Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1888-06-02
RAMBLER'S NOTEBOOK.
What Springfield People Find to talk
About from Day to Day.
Importance of n saIaried Secretary Of th'
Board OF Trade How Other Cities
Run Their Board of Trade
Colonel whites New Position
Siowness of the Pension
Bureau.

THAT board Of trade organization is q
good thing" said q prominent citizen yes
terday." The principal thing to be done
next is to pay the secretary good salary,
and have him put in all his time working
fer the city's advancement. This is the
universal method In vogue in all cities
which have q live. successful board of
trade or chamber of commerce. In west
ern cities where booming Is followed as a
science the secretary of the chamber of
commerce is about the biggest man in
town, not excepting the entire corps of city
officials. The average western city can put
up with any kind of city government so
long as they have got a good secretary of
the board of trade.
I'm western towns the secretary finds his
hands full. He is expected to answer ali
questions, entertain strangers, compile
statistic, show just why the rivals of his
city can never become anything but cross
road villages, drive distinguished visitors
over the city, send out statistical matter
pertaining 10 the city, and boom things
generally.
I'm the larger cities of the eastern and
middle states his duties are not so
varied, but they a se sufficiently heavy.
The secretary answers questions referred to
him concerning the growth and resources
of the city, complies voluminous statistics
on its industrial progress, and is an import
nj yanarRllx Ein.innaf
the secretary of her chamber of commerce
IS, 900 per year, and he earns his salary
I'm my opinion this is Just what Spring
field needs. Business men and manufac
turers who are members Of the Springfield
Board Of Trade have not the time to devote
TO the work which it would fall to this paid
secretary to do. Ii this position does not
have good salary attached, it will be i'm
possible for secretary, chosen from the
membership of the Board Of Trade, to spend
his whole time dong duty, at small sal
ary, since there Is plenty of work connected
with this position to occupy all of one
mans time. Springfield has never made a
real earnest attempt to attract new manu-
facturers to the city, since the natural
growth In the past ten years has been as
great as was desirable.
"a secretary for our board of trade, re-
ceiving good, living salary, andjwh0 de-
voted his entire time to working up new
schemes for the advancement and progress
of thecity, could accomplish wonders Such
q man could execute the plans OF the board
OF trade. report new enterprises to that
body, and work in concert with it. The
reason why board Of trade and chamber Of
commerce movements have invariably
fallen through In Springfield Is owing to
the fact that the men composing them have
been busy professional and business men
and manufacturers, with whom any
thing more than attendance at board meet
ing once q week was out of the question.
The chamber of commerce in FindIay en-
pleyed q man named Howell as secretary.
He more than cared tie annual salary of
SIS, 900, which he was paid to boom Find
lay. He engineered the magnificent gas
carnival for Findlay, which was one of
the most successful advertisements surely
which any town ever enjoyed. He knew
thst the bubble fame is obtained at the
price Of ciyility to newspaper reporters.
No newspaper man ever left Findlay with
out being loaded up to the ears with accounts
of her wonderful progress. During the gas
carnival, the newspaper men were enter
tertained as the city's guests and all their
expenses were paid under Howell's direc-
ton. The result was columns of free ads
for Findlay In papers all over the state"
was so much struck with the force of
the above remarks that started out imme-
diately to ascertain what has been done in
the new Board of Trade in regard to this
matter. Meeting q member of the Board
/ asked him for some facts.
''The subject has been fully discussed In
the Board,n said he, land the conclusion
has been reached that 1t will be necessary
&c employ q secretary at 81, 200 or SO year.
and have him spend all his time on the
work. This is the only way in which any
thing at all can be accomplished. l be-
lieve that the secretary is at present paid a
nominal salary, but not sufficient. of course,
TO justify him in spending any considera-
bic portion Of time each day on the work,
If engaged in another profession. Mr..
Chas E. Folger, the well-known editor of this
city. was unanimously elected secretary by
the new Board. II is the custom all over
the country TO choose q newspaper man for
the place Col. Sidney d. Maxwell, of the
Cincinnati chamber of commerce, was
formerly on the Cincinnati Gazette,
IL secretary is chosen here to
spend all his time in the work
Mr.. Folger will likely be the man. He is
one of the best authorities on Springfield in
the city, has lived here all his life. knows
everybody and every industry in the city and
is noted in Springfield newspaper offices
for reliable, indefatigable and tireless In.