.

The beautiful Women's Club House is another popular rendevouz for women's organi2a, tions and completes the unsurpassed faciiities of Lansing as the dominant convention city of Michigan.

Lansing

Lansing Schools

Abooc

Left

Apartment Buildings

&

Views im Lansing Public Parks

Laft- Durant

Page Thirtl.fow

T Ir-,ner Three Views

Lansing Country Club Fair Grounds

Municipal Golf Course 1\\-ater HaTard)

Lower Three Views

119th F. A. Armory Deepdale Cen.retery

Typical River Bridge

EAST LANSING

Forming a beautiful "i*"r., gateway to Lansing, and virtually adjoining it, Eadt Lansing is nevertheless a separate municipality and the outgrowth of the nationally famous Michigan State College which directly faces it.

Officially designated as the Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, M. S. C. is the olde$t agricultural college in the United States, being founded in 1849 and at a time when agriculture in the we$t was in its infancy. But as a pra&ical indtitution of learning, M. S. C. has proved to be always ready to serve Michigan's larger needs, and to promote the types of vocational training which the growing State of Michigan required. Today it boadts of a mo$t complete College of Engineering, offering comprehensive professional training in the civil, mechanical, ele&ric and chemical fields. Its Division of Liberal Arts is a well rounded cultural course. Business Admini$ration, its most recent division aims to train men and women for industry's growing needs in the fields of induStrial and commercial management. In all, there are seven major courses of study in the make,up of the college curriculum, comprising: Agriculture, Applied Science, Liberal Arts, Home Economics, Engineering, Veterinary Medicine and Business Admini$tration.

The campus, considered by many as the most beautiful in the country, contains more than sixty buildings. A new chemidtry building of the latedt design is now under con$truction. A11 buildings contain the newest and modt modern equipment for educational purposes. The paSt few years have noticed a decided growth in the Student body as well as in buildings and in, creased number of faculty. A new Library, a new Home Economics Building, a ndw Union Building, a new Horticultural Building, and new concrete athletic Stadium have been built. The $tudent body has grown from 1500 to 2500 and promises to be larger this year. The excellent teaching $taffhas been en]arged by the addition ofsome fifty professors and assi$tants.

The codt of gaining an education at M. S. C. is relatively low, and the opportunities for Students to help pay their expenses through college are many. Low rent in College dormitories and boarding clubs operated at co$t cut down the living expenses to a minimum.

Athletic and all other dtudent activities are developed fully and carefully at M. S. C. Her major sport teams have won national fame as the "Fighting Aggies," while a beautiful gymnasium, a new 16,000 seat football stadium, and other equipment provide opportunity for every dtudent to enter the athletic program.

With M. S. C. as its chief "indu$tty," Eadt Lansing is almodt entirely a residential locality; in fadt, there is not a single fadtory within its confinesand not one is desired. In consequence of this, and also because of its natural beauty, EaSt Lansing is a preferred suburb of Lansing business men, particularly as it contains a liberal quota of such community necessities as grade and high schools, $tores, apartments and public utilities-

Incorporated in 1907, and with only 800 population in 1910, East Lansing ioday has an estimated population of 3600. In the same period its valuation has increased from $384,000 to $5,524,525.

M.S.C.

Michigan State College (East Lansing)

Library

Uniolr Memorial

Acricultural Building (Below) Section of Oarnpus

Hall ol Engineering Itselow) Home Economics Building

Typical Motor Roads in and adjacent to Lansing

Note the grade separations and absence of roadside .ditches

ffiniS book is published by\J 16. Lansing Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the City of Lansing.

Statistical data supplied by Michigan State College. Engravings by the Lansing Colorplate Co., Lansing.

PI anned, wr itten, illu strdted and completely produced by DICK SHORT €d COMPANY LANSING