The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-08
A BUREAU

Regular Meeting Of the Chamber Of
Neutrality-suspicious. Taken To-
wards Securing Equitable Freight Rates
for Wtimiug,on-Other Matters
The chamber of held its
regular monthly meeting yesterday af-
ternoon at $3.50 o'clock, President JAS
H. Chadbourn, Jr., presiding, n Col
one1 J. L. Cantwell, the secretary, be-
ing at his post.
The minutes Of the last meeting were
read and approved.
The following were elected members
of exchange: Williams Bros, A.
D. VESSEL, The Sneed Company, j.
w. Norwood, S. P. McNair, Robt. w.
Haywood and Josh. T. James.
A communication from h Ohio and
Pennsylvania lumbermen. regreting
their inability to accept the invitation
to visit our city and expressing thanks
for the invitation, was read and placed
On file.
Committee reports were called for.
President Chadbourn stated that the
committee on supper amply reported
ON the night of January 10Th when the
chamber mad it's annual supper at The
Orion.
BETTER TELEPHONE COMMUNI-
CATION.
T. w. Clawson OF the committee ap-
pointed with reference to securing con-
naofinn uyith tho cUCfan urh ioh oOn.
meets Lumberton, Maxton, Laurinburg,
TaItum, Bennettsville and other places,
reported progress. He stated that this
was an important matter and that the
Bell Telephone Company or the Inter
State Telephone Company would prob
ably interest themselves in the matter.
He said he had spoken with representa-
tives of the two companies, and the
matter would be further 1ooked into.
In this connection he called attention
to the fact that Norfolk is now talking
over the telephone with 5000 cities and
towns, including Richmond, Baltimore,
Washington and cities in Virginia,
West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee
and other states, even as far as the
Mississippi river-notably, with Mem
phis, Tenn, and Duluth, MINI. The
committee was continued.
"A FREIGHT BUREAU.
MI. J. Allen Taylor said the object OF
the chamber of was to pro-
mote the industrial and commercial in
terests Of Wilmington and to advance
any movement for the interest of the
people and business community of ouI
city. He said the chamber nae it's an
nual banquets and talk OF matters, but
unless some action was taken there
would not be practical results. In fur
Their speaking along this line he said
it was time to take some action with
reference to securing justice for VIII
mington in the way of railroad freight
rate. He said "a committee recently
called on some of our railroad authori-
ties with a view to securing better rail
road service and he was sorry to say
that one of the committee took the
position that Wilmington was so much
smaller than some other cities that we
had no right to claim the same. advan.
tages along with them. He declared
this was a very false motion, and said
that a city does not make rates but
rates make a city. He said Whining
ton was a seaport and had a right tC
just and fair freight rates, and Until
The city was put ON footing with conn
petitive points aus to freight rates to
interior points we would have ito &c
backwards or stand still. He said WE
have rates nominally the same as Nor
folk, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Rich
mond and other cities, but, he should
have our City Disseminated against as
a matter of fact. He then declared
that h remedy would be to establish
a freight bureau, with a view to secur-
ing just and equitable freight rates for
Wilmington. He moved that a COM
mittee be appointed to investigate as
to the feasibility of a freight bureau.