Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1874-10-08
BOARD Of Trade Annual Reports.

BOARD Of Trade Annual Reports.
4 THE sEcRErARys SUMMARY sTATENENT FOR tn
YEAR-TREAsuRER's REPoRr-LIsr OF MEMBERi
The following reports were presented at til
l Annual Meeting Of the Board of Trade, las
. evening =
. The year which has lust closed, as you are a.
well aware, has been one of great depression
Every one Of our industries have suffered NOR
or kss except possibly the morocco interest
and we close the year without any immedist
prospect OF better times. This is not the plac
to discuss the causes Of this general depression
ncr do we feel competent to suggest any remedy
, The only comforting feature we have to call at
tention to is that the depression is not local bu
national, that tile cause did not originate with IL,
J any moro than with other and larger business
Centres Various causes are assigned, the prin.
cpal ones being National aud individual ex-
traVagances; disordered and imperfect financial
systems and overtradng, Or too rapid commercial
and manufacturing growth. Many remedies
specie payment, decrease temporarily Of the
amount OF manufactured goods (this IL being
done in New England and elsewhere in cotton,
woollen and iron trados) and third greater
economy IN conducting the business Of both
government and individuals.
Notwithstanding the great depression in busi-
ness, we are gratitied to be able to record the
| fact that but very small number of enterprises
have failed alternately. There has been great
falling oil in the gross amount OF the value OF
| goods produced. and a considerable reduc-
| ton in prices but there has been no decrease 1f
| facilities for production but rather an increase.
| We have very considerable addition to tho Iron
interest IN the new mills Of the Christiana Iron
Co.. the Mccullough Iron Co., and also the eS-
tensions OF Mcssrs Pusey, Jones Il Co., John
| Marshall Co., of Newport, practically in Viii
| mlngton. Since onr last report, also the Edg-
| moor Iron Co. has commenced production.
| All our iron mills ara in good order and ready
| for business when it shall offer. And when the
Iron trade does revive, Wilmington will he in
shape to nearly, il not quite, double tho value of
her annual production Of that material. This is
| very gratifying, and the same might be said in a
less degree, perhaps, of nearly MI our industries
Among the ltems of interest is one more ell
conragihg than the rest. The morocco interest
Inns ut least SHIELD its own" during the past year.
this year comparing fayorably with any prece-
ding year.. About the usual amount of business
has been done ut about the usual profit, but it il
only just to refer to the fact that this business
suffered severely for several years when iron
and other branches of trade were generally pros
porous. Cars and carriages and the kindred
branches have been very dull and Improbable.
1t is not thought advisable to prepare
any extended statement of the business of
the city for the past gear, as such n
statement as is usually made in this report would
necessarily be very imperfect and unreliable, and
therefore unsatisfactory
Our own Board has been no exception to the
general rule, and finds it necessary to economze
III the matter of expenses, and will therefore
omit this year recommending the publication OF
any Annual Report.
DoINas OF THE BOARD.
At the first meeting Of this Board of Mana
gers, committee was appointed under the fol-
lowing resolution
Resotred, That a committee be appointed to
consider the best means OF securing the estab-
llshment OF n ferry from some point on the Del
aware front of the city to the Jersey shore.
This committee succeeded in securing parties
to undertake the running of ferry boat be-
tween this city and Pennsgrove, and the boat
has been running during the season.
On Oct. 10th. 1873, the President and Secreta-
ry were chosen as delegates to the National
the meeting and represented this Board during
that session.
On the 23rd of Dec, 1873, Messrs. jenkins, |
Head and s. Bancroft, Jr., were appointed del |
egates to the American Cheap Transportation
Convention, held at Washington, Jan. 18th
Several resolutions favorable to the Centen- |
NAL celebration to be held at Philadelphia in |
1876 were transmitted to Congress during its |
session.
Resolutions and petitions to Congress asking |
for appropriations towards the improvement OF |
our harbor were passed and were, we believe. |
instrumental in affecting the purposes for which |
they were made. The appropriations was made |
and the improvements are now being carried
forward.
The Board also took action with reference to
the Bankruptcy Law, and discussed several other
laws pending in Congress, and expressed itself |
in the form of resolutions which were sent to
our Representatives IN Congress for their con-
slderation.
There are also several matters on legislative
subjects which were laid over by this Board for
the consideration Of the new Board, to be elect
ed this evening, action on which should be had
during or before the session of our State Legs
lature.
Resolutions urging our manufacturers and
citizens to take part in the Fair OF the Franklin
Institute and the Middletown Agricultural and
Mechanical Fair were passed i'll September of
this year.
The subject OF the rection of a grain eleya-
tor has been before the Board several times and |
n committee OF the Board is now engaged in /
collecting statistics of the amount of grain ac-
tually received and shipped in this vicinity |
and estimates of what might with proper G Tort
and facilities BIO done in this line, together with
probable cost of an elevator. We earnestly re-
quest the new Board to take up the considera-
possible moment, and il possible to push it TO
and early completion. The commercial
interests Of the city are or should be very
deeply interested in the enterprise. it will
serve to increase our trade with the Peninsula
and the West very greatly. With our commercial
interests once placed as sure u footing as our
interests now are, We shall be
able TO take rank with any city of our size in the
country IN every respect
AS & closing remark there IL SOW no cause for
We are RS well off as any of
our sister cities and better than many. We
must soon have u revival OF business, and let us
leave no means upused to be ready to move in
stautly when that time arrives
Respectfully submitted for the managers,
GEO. W. STONE, Secretary.
LIST OF MEMBERS.
The following is a list of the members OF the
Board during the past year Pussy, Scott d
Co., s. Bancroft Jr., W. p. Bancroft, Chas.
Warner ~ Co, VIM. Lea Il Son, James Bradford,
Harlan II Hollingsworth Co., Walton, Whan
4 Co., Geo. W. Bush, J.. & A. Belts, T. Il. James,
Seidel 4 Hastings, L. Bringhurst, Granville
Worrell. W. NJ. Ksnnard. Loblell Car Wheel
Co, Gregg 4 Bowe, Eli Garrett, Diamond
State Iron Co., J. L. Head, Pussy Jones x
Elliott, d. II. Kent u Co., NJ. NJ. Child &
Co., Benjamin Nelds, Samuel NJ. Harring-
ton, Croasdale q Cameron, Woolley and VAN
Trump, II. NJ. jenkins, r. Il. Robinson,
Vim. Candy, 2. W. Il. b. II. II. Co., II. S Nc
Comb, W. Ii. Swift, Harlan Cause, Charles Baird,
T. y. de Normandie, J. p. Doughten, L. Bring
hurst Il Co., H. L. Pickles, James Morrow, VIM.
Ferris, Gawthrop X Bro, j. X. Adams, G.. T..
Johnson, W. Il Il. II. II. Co., Hilles & Jones,
Thomas s. Bellah, Jackson & Sharpe Co.. NJ. b.
Stotsenburg, s. X. Ball, II. L. Tain all.
TREAsURER's REPORT.
The following is the annual report of the Treas
urer
WILMINGToN, Oct. 8. 1874.
TO the President and Members Of he Board Of
Trade,
Gentlemen Your Treasurer bess leave TO sub