The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-01-11

whether it were constitutional With
this end in view the committee had
elected him and Colonel Ke-chner to
fill the vacancies caused by the death
of Mr.. Don. MacRae and Mr.. d. G..
Worth, and the committee decided to
ask a committee from the Chamber Of
Commerce and he Produce Exchange
to work with his committee in Their
efforts to test the act. If it is constitu-
tionaq, 1t will exempt new manufacto--
les from taxation for ten years. As for
WiImington's advantages, Mr.. Worta
said he h~ecent1y ascertafnei by inves-
tigation that Wilmington now gets a
supply of coal as cheap as New Ha-
ven, New London and Fall River. He
suggested hat If the larger coal con-
sumers in Wilmington combine. they
could employ several schoCners in the
coal trade and probably cheaper the
supply in this way.
Remarks were also made on this
matter of inducing more manufac-
cries, by Messrs. NJ. w. jacob. Colonel
Walker Taylor, B. F. Keith and T. w.
CIawson.
Mr.. VI. w. Jacchi urged that some
steps be taken to secure better tele-
phone connection for Wilmington. He
called attention to the fact that Lum-
bertOn, Maxton, Laurinburg, McColl,
Tatum, Pates, Lumber Bridge, Rock
ingham and other places were m
ted in a telephone system, and there is
hardly an important store or residence
in forty or fifty miles around them that
is not connected by phone. He said
Wilmington has a telephone line as far
up the Seaboard Air Line as Cronly,
which is only about forty miles from
Lumberton, and he suggested that the
line might be built from Cronly to
Lumberton and thus connect Whining
ton by telephone with all the important
towns named, which are tributary to
and do a large business with our city.
He said it would not cost mere than
5000 or $500 to build the link from CrOn-
ly to Lumberton.
President Chadbourn suggested that
a committe might be appointed to urge
either of the telephone companies now
doing business here to undertake the
building of a connection.
T.W .Clawson moved nat such COM
mittee be appointed and the motion was
adopted.
| President Chadbourn appointed as the
| committee Messrs. T. w. ClaWson, A.
B. SHIELDING and John w. Gafford.
Mr.. Hugh MacRae called attention
to the recent report of the monetary
commission, and after speaking Of the
necessity of monetary reform and the
need of a more elastic currency, he
suggested that a special meeting OF the
chamber be called to consider the re-
| port and take some action with refer
ence to it. He favored the recOmmen-
datiOns as to the issue of currency by
state banks, and said a bill would be
presented to congress enbOdying the
suggestions of the commission. There
was considerable opposition in congress
to this measure but he believed that
action by commercial bodies in the
| south would have it's weight in securing
the passage of the bill.
Messrs. B.. F. Keith and 7. ID. Meares
also discussed the matter. Mr.. Keith
did not want to be bound 10y n action
the chamber would take in the matter,
and Colonel CantWeIl declared he con-
sidered it a political question and would
not take any hand in it.
Mr.. Meares said 1T was proper to
consider lit at any rate, n III 1t is
what is wanted, ne saw no ObJectlCn
to endorsing it. 1t was explained that
the sense of the Chamber could not
| bind Individual MEMBER of the cham
Der.
Mr.. MacRtae moved that the special
| meeting be called, and the motion was
adopted.
President Chadbourn stated that the
! chamber some time ago decided ITO
have the various industries and bust
| ness enterprises of Wilmington writ
ten up by different persons but only
| one article had been preparedness by
MI. C. c. Chadbourn on the lumber in
dustry. He said it had been intended
| to publish it in pamphlet form but Mr..
! Z. w. Whitehead offered to publish it
| in The Southern Milling and Lumber
| journal. On motion the article was
| turned over to Mr.. Whitehead.
The chamber then adjourned.