Maine Developments, January 1966 Maine Department of Economic Development
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Maine State Library Digital Maine Economic and Community Development Economic and Community Development Documents 1-1-1966 Maine Developments, January 1966 Maine Department of Economic Development Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalmaine.com/decd_docs Recommended Citation Maine Department of Economic Development, "Maine Developments, January 1966" (1966). Economic and Community Development Documents. 114. https://digitalmaine.com/decd_docs/114 This Text is brought to you for free and open access by the Economic and Community Development at Digital Maine. It has been accepted for inclusion in Economic and Community Development Documents by an authorized administrator of Digital Maine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MAIN! Department of Economic Development • Augusta, Maine • Standish K. Bachman, Commissioner Vol. 5 No.1 January, 1966 COORDINATOR Governor John H. Reed has appointed MAINE'S ECONOMIC PROGRESS Richard A. Hebert of the DED staff to be Federal projects coordinator for his office. BY Hebert will be on assignment loan to the Executive Department and will report STANDISH K. BACHMAN, Commissioner directly to the Governor and to Steven D. DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVEWPMENT Shaw, Administrative Assistant to the Governor. Maine stands at the dawning of a new Great strides are being made in our high- The veteran DED staffer has been with year. On the basis of what transpired in the Department since its creattion in 1955 ways system. Route 95 was completed from the year just ended, I look for 1966 to bring Old Town to Howland, on its way to Houl- and served as administrative assistant to continued economic progress to our state. three different Commissioners of DED, as ton. Route 1 between Bath and Brunswick well as a brief period as temporary Com- In men and in the affairs of men, past will be completed in 1966, and work is missioner. Most recently he has been as- performance is the best indication of what progressing on the new Interstate route sistant to Robert o. Elliot, director of the may be expected in the days to come. between Brunswick and the State Capitol Vacation-Travel Promotion Division. Looking at the record, 1965 was a good at Augusta. There is reason to believe that our state's air transport system will be ex- With the increase in Federal legislation year for Maine. It saw gratifying progress in almost every facet of our economy. It panded by Northeast Airlines' new owners, affecting economic development in many the Storer Broadcasting Company. spheres of activity, the need for a Federal saw many sizeable industrial projects started, and many completed. It saw new projects coordinator had been felt for some AMPLE POWER time. For the past two years Hebert had and diversified industry come to Maine; it served, in addition to regulae assignments, saw expansions of existing business and in- Tn view of the prime importance of ample as secretary of the Governor's Committee dustry. Many of our large companies were power to industrial development, actual and for the Passamaquoddy-St. John River strengthened by merger with other, some- proposed generating expansions for Maine Hydro-Electric Projects. One of his first times larger companies, and the recreation during recent months are most encouraging. new assignments has been to represent the industry, so important to our over-all econ- Kilowatt sales, incidentally, were up 13 per Governor's office in the presentation of the omy, enjoyed perhaps the best year in its cent over 1964. Southwestern Maine site as a possible history. Details of recent electric power develop- location for the Atomic Energy Commis- The records of the Department of Econ- ments in Maine are contained elsewhere in sion's proposed $348 million proton acceler- omic Development indicate that a total of this issue of Maine Developments under the ator. 76 new industries and expansions added al- heading, "Power A-Plenty." most two and one-half million square feet of manufacturing space and some 4,638 in- MINES, MERGERS & SUGAR dustrial jobs to our economv during the first As this was written Maine was very much BATH'S BUSY eleven months of 1965. Maine's personal in the running as the site for the Atomic income increased by 7.4 per cent, close to Energy Commission's proposed $348 million After 23 years absence Ir-on the mer- the national average of 8 per cent, according Proton Accelerator. to an estimate by Business Week magazine. chant vessel construction field, the Bath The year 1965 saw tangile results from Iron Works is back in it again with a con- TREND Is UPWARD the ae;ial and ground surveys which the tract to build three vessels for American I would be the last to suggest that Geological Survey Division of the Depart- Export Isbrandtsen