The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-03-26
INFORMALLY DISCUSSED
Board Of Trade Proposition and
Other Matters Talked About.
ACTION SOON TO Be TAKEN
Another Meeting OF Business Men Held
Last Evening at the Montana Hotel.
Organization to Be Erected
at . Later late.

ness men was held last evening in h
Montana hotel dining room, which was
kindly placed at their disposal by
Manager Reynolds. Politics, the school
board meeting and the very deep snow
n consequent d~isagreeable navigation
were factors that detracted from the
attendance. which was unfortunately
small. Chairman Losee was unable to
be present and Colonel O'Leary pre-
sided. He suggested hat d. D.. Walker
address the meeting on the possibilities
and future of the Big Hole country.
Mr.. Walker is thoroughly familiar with
hat part of the country and knows
nearly every inhabitant of the big hay
and stock raising district. He said:
There are two things to be lone in
order to induce those people to do their
trading in this city. First, the o
must be repaired, n second, go out
there and solicit after explaining to
them that the highway shall be kept
continually, winter and summer, in
passable condition. There are many
families in the basin, which extends
probably a distance of 70 miles. OF
curse the extreme upper end of the
basin cannot be calculated upon as
tributary to Anaconda, for the people
there do their business in Dillon. The
families and others who have lived IN
the Big Hole country for years have
oSSoliAS Abo1B eAAl IN
wealthy. Most of them admit that this
city is their natural trading center, but
their desire to come here is thwarted by
the impossible condition of the roads
between the Deer Lodge county line
and the river. this more especially
during the winter season. They raise
nothing to sell. They raise two crops
a,year, hay and steers. The hay is fed
to the cattle. which are driven off to
market. This is without '.oubt the
stock feeding section of Montana. 1t is
a center for buyers. Riget now there
are buyers in there from Seattle, Port
land ana other cities n some large
deals are eorsummatcd there.
Dillon is striving for the trade of
the Big Hole basin, but, excepting that
portion of Ii near n naturally tribu-
tary to that city, the people care not
to throw anything in the way of Dill
lon because all that Beaverhead county
does for them is to collect taxes every
year-it doesn't offer any, very few,
however, inducements to them in the
way of improved roads The mer-
chants of Dillon sem circulars quoting
prices of produce, etc, but most of the
business goes to Butte. They raise no
vegetables to speak of, so all their pro-
visions must be purchased. More
money than you gentlemen may sup
pose is spent by the settlers for pro-
visions every year n ii would aston
ish you If the approximate figures were
given. / for one last year spent in the
town of Wisdom $4,000 for provisions
besides what i expended in other places
for supplies for my ranch. This is said
by way of illustration to show that the
settlers in the aggregate spend yearly
many thousands of dollars"
Mr.. Walker agreed with f. Devine
and others that the proper plan would
be to SEND out a party of men to look
fhn GoI1 axrnr Thn1y alec thA,nht ~
would be a good idea to a City En-
gineer Macdonald go out and make
estimates of the cost of repairs. etc.
An informal discussion followed Mr..
Walkers talk.
Col. It. O'Leary reported that S175 had
been collected for the Rock Creek
bridge fund.
Nearly every man present entered
into a general discussion on the prac-
ticability of organizing a board of
trade. 1t was the sense of the meeting
that a board of trade should be organ-
lied. The matter was clearly laid be-
fore the assembly and interesting
talks followed. Colonel O'Leary had
spoken to prominent business men of
the city regarding the matter. 1t had
been suggested to him that a board of
trade might with great profit use it's
influence towards inducing manufac-
turers to establish plants here.
NJ. j. Fitzpatrick suggested the plan
of drafting a circular to be presented
by a committee to business men of the
city to sign and urging them to attend
a meeting for the purpose of organizing
a board of trade This idea was con-
CURED in and a committee was named,
Fitzpatrick, T. T. .eary and G.. w.
Reynolds. The meeting will be called
by the committee at a date to be agreed
o
Before adjournment Colonel O'Leary
stated hat he had taken steps in a
proposition to have the mail service ex-
tended to Anaconda. As il now is the
Anaconda postmaster makes up his
registered pouch and he gets his re-
ceipt for it from Butte. whereas if the
service were extended to this city this
annoyance would be obviated: besides
the proposed change YOU bring here |
railway mail clerks and otherwise the
city should be benefited.