The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-08-15
A NEWSPAPER TROUBLE.
An Animated Meeting of the New Eng
land Retail Grocers Company.

The New England Retail Grocers Publish
ing company, held their annual meeting at
the oficesof the clerk, Mr.. E. l.. Dyer, on
Exchange street, yesterday Afternoon. 1t
was a very largely attended and a very ami
mated meeting, but discussion was checked
before it became too inhaTmonious,s by the
skilful injection of motions by clear head ed
stockholders
The company is composed of stockholders
located in different cities of New England,
and they publish the trade sheet, SO we'll
known as the New England Grocer. Twenty
one of the stockholders belong in Portland,
but their holdings of stock are not large.
The company was organized in 1881, under
the laws of Maine and capitalized at $50. 600.
There are something of 5000 shares of stock,
of which about 1900 shares have not been
issued. Of the remaining shares about 5000
were represented at yesterdays meeting in
person or by proxy.
Mr.. Benjamin Johnson was the man who
formulated the company and as general
manager did so much to establish it on a
firm footing. He is the manager of tn e New
England Grocer excursions that have been
so popular in the past. So successful has
the paper been that we are told it has
steadily paid ten per cent dividends.
About year ago cloud arose to dim the
happiness of some of the owners of the
paper. Mr.. A. G. Dowse. the president and
Mr.. johnson the general manager, had a
personal disagreement, and Mr.. Dowse re-
tired from the presidency. From this
episode arose the proceedings of yesterday.
The result.was turn over in the control of
the paper. While the Dowse party did not
accuse Mr.. johnson of any dishonesty, and
in fact. one of them occasion to say so.
they did claim that he should have allowed
the committee to examine his books. He
did make a statement in December last
showing a surplus, but did not at the
annual meeting yesterday.
When the vote was taken for directors il
as.found that out of the 5000 shares cast,
2225 were unanimously thrown for this
ticket: E. d. Woods, Bo ston, Mass; S. B.
Clapp, Boston, Mass; John Garner, Lewis
ton, Me-; W. K. Spencer. Middletown,
Conn.,; B. f. Greer, Goffstown Centre. N.
H.; A. 7. Hall. Portland, Me-; W. l.
Williams, Providence. R. l.; G. H. Cushing.
Dover, N. H.; A. G. Dowse. Maiden, Mass. /;
A. G. Barker. Providence, R. l.; William
Finney, sBrookline, Mass; A. G. Curtis.
Cambridge, Mass; W. E...Wheelock, Quinne-
baug, Conn.,; A. E. Carpenter, Somerville,
Mass; James L. Burns, Washington, Me-;
M. A. Stone. Reading. Mass; B. f. Turner.
Middleton, Conn.,; E. A. Gould. East Green
witch. R. l.; H. j. Jones, Alton. N. H.
The holders of the remaining 1890 and odd
shares did not vote. They were held by Mr.
johnson and his friends. Mr.. Johnson
claimed the right to vote the 1900 shares of
uniSsued stock but was refused
After the stockholders meeting adjourned
a directors meeting was held and these
officers were elected:
President-Edward D. Woods, Boston.
Vice President-W. T. Williams, Provi-
dence, r. I.
General Manager and Editor-Aaron G.
Dowse. Maiden.
Assistant Manager-w. H. Bosworth, Bos-
ton.
Treasurer-A. F. Carpenter. Somerville,
Clerk-E. l.. Dyer, Portland
Assistant Clerk-Merrick A.Strauss, Read
ing.
A dispatch was sent to Assistant Manager
VIII. Bosworth at Boston to take possession
of the office and business of the company at