The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-18
THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
A Special Meeting of the Body Yesterday
Afternoon-The Anti-Scalper Bill En-
Government TO BE Urged to
Build a Stone Pier I'm Front Of the Gus
tom House

, The chamber of held a
called meeting yesterday afternoon at
$3.50 O'Clock. President Chadbourn pre-
sided, and Colonel Jno. L. Cantwell the
secretary, was at his post.
After the meeting had been called to
order, President Chadbourn stated that
the chamber mad been convened to con-
slider several matters, one Of which
was the propriety of endorsing the
Sherman anti-scalping DILL now before
congress-. President Chadbourn stated
that it was we'll known that the bust
ness of the ticket scalpers was detri-
mental to the railroads and was injur-
-ious to cities. He said it even operated
against the Wilmington Seacoast rail-
road in the sale of excursion tickets
TO the seaside. He said he was in favor
Of endorsing the bill now before con-
gress, and read a list of commercial
bodies in New York and other largt
cities endorsing the bill. Among the
organizations which endorsed 1T was
the Travellers Protective Association.
He informed the chamber that the
Interstate Commerce Commission had
sent the matter here and asked that
the chamber express its views upon it.
He then offered the following resOlu-
tons:
Whereas, Ticket scalping business
furnishes an incentive to fraud and
false im~personatiOn and provides in
strumentalities which have in certain
cases been used for floating counter
felt railroad tickets, which constitute
a serious tax upon the railroads; and
Whereas, The offices of many ticket
scalpers have been used os an outlet
for railroad tickets fraudulently or
dishonesty procured; and
Whereas, 1t is proper that the rail-
roads and the general public should be
protected in their rights, and the in
nOcent should be protected against
fraud and the incentive to fraud; and
Whereas, Without such protection
provided by suitable legislation, the
railroads are obliged, in self-defense,
to observe rules in the making of rates
and the issuance of tickets which are
less liberal to the mercantile business
than they would otherwise be ready
to adopt; and
Whereas, The desire of the railroad
companies to make excursion rates to
trade centres is greatly hindered by the
existence of the scalpers which, if they
were out of the way, would enable the
transportation lines to offer induce
ments that would attract the people
to attend conventions, fairs, expOsi-
tons; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Chamber of Com
merce of the city of Wilmington, N. c.,
approves the a~nti-scalping bill now
pending in congress.
Mr.. b. F. Keith asked why this
chamber was called on to endorse the
bill, and why the business of ticket
scalpers was not legitimate. He said
he could not see how the business of
the scalpers affected the railroads.
They sold the tickets and got their
money for them and it 49, not seem
to him that it mattered to them who
rode on the tickets.
President Chadbourn explained how
the ticket brokers took advantage of
excursion rates, to get hold of tickets
and sell them to persons who other
wise would purchase regular tickets.
This operated against cities, as it was
almost impossible to get the railroads
to give reduced rates to cities because
the ticket scalpers came in and took
advantage of the opportunity to scalp
tickets.
Colonel F. w. Kerchner also explain
ed the injustice done to railroads, and
Mr.. b. F. King said he took the same
view that Mr.. Keith did.
Messrs. II. b. SmalIbOnes and D. L.
Gore advocated the endorsement of the
anti-scalpers bill, and after the matter
had been discussed several times by
each of the speakers, the resolutions
offered by Mr. hadbourn were adopted.
Mr.. w. M. Cumming called attention
to the fact that Golfers Weekly, or
New York, recently published an il
Illustrated article, with a stragetic map
of the Qualifications on the s~eabOard,
giving the depth of harbOrs and rivers.
In this article he noticed that : the
depth on the Cape Fear bar was put
down as only fourteen feet and 10
Notifications were mentioned, whereas
there is a depth of eighteen feet and
substantial Notifications hav been re-
Gently completed by the government.
On motion of Mr.. Cumming a copy of
Golfers Weekly was ordered to be
Forwarded to Captain w. E. Craighill,
chief of the engineer corps, calling his
attention to the article in the Weekly.
Mr.. Geo. L. Morton stated that a
government superintendent of construc
ton was here to make plans and speci-
fications for rebuilding the wharf in
front of the custom house. Mr.. Nor
ton called attention to the fact that
the government had expended $3.50, 600
in constructing a stone pier and wharf
at Charleston ana ne tnOuSnt II proper
steps were taken an appropriation
might be secured for the construction
of a stone pier here. He moved that a
committee be appointed to use its in
hunence in securing an appropriation
to construct a stone pier here.
The following ommunicatio from
the board of county commissioners was
read:
Whereas, This board has learned
that the government of the United
States has in contemplation the re-
building of it's wharf on the river and
believing that with proper effort the
government con he induced to build
the same with stone, rather than wood,
which if done. would probably induce
Others to build their wharves of stone,
be it resolved that the chairman of
this board be and is hereby requested
to appear before the of COM
merce and other commercial bodies of
tho citv of Wilmington and endeaVOr