The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-12-26
LET US HAVE A BOARD OF TRADE.
Many Reasons Why a Board of Trade
Would Benefit Our Town and
Our County in General

1t is when business is dull that q
good business man shows his superior
ity over the inferior one by his well di
rected efforts to improve his affairs and
the affairs of the county in general
The community that does not try tc
help itself, but sits around and whines
about the hard times, is the one that
generally gets left. 1t is admitted by
all that we are having very hard time.
and that the prospect is not overly
bright for the future. Our county likely
feels the depression as little as any
county in the state, still we feel it, and
SOME of us badly. Now the question is,
can we improve our condition or our
county, aud if SO, how are we to 90
about it? 1t is the writer's cail-
did opinion that our condition and the
condition of our county, can not only
be bettered but can be improved in u
marked degree. San Juan county has
never been afflicted with u boom, hence
We had none to collapse, but she has
never made any organized effort to
bring people or new industries within
her borders. The people that have
come here within the last five years,
have drifted here without the s0licita-
ton of any of our citizens, and the new
enterprises that have been established
were started with little or no encour-
agement from our people. Now let US
change all this; let US make an organ
lied effort to bring our resources and
wonderful advantages more pronli-
nently before the outside world; let us
get little OF the spirit manifested by
other communities instllled into our
people,. e.-San Juan county against
the world. We have the best limestone
to be found on the Pacific coast, the
best orchards and orchard lands on the
Sound, some of the finest farms in the
sta:e, and the best fisheries in the world,
all these, together with our rich soil,
delightful climate, grand scenery and
beautiful waters, bays and islands,
make it the banner little county of
Western Washington. Who can say
that he has ever seen any mention
in our eastern papers setting forth our
advantages, and not only IL this true of
our eastern journals but also of our
state papers. The POst-Intelligencer,
which has large circulation in this
county, has never, to our knowledge,
published an article advocating this
county as good field for settlers or for
the establishment of new enterprises.
Possibly we are to blame for this con-
dition Of things, for if we do not our
selves think it worth while to do any
thing to help our condition, we GER
tainly cannot expect outsiders to do go.
Let us change all this by organizing a
county board of trade. Friday Harbor's
business men and wide-a-wake citizens
should start the good work by organic
ing at once, a board of trade, whose
duty it would be to work for the best
interests Of our community and the
county at large; the board to meet
weekly or monthly to consider all
questions of interest to us, and aid in
the starting of new industries and
bringing new settlers to our county.
We need a creamery, more good sal
mon canneries, fruit canneries, -four
mills etc. and we can have them if we
only try. Are we ready to organize, to
take hold and>help ourselves }?