The herald., 1897-02-13


miscella-
neous. ... 5,920.S2
$12,512.12
Bal. cash with treas 71146
Balance, cash with
savings banks :. 205212
Total. 80. .... ...$15, ,275.7O s15,2757O
The actual cash income from dues
shows a decrease of $57575 as against
last year, but the good accounts on the
books not only balance that but leave IL
considerable margin on the other side.
In initiation fees the total collected is
$l5O less than year ago. in spite of the
fact that an active canvass by commit
tees was made last fall. The decrease
in miscellaneous sources Of income has
been $870.15, making a total difference
of $1579.6S less receipts in those lines
than was realized a year ago. On the
other hand these losses have been met
with such economy in management that
the net deficit of the year amounts to
only $218.S5. The inventory of 1896 show
ed total of s13,S75.55, based on the
sions, and that of 1897 shows $13, ,636. .06,
an increase of s260.51. On the
LIST of February, 1897, there was due
us for rentals, all good accounts, 1882 30.
Thus it appears that the organization
is in substantial condition and ready
to go on with it's work whether times be
good or bad.
The membership Of the chamber has
suffered some decrease in the course
OF the year, which was to be expected
under the circumstances, in spite of a
vigorous canvass by the membership
committee. A year ago there were S75
members, and today there are S25. The
chairman of the membership committee
Tor the ensuing year, Major E. F. c.
Klokke, promises that this defect shall
be remedied. To hold the chamber at
Its present standard of work there ought
to be good paying membership of 1000
1t is to be questioned whether with the
present population of the city the num-
Der can be advanced much beyond that
figure. but that number can and should
be obtained.
About 5000 letters Of inquiry have been
answered during the year, which is less
by 1000 than the record of the year pref
viouS. During last summer, while the
campaign was in progress, the number OF
letters fell below the smallest record
since the chamber began active work in
this field, which is pretty good evidence
: OF the utter stagnation that must have
prevailed throughout the east. At the
present time these letters are arriving in
great numbers, owing to- advertisements
of La Fiesta appearing in eastern maga-
zines. This is in accordance with an un-
derstanding with the management of La
Fiesta, by which the line, For informa-
tion about Southern California, apply to
the Chamber of Commerce of Los An
geles," was inserted in all their adver-
tising-a gratuitous favor to the cham
ber and to the immigration interest of
this section which deserves high COM
mendation.
The supply of printed matter ran very
low during the summer and the lack was
SllnnliP6 for a TINA " 10 ba, re
copies of the annual Times and special
numbers of the Land of Sunshine, paid
for by friends of the chamber and of
these publica tions. The board of SUPER
visors of this county, in response to re-
quest from the directors, has just made
an appropriation to pay for a general
descriptive pamphlet, which is now in
the hands of the printer, and for some
special leaflets setting forth various in
dividual lines of industry. For the Ham
burg fair we may have a small pam
phlet printed in German. Later on spe-
cial publications will be prepared for
the Nashville and Omaha expositions,
The coming year bids fair to provide
more public work for the chamber of
commerce than the one that has just
closed. Preparations will begin for two
great expositiOnS in which we are to
participate. The beginning of the con-
structiOn of a harbor in this vicinity
means, in all probability, the opening
of a campaign for a Salt Lake railroad.
With these two new enterprises under
way, an era of development and immgra.
tion of new people is bound to set in, and
this community will witness one of the
most active epochs in it's history. AT
such time the value of an organization
like the chamber of commerce, which
is center and rallying point for all
efforts at improvement, becomes most
t.,
years of depression, quiet stream of
immigration has poured into Southern
California, and particularly into this
city. These new people have built
houses and are investing money in va
rious enterprises, or they have gone
to farming to develop the country. A
large percentage of them comes a a di-
rect result of the thorough advertising
that this country has had in the eastern
states. If business is little dull at
times, it may be we'll to consider how
dull it would have been If no new peo-
pie had come into the section during the
past four years. In that time 40, 600 have
been added to the popula ton of Los
Angeles, bringing $40 600, 900 to $50, 600, 900
of capital. There are tens of thousands
more ready to follow. if the right effort
is put forth to bring them here. and the
chamber of commerce undertakes that
as one of the many sides of its work. If
it did nothing else. it would still be
worthy of the heartiest support Of every
patriotic. enterprising citizen.
SUPERINTENDENT REPORT
The report of the superintendent
Frank l.. Virgins, was next in order
and was read, as follows, being received
with applause:
Gentlemen of the Chamber of Com
merce: While the department over
which have direct charge has kept pace
with the general good work accomplish
ed by the chamber of commerce for the
past year, it has not covered the ground
as extensively as has been the custom
for the past several years.
All the work done, with one exception,
has been confined to our own state; this
has not been on account of opportunity.
but for lack of funds. For five years out
Of the past six the chamber has partici
pated in an exhibition of some kind or
other at home.
While there is no denying the fact that
the permanent exhibit maintained here
has done more toward giving Southern
California a prominent name as we'll as
impressing the home-seeker, tourist and
globe -trotter with the unbounded re-
sources of our soil and possibilities of our
| future than any other proposition that
| can be made, we are impressed with the
| fact that exhibits made in other portions
| of the country when and where oppor-
| tunity offers bring about more direct
results as has been proven by past ex-