Lines, Inc. at a price ment of Economic Development has been of $38,790,000. BIW President James F. Maine's recent industrial progress has been sensational. But I do say that an upward carrying on for the past ten years. Several Goodrich said that the contract, with others companies are prospecting for Maine min- already in the works, would assure full trend has been established, and that growth is steady and solid, erals and at least one is actually in opera- employment in the Bath yard "at least tion, taking ore from the ground. It is until 1969." In each of the six years of this decade, estimated that $2 million was spent by The yard has been concentrating on Navy 1960-65, Maine has registered gains in num- commercial companies in Maine exploration warships in recent years. ber of industries operating in the State, in during the past year. Metals discovered in- expansions of industries, in new industrial Directors of the company have approved cluded copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum and jobs created. and in the vacation travel busi- silver and gold. expenditure of $4 million for yard improve- ness. In this period, 107 new industries ments to handle the contract, bringing have come to Maine and 157 industries have Maine is scheduled to ioin the sugar pro- capital expenditures to a total of $20 million expanded their operations, not including the ducing states for the first time in 1966, since World War II. pulp and paper industry. when a multi-million dollar plant will begin operation in Easton, Aroostook County. With the receipt of a $2 million contract Since 1960 an estimated 20.780 new in- for marine equipment the Hyde Division of dustrial jobs have been created bv acquisi- Maine has kept pace with the rest of the Bl'VVhas its largest backlog of orders since tion of new industries or by expansion of country in consolidation and diversification, the Korean 'Val', a company spokesman existing ones, with more than 8,000,000 with many Maine companies strengthening said. An additional 40 employees will be square feet of new industrial flloor space their position by merging. The Bath Iron hired to produce the equipment for instale- added. Works has acquired the Hyde Windlass tion on attack supply ships being built in Company ; Warner Brothers bought the C. Newport News, Virginia. Total investment by Maine pulp and paper companies in new plant and facilities F. Hathaway Company, which incidentally Concurrently, purchase of the Badger during the past six years exceeds $200,000,- has expanded twice since the merger with Manufacturing Co. and removal of its 000. Maine textile mills are spending and sites in Dover-Foxcroft and Calais; Burnham machinery from Cambridge, Mass, to the have spent large sums in modernization and and Morrill was purchased by the William Hyde plant was announced. The Badger our railroads have spent millions on right of Underwood Company, just to mention a firm, with sales approximating $3 million, ways and in new rolling stock, which, by few. Maine has not lost by these mergers manufactures expansion joints and salt the way, accounts for the increase in rail of its fine old companies, rather it has water distilling units for ships. freight revenue, up by 13% over 1964. (Continued on Page Three) - RUMFORD The Oxford Paper AROOSTOOK COUNTY- Con- WIN SLOW Scott Paper Company POWER A-PLENTY MAINE'S ECONOMIC PROGRESS (Conlinued [rom. PageOne) Company has announced plans for expendi, struction of 25 modern potato storage houses during 1965 brought new paper machines ture of $7 million in improvements, repairs was completed this fall. Capacities range into production in six countries: Mexico, Maine would have electric power coming gained. The Maine companies have re- A recent survey of the vacation travel and modernization of its plant in 1966. from 10,000 to 140,000 barrels: total capac- Australia, England, Italy, Belgium and out of its ears, with the realization of new mained in Maine, strengthened by their facilities in the State indicates that over During 1965 $5,250,000 was expended for ity 742,000 barrels with an estimated value Columbia. The company has tripled its generating facilities and transmission lines combinations with other concerns. $4 million in additional facilities have been the same purpose. This was in effect the of $1 ~ million. research expenditures over the past ten proposed during recent months. constructed in the past year and another culmination of a $4<0 million, three-year im- years. The Army Corps of Engineers is re- STATISTICS $6 million is proposed for 1965. Turnpike provement and modernization program. ported to have already contracted for a The total number of non-farm workers travel over the Labor Day weekend was up AUBURN Some 500 new jobs will preliminary aerial photographic study and employed in Maine rose from 364,000 in 22..1% over last year, clearly indicating BUCKSPORT - The St.