The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-11

Adams, sGeorge e. Davis, and William
! IL. Soule, and from the Merchants Elk
change, Joseph browne, John B. Curtis,
and Sylvester Mari, which, deducting
| lapses, makes the present membership of
! the Board 425. and the Merchants Ex-
change lis.
Y have received for admission fees and
assessments of the Board 81, 1890, and
from rents and other sources 1920 90,
making a total of 81, 400 90, and for sub
scriptionssto the Merchants Exchange
1916. 90, smaking my aggregate receipts
from all sources 3d. $500, which has
been paid to the treasurer, and is IN
excess of previous annual collections for
more than ten years past, and with
proper effort in behalf of the Merchants
Exchange, where the greater expense
comes to keep up it's telegraphic and
news files, it can be made self sustaining.
It would seem as though the Importance
of such business headquarters and news
and information bureau as the Exchange,
at the chief metropolis at the entry of the
state and the terminous of it's extensive
trans Atlantic trade, ought to forcibly I'M
press the minds of our enterprislng busl-
ness people sufficient to see that its use
fulnesss be not Embarrassed for want or
sufficient support, and we Eelleve that 1t
will as soon as their attention is properly
called to its real Importance and its
this Board as we'll as OF the city govern
ment, which it aids in the circulation of
a large amount of literature to tourists
and for business purposes, THAT is as
sumed and paid for by many other
municipalities.
In this connection beg to impress the
members with the importance of taking
early action for the publication of several
thousand guide Ebooks of Portland and
vicinity and statistical circulars Of what
the city has to offer, both to tourist and
to those seeking residential and business
homes here, to meet the constant growing
inquiry that our letter files show.
Our immediate future outlook for bust
ness may be safely predicated upon the
gauge of improvement adopted by the
New York Times, from answers to 5000
inquiries made to representative COM
mercial, financial and manufacturing
enterprises all over the country, which
report an aggregate increase OF over ID
per cent In business. and at the same
time to the financial editor of TheSTimes,
Secretary Gage, at his Treasury Depart
ment Office in Washington, expressed
himself as follows:
'The coming of good times to or
country Is not now something intangible,
far off our good times are right at hand,
dependent merely on our Willingness to
Worthily greet them and keep them.
"ThroVghoub the length and breadth of
the land blessings have been sshowered in
bounteousness by 1897. Some of us at
the opening of the ysar just ended, pre-
sumed to be hopeful-few of US even to be
confident that.1s97 would blaze pathway
for prosperity. The accomplishment of
1857 makes, indeed. glorious contrast with
the dreary record of wrecking years pre-
ceding.
1.-The international balance sheet of the
world was never before SO favorable as
now to.the United States-never before
approached SO favorable a showing for us.
1t is no more the mele longing of q dream
that our country shall become the
credior nation of ssthe world. That ac-
tually 1t is today.
"Our enormous production develop
ments last year have given to elements in
the business world much larger exchange
able facility and power. Thus has been
produced in high degree a general pros
perity wherein all our people more or less
participate"
Therefore surrounded with such gener-
GUS prosperity throughout the country
generally, Maine cannot help participant
ingzin the good things already on hand.
We gather from our own best sources,
that generally and briefly summing up
the situation that money has been easy.
People have purchased with due caution
and very few cases of serious business
EN- EMBARRASSMENT have been reported and
very few failures in this.city and through
out the state.
Trade is therefore in a very healthy
state The lumber trade OF the state has
increased, there have4been extensive build
interpretations, better lprices prevail for
real estate. the. increase in railroad build
ing.has exceeded that In any other state,
steamboat companies have increased their
facilities and there has been a noticeable
revivalsin the demand for sailing vessels,
our European trade has largely increased,
theEpulp buiness of Maine is now the
largest in the country, manufactures con-
tinue to multiply and mechanics are
generally employed at satisfactory wages.
The state is becoming more and more
resort for summer tourists, while the in