The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-20
THINK MAYOR ALL RIGHT
Merchants Protective Asso-
citation Discusses the
Weights and Meas
ures Veto.

4 fectiye Association last nigh Mr.. Beach,
chairman of the COMMITTEES on the new or
dinance pertaining to scales, weights and
measures, reported that he understood
that the Mayor had vetoed the ordinance.
He said he was surprised to find that
the Mayor had in his possession a state
ment containing d list of quite a pune
Der of merchants, including himself, La
hey and Kinkead, ~purporting TO show how
trifiing was the cost to each individual
merchant. He said he saw that the Mayor
was deceived, and, after the matter was
explained to him, 1t appears that he was
Disguised with the whole business. The
Mayors veto was read off and laid on
the table for two weeks.
The association, in order to show the
Mayor that the opposition to the ordin-
ance did not come from a few merchants,
instructed the committee to circulate pc
| titions for signatures of those who APP
plaud the veto. J. Wallace Black said he
would look after the Hudson City sec
ton and would guarantee to get one
hundred signers. Mr.. Banks did not think
that a general petition would have as
much weight as the signatures of mer-
chants in a few of each of the leading
business thoroughfares. such as Newark
Palisade and Jackson avenues, so as to
give the Mayor an idea of the percentage
of merchants who opposed the ordinance.
He did not believe in long petitions, for
the reason that they were never read
President Cough agreed with Mr.. Banks
| and cited the case Of the petition relative
| to the trading stamp question, when he
was asked in Trenon If he had any idea
that Governor Voorhees, was going TO
~ - --4t4.1, lor,a xCifh him and
read all those names" THE ~preponder-
ance Of opinion was in Y of getting
all the signatures possible, but the mat
ter was left entirely in the hands OF the
committee. which consists of Messrs. ].
w. Beach, Albert LIE Roy, J. W. Black,
j. q. Banks, e. A. Kaufman, H. Lane,
Jacob Schmitt, ASA- Srnythe, j. scneii-
enberger. Richard Lahey, r. Anderson, II.
Hoersch, G. w. Riemann, $. F. Sweeney
ID. Crichton and James T. Cough
Under the head of good and welfare
| Robert Anderson precipitated a lively
discussion by suggesting that the initia-
ton fee of SIS should be lowered in order
to bring in more members and widen the
scope of the associations influence.
eve have three hundred members now
he said. but there is no reason why we
! should not have a membership OF fve
hundred. Our list of membership con-
tains the names of all the big merchants
1t seems hard that after they got in the
initiation should be raised and the little
fellows shut out"
Mr.. Black said hat was one way OF
putting it. but added that 1t should not
be forgotten that there was quite a sum
Of money now in the treasury and new
members brought in would have as much
to say about its disposition as the OLD
members.
Ex-President William Meyer agreed
with Mr.. Anderson that something at
least should be lone to build up the in
| come of the association. The next meet
ing would be the annual meeting and the
time was ripe for a discussion of the ub-
ject. as business.
Il admit, he said, sthat we have a
nice treasury, but we viii have no treas
ury at all if We go along as we have been
| going. / am in a position to know. Some
thing must be done"
Mr.. Banks saids-"When we were
smaller we made money faster. I think
we made a mistake last year in putting
the initiation fee up to s." He gave
notice in writing that he would move an
| amendment to the bylaws to make the
Initiation fee 81. He said he had been IN
able to make friends feel that they had
a mountain of gold TO dip into. :
Mr.. Meyer. speaking deliberately. SAID
he would like to add a word, not by way
of criticism, but to arouse the latent
energy of the association. Tne past year,
he said, had been less successful, imam
| tally than most any year in the history
OF the organization This fact should De
borne IN mint at the next annual meet
ing. This past year has not been success
full from every point of view. Mr.. Meyer
| attributed the blame mainly to a lack OF
Interest on the part of the officers of the
President Cough and Other officials
looked up in some surprise. The Presi-
dent. however. betrayed but little excite
ment. whatever he may have ought ),
added Mr.. Meyer. 1T is but a step IN the
right direction. The Initiation zee OF .
doesn't come up near to the beneflts we
expected. We must put the ASSOCIATION
back where it was several years ago by
getting in new blood"
Mr.. LIE Roy said he didn't see where aLy
of the new blood had lone so mucn. Tie
officers had been faithful He thought
that depression of the times had lad
much to do with the ailu to increase
Mr.. Beach said that a new broom swept
clean. When the association first start
ed every member worked heart and soul
for its progress Now the work was al
left to the officers. He admitted that he
had not put forward the same efforts he
did at the start. All were at fault. He
| together and put forward no personal eff
forts the result would be the same.
Mr.. Banks said he could not sit still
| and let the impression go abroad that the
association had accomplished nothing
during the first year. He said the ASSOC
citation had cause to review with satisfac-
luded to the recent work of the assoeia-
ton in connection with the Grove street