The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-11
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MEASURES TO ENCOURAGE NEW
INDUSTRIES DISCUSSED
steps to be Taken to Make Operative the
Act to Exempt Manufactures From Tax
ation-LongD Distance TeIephane Wanted.
The Money Question to be Considered

The Money Question to be Considered
The chamber CT commerce held it's
regular monthly meeting yesterday af-
%ternoon at $3.50 O'Clock, President Jas.
II. C~hadbourn, Jr., presiding. Colonel
John L. Cantwell, the secretary, was
ait his post.
The minutes Of the two last regular
and special meetings We're read and ap-
proved.
Application for membership was re-
ceived from MIR. r. NJ. Wescot. and
the rules were suspended and he was
elected.
Letters were read from Messrs
Frank P. Zimmerman, of the Inter
States Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany, and Mr.. Z. w. Whitehead, edi-
tor of The Southern Milling and Lum-
her Journal, acknowledging notif1ca-
tons that they had been elected mem
beers.
Committee reports were called for Mr..
M. w. Jacob, of the committee for a
supper to be given at The orion by
OA
motion, Messrs. Gabriel Holmes and
H. c. Mcqueen were added to the com
mittee, which originally consisted of
Messrs. r. N. Sweet, f. l.. Higgins
and NJ. w. jacob.
Mr.. j. A. Arringdale notified the
chamber that he had received a letter
stating that the LumEbermens Assoc
citation of Ohio and Western Pennsyl-
vania, which has an annual excursion,
will come sOUth about the middle of
February, and contemplate taking in
Wilmington on their trip. There will
be 125 in the party. and the object of
their visit will ibe to seek a field for
securing their humber supplies. 1t was
the sense of the chamber that, it wa
very DESTROYS and advantageous for
them to visit our city, and on motion,
the following committee of umber
manufacturers were appointed to in
vie them to visit Wilmington and to
make arrangements for their enter
tainment while here, viz: Meslsrs. J. A.
Arringdale, Waiter l.. Parsley, James
H. C~hadbourn, Samuel NorthrOp, Geo.
w. Kidder and F.. w. Foster. The
principal market for Wilmington is in
the east, and it is believed that the
visit of the Ohio and Pennsylvania
lumbermen will open up a trade in
those states for our mills.
a letter was read from Mr.. H. w.
r. Glover, traffic manager of the Sea
board AR Line, inquiring for brier
root expOrtatiOn. Elsewhere in
The Messenger today will be found
further particulars of this inquiry.
"A letter from Mr.. j. A. Smith, of
Bessemer City, N. c., was read and
placed on file. He offered a cotton fac
tory outfit for sale.
President ChadbOurn called attention
to an article i'm The New York World
of january 3, with reference to the re-
ducti2n of factory wages in New Eng
land and assigning as a reason that
the mill men are pressed by cOmpati-
tion from the south. He stated that
fn view of the attention which is being
attracted to the soUth's advantages for
manufacturing would bring mills and
capital here, and Wilmington ought to
do something to induce industries to
be established in our city.
President ChadbOurn called upon Mr..
Hugh MacRae, elf the Wilmington Cot
ton Mill, to say something on the cot
ton mill question and the advantages
for Factories here.
MIR. MacRae said he was interested
in amy effort to bring new industries to
Wilmington, and said while Whining
ton had very superior advantages,
extra inducerntns would have to be of
fered for the establishment OF factO-
ries, as other cities with equally as
good advantages were Offering due
ments in the way of giving ground
for plants and eXemElting new indus
tries from taxation AOr a period of ten
years. He said there We're either cities
with equally as good advantages as this
but there We're none better. He could
say for the Wilmington mill that it
sXN-ac mot rpIlIrino wages Some 4ItipS
in the south had the advantage of haV-
ing coal right at their doors, but WIFI
mingtOn had the advantage off favor
able freight rates and coal at reason
ables prices. He thought home capital
should be il interested in building a mill.
and said that one mill employing 1000
hands would add from 5000 to 5000
inhabitants to our population. He then
submitted some criticisms Of Whining
ton Which must be Obviated in order
to secure Industries. AS to exempting
industries from taxation, he declared
that one cotton mill in a town would
be worth more than the taxes exempt
led. 1t would distribute 5000 to S4, 900
a month in the channels of trade, be-
sides dding several thousand inhabi-
tans and bringing in capital. He re-
marked that in many southern towns
the merchants and businessmen sub
SCTAD6u 10 CONuOIl Hills, IIOl lUT ullc
profit they could make out of it, but
for the trade that it would bring them.
He spoke of Wilmington's advantages
in the way of freights, and said he
thought there was a gOOd prospect of
making Wilmington "A Goa port and
then it would come to the front. AS a
cotton ex pOrting port. Wilmington gets
the advantage of low freight rates that
interior towns cannot get, but as to
labor he said while some could be had
here, the greater portion would have
to be brought here from the country.
This he said would have the desired
effect of increasing our inhabitants.
President ChadbOurn stated that he
was glad to hear Mr.. MacRa merton
our shortcomings, as it would lead ITO
something to correct them. Nj. Chad
bourn suggested that something be
done to attract new industries.
MIR. w. f. Worth reminded the cham
iber that the Chamber of Industries,
which was conducted here eight or ten