Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-21
FAVORS RECIPROCITY
National Board of Trade Goes
Upon Record.
RESOLUTION ADOPTED
SPECIAL MENTION OF CANADA
AND MEXICO.
International Arbitration Subject Of
Resolution-Reduc in Rates
Of Letter Postage.

| closing day Of its thirty-fourth annual
| meeting by passing resolution reducing
| the amount of annual dues.
| The first report made this morning came
| from the committee on bylaws in the
! form Of a resolution amending article
| of section of the constitution by striking
| out the clauses relating to dues and In
| serting therein clauses reducing the dues
| fifty per cent. This was done because of
the necessity for increasing the revenues
| Of the board. The dues are paid according
| to the membership of the constituent or
| ganizations.
| The committee on irrigation and forestry
| reported a resolution providing that the
| timber and stone act, the desert land act
| and the Communication clause of the home
| stead act should be forthwith repealed,
and in future all agricultural and irrigable
| land reserved exclusively for actual set
tiers under the homestead act; that the
| great irrigation works necessary 10 save
| from waste and utilize for irrigation the
| waters of our large western rivers, shoulo
| be built as rapidly as the lands will be taken
| and utilized by farmers in farms of 16O
| acres or less In area, and the entire cost
through a charge imposed on the lands re-
claimed, as provided in the national irrl-
| CATION act. The resolution also provloeo
| that the board indorse and approve the Sc
| lection by the United 0tdteS
| service and the Secretary of the Interior
| for construction under the national irrl-
| CATION act of the Tonic basin reservoir IN
Arizona, the Truckee-Carson river system
| in Nevada and the St. Mary-Mlik HiFer val
l ley system in Montana.
Mr.. Maxwell's Argument.
Mr.. George H. Maxwell member of the
| committee, made spirited argument III
| favor of the adoption of the resolution
bo 1axy mentioned In the
resolution for repeal had been so perverted
| as to be actually opposite in effect from
| the intention of Congress at the time OF
| its passage He claimed that the preseh1
| Condition of the state of Nevada Is the
| result more than from any.nans eSe VI
the peryersion of federal statutes.
Mr.. John J. D. Trenor reported resolu-
ton favoring the restriction or lmmlgra-
ton. 1,u.,h,,
Trades League. from the committee on
nostaI affairs reported resolution fndors-
ing a system of postal checks and resoiu-
ton relating to the improvement OF the eA-
fsting classification of mail and indorslns
the establishment of a parcels post system
adapted to the needs of this country, pro
vided 1t can be done without loss TO the
government The committee also recon-
mends the consolidation Of third and forth
class mail matter for transportation at the
uniform rate Of cents per pound.
A resolution was also read recommending
the reduction Of letter postage to / cent.
In the event of this being too much 10 ask
from the government the committee recon-
mends that local drop letters be permit
ted to go through the post office by pre-
payment Of / cent postage.
The report caused considerable discussion,
a number of delegates desiring additional
information on the subjects treated in the
report.
Mr.. E. C. Hill of Trenton. N. j.. suggest
ed that the 1-cent postage could possibly
he bv rate of letter
postage to l cent per half an ounce Mr..
Acker said that as the average weight of
letters is one-third of an ounce the reduc-
ton would practically mean the reduction
on all the mail The report was adopted
unanimously.
Move for Reciprocity.
Mr.. Amory A Lawrence of the Boston
Merchants Association submitted a report
from the committee on reciprocity, recon-
mending the establishment of reciprocity
relations with countries of the world, and
especially with contiguous countries. Mr..
E. G. Preston of the Boston chamber of
commerce suggested that the report of the
committee be amended SO to place the
National Board of Trade on record in
dorsing reciprocity with Canada and Mex
leo particularly The amendment was
adopted and then the report was adopted
and approved.
A resolution providing for the refund of
hol was presented by Mr.. M. M. Kline of
the Philadelphia Trades League, from the
committee on alcohol tax. The report was
adopted
Mr.. W. v. Cox. president of the Wash
ington Board of Trade, was then intro
duced. He made a short speech welcom-
ing the delegates to this cit.
The river and harbor report, which
afternoon, was brought up again by Mr..
George HI. Anderson of the Pittsburg
chamber Of commerce. ME-. Anderson re-
ported back the questions relating to the
ship canal from the great lakes to tide
water. the deepening of the Delaware
river channel, and the Chicago drainage
reported these propositions back In the
same form as they were when rejected
yesterday, in order that the board should
either adopt or reject the propositions.
said that to bring up the matter at this
time was unfair to the delegates who had
voted against the report yesterday. The
report was adopted.
International Arbitration.
A resolution indorsing international arbi-
tration was introduced by Mr.. Charles B.
Murray Of the Cincinnati chamber of COM
merce and adopted. Mr.. Murray read the
resolution adopted at the peace conference
in this city last week.
The report of committee to consider a
resolution favOrlng Jaw pfOnlDlCn8 the
use Of the American flag for advertising or
trade purposes was presented by Mr.. Morris
8. Wise Of New York.
The committee reported that there is no
federal law prohibiting the use Of the
American flag for advertising or trade pur-
poses and that In Its opinion such law
should be placed upon the statute books OF
the nation.
The report was adopted with an amend
ment authorizing Mr.. Wise to prepare q
bill for presentation to Congress with this
object in view.
Panama Canal Treaty Endorsed.
A resolution urging Congress to speedily
ratify the Panama canal treaty was unani-
mously adopted on the Recommendation of
the isthmian canal committee. through Its
chairman. Mr.. c. 8. Scamans OF Scranton,
Pa.
Certain amendments to the bylaws were
then presented by Mr.. Frank Barry of the
National Millers' Association, from the
committee on bylaws. Considerable dis
cussion was occasioned by the report of the
amendments, which all dealt with questions
of routine business, and were speedily dis