Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-15
wH1TELAw & GARDINER.
INTERESTS OF COUNCIL BLUFFS.
Set Forth at Meeting of Merchants'
and Mnnmfnctmrers,A Assncintinn.

Set Forth mt Meeting of Merchants
and manufacturers Association.
The annual meeting of the Merchants and
! Manufacturers association was held last
| night, when the following officers were
elected for the ensuing year: President,
! l.. a. Casper; vice president. II. A. Searle;
! treasurer, Victor L. Bender. The selection of
secretary and members of the executive
, committee referred to the officers
! elected, they to report at meeting to be
J called by the president. On motion of Prof
| II. b. Hayden it was decided to amend the
| articles of incorporation so as to make the
| mem bership of the executive committee
eleven in place of seven, four of the mem
| bers to be the president vice president, sec
retary and treasurer of the association.
Heretofore these officers have only been ex-
oificio members of the committee without
the right to vote. The report of the execu-
tive committee for the last year, which in
part follows, was read
1t is safe to assume that in no previous
year has the city given evidence of greater
Importance in commercial transactions and
in the addition of new enterprises to con-
tribute to its future well l-being. All de-
sirable residences are occupied and more of
these will'soon be needed, If they are not al
ready, to supply the incoming population to
be brought here by the improvements ap-
preaching completion. Chief of these are the
new suburban railway, the extensions of the
electric motor line and the Illinois Central
railroad. These are what we have and the
first year of the twentieth century gives
promise of more One of these for which we
should work persistenty is the completion
of the route between Council Bluffs and
Memphis, now in operation to Moberly, Mo.
with this gap filled, something like 200
Hos ,,.;II
to the seaboard, shorter by nearly 600 miles
than the one from this city to New York
1t will throw open all the southern states
to the trade of Iowa and make Council Bluffs
the objective point with its great through
routes of fifteen states. We have the prom
ise of the Minneapolis &c st. Louie and the
Chicago Great Western during the coming
year and possibly branch of the Illinois
Central between Council Bluffs and Sioux
City.
What is needed more than anything else
for our growing trade is more convenient
train service, so the people, mails and ex-
press can get into and out of town the same
day. On some of the railroads the service
is all that could be wished. On others it
is very poor and utterly inadequate. This
is principally the case with the railroads
west of the Missouri river. On some of the
western railroads our business and travelling
men are literally blocked out of the territory
to which they are entitled. The fast mail
service for which contended so long is
now an unqualified success. On some of
the lines the local train service is ANYTHING
but success of any kind. Right here the
committee wishes to say that the business |
men, manufacturers implement dealers and |
bankers should interest themselves in such !
matters and back up the association in its |
&C.,
the welfare of the city and state. II they |
find Council Bluffs is not so prominently |
mentioned as they wish let them remember
that it is not the fault of the association,
but their own Indifference and neglect by
which their individual interests suffer-
There are many employed by the rail-
roads and elevator companies at the transfer !
who are nom residents of Council Bluffs |
AS these companies are large benefciaries |
of the state of Iowa it is duty they owe
to favor an Iowa city in every consistent
way by employing Council Bluffs labor. or
requiring their employees to make their home
in this city
"The western part of the city should be
promoted in it's growth. This can be done
by a motor train service between Upper
Broadway and the transfer by way of Six
teenth street, without interfering with the
Fifth avenue line. Properly encouraged this
should become one of the best paying local
routes of the motor company. At present
the Sixteenth street track is useless ex-
pense of no value to the company or the
people A six minute service between Upper
Broadway and the transfer would be most
desirable as a factor in promoting our local
growth
ITO provide for our greater growth we
a public warehouse law, one requiring Iowa
to keep their general offices
and deposits within the boundaries of the
state, and a law more explicitly defining
the terminal points OF the railways on the
western boundaries of Iowa. There are
other necessary measures, such as good
roads laws, which may occur TO you"
The report of Treasurer w. L. Douglas
showed that the receipts had been $4,000
and the disbursements $4574O, the greater
portion of the latter having been for the l
salary of Secretary Judson When Judson
left the city he failed to turn over the
books of the association to his successor.
Secretary Stuart, and the latter was in
structed last night to make a formal de- !
mand upon Judson for them OF the 1877
members of the association there are only :
thirteen delinquent in their dues and OF t
.hese four or five have since died.
DR.. Cleaver brought up the question of
having open meetings at least once a month, i
1t which all the members of the association
be invited to attend He eaid 1t was the I
opinion of many of the members that in the :
asst year the affairs of the association had I
been managed too much by the executive
and the members Of the associa- !
ion kept in the dark as TO what was being +
lone. He also said he favored having the s
banquets as in former years
When the members could be brought together G
n a social way 1t was decided after some y
discussion to leave this question for action h
It later meeting when the work for the
lew year would be mapped out The as !
ociation then adjourned to meet at the D
all of the president. I
We keep open every night in December to i
how our line OF sensible Christmas goods. n
COLE & COLE. o