The Portland daily press., 1877-01-09
BOARD OF TRADE.
Annual Meeting and Election of Officers

The annual meeting of the Board of Trade
was held last evening. President George w.
Woodman called the meeting to order and after
| some routine business the following annual
| reports were read and accepted:
sECRETARY's ANNUAL REPORT.
Your Secretary would respectfully report that
| there have been twenty meetings held during
| the year. viz, thirteen Of the managers and
seven meetings of the full board, including
| four specials Three adjournments were made
| without transactng business for want of a
| quorum. Three persons have been proposed
| and two elected to membership. Five mem
bers have dece ased during the year, viz, Al
| yah Conant Andrew Spring, Chas. 81. Adams.
John True and James Freeman.
The board now numbers 249 members against
| PA last year. L have received for annual as
sessments and admission fees to the board for
the past year SOL and paid the same to the
Treasurer.
The Merchants Exchange has at this time
213 members against 226 last year. The re-
| ceipts from subscribers have been $1697
against 1851 last year, making the aggregate
members - this board $2398, showing but
slight variation as compared with the receipts
OF the year previous.
1t will be observed that the Merchants Ex-
change has very nearly held its own through
out the past year in point of members as well
as money receipts. The files Of the Exchange
are we'll kept up, and the Western Union Tel
egraph Co. has been very prompt in furnishing
full Geographic reports of not only the markets
and marine news, but also OF all general i'm
portant news from all parts of the country, in
manner emitting Mr. Bedlow, the Superin-
tendent, to proper recognition in this connec-
ton.
While the general business of the last two
months OF the year has fallen behind that of
the corresponding period of last year, yet for
the IF of the inpraaaa of sales in
~ every branch of business is noticeable.
Immediately preceding the close of the Pres
idential campaign there were indications on
every hand that the effects of the panic of 1873
were rapidly disappearing; that business men
had reconstructed their affairs upon a solid
and substantial basis, and that confidence was
being very generally restored. Our manutact.
uring industries and shipping interests were
revived to very considerable extent, and all
the elements of genuine business revival
seemed to prevail, but the uncertainty of po-
litical affairs following the election, had the
effect to infict temporary check upon all
business enterprises, but business men general
ly speak in hopeful strain that this is only
temporary and that the" weeding-out' of many
individuals who havetovercrowded and clogged
the avenues Of trade under the continued pres
ure, will tend to impart more healthy tone
al to settle the prices of all commodities to a
more solid basis, aud that our people will enjoy
strong and vigorous improvement in all
branches of business as the spring advances,
SO that while business failures in this commu-
nifty have been much less than those of almost
any other city of the same magnitude of CAPT.
tai invested, our people were never perhaps in
better condition for utilizing and developing
our improved facilities for business, than they
are at this time. M. N. RICH,
Secretary.
METEOROLOGICAL REPORT.
The duties of the signal office the past
year have been performed with great regu-
larity and judgment and with substantial
benefit to those classes whose business and
movements are affected by the weather; to say
nothing of those items it has furnished to all
classes for that ever living topic of conversa-
ton. By degrees this bureau is becoming
more reliable and beneficial and by rather
slower degrees the public is admitting and
avaing itself of this useful work. The criti-
csms we were compelled to make last year on
the arrangement of the signals here, are no
longer possible, and we believe that With the
same steady Improvements in its affairs the
signal service will soou be, if it is not already
regarded, as well worth the cost. The chief
signal officer occasionally acknowledges the
assistance of this board through its committee.
G. II. FARLEY,