Plattsmouth

Where the shallow, sandy River Platte debouches into the muddy Missouri is Plattsmouth, a neat little Nebraska town of 3,800 population, 21 mi. south of Omaha. Business used to be good in Plattsmouth. Cass County farmers were near enough to the city to diversify and the Burlington Railroad shops always took care of 400 or 500 men. Then for economy the Burlington began to consolidate the shops with its bigger ones in Lincoln. Some of the men followed the shops. Families doubled up and merchants cut down. Depression settled over Plattsmouth like a wintry fog. Six months ago when the re-employment office was opened 1,300 applied for jobs.

The start of highway construction took a few hundred jobless. Federal flood-control work on the Missouri took 300 more. To supply crushed rock for the river and highway work two new quarries were opened, four old ones reopened. That took another 300. Gravel pits resumed operations with truckers getting contracts. A small packing plant and Refrigerator Express Co. leased part of the vacant Burlington shops. Payrolls were spent in Plattsmouth and merchants took on help.

Last week in Plattsmouth the re-employment office had closed, the Welfare Board disbanded, not a house, not an apartment was vacant, not a man was out of work.

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