Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-12-12
CONNER
CIAL CLUB
ELECTION
Officers Are Chosen
for the Ensuing
Year
Club Has Strong Membership
and Is In Fine Financial
Condition

The Greater Salem Commercial clut
held its regular annual meeting Satur
day night, December 10, at the city hall
The following resolutions were sub
mitted to the club and unanimously
adopted:
| "Whereas, The Willamette river Is
a great public highway in the state of
Oregon, and has been navigated by
steam vessels ever since the settlement
of this country, and
Whereas, For years the government
of the United States has assumed juris-
diction over the same and appropriated
money for the improvement thereof,
and
Whereas, The locks at the falls of
the Willamette at Oregon City are
owned by private corporation and
tolls are charged all vessels for the
freight and passengers carried by them
through the same, which is great en-
hargo upon the commerce of the Will
lamette valley, and
Whereas, 1t has been the policy of
the government to make all navigable
river free.
"Now, therefore, be it
"Resolved, By the Greater Salem
Commercial club that our senators and
Representatives in congress be request
ed to use all honorable means in their
power to secure an appropriation to
either purchase or acquire by condenl-
nation the said locks at Oregon City,
and thereafter maintain and operate
the same so that no charge shall be-
made vessels or products passing
through said locks; and be it further
Resolved, That copy of these
|resolutions be sent to our delegation in
congress"
A. w. Prescott, George f. Rodgers
and Mayor Waters were appointed a
committee Of three to prepare resolu
tions showing the appreciation of the
club of the service Of the president,
Colonel f. Hofer, rendered by writing
the article on Oregon which won the
gold medal presented by the Portland
Commercial club for the best article on
Oregon to be published in a newspaper
outside of the state. This motion was
made by Mr.. Prescott, and he was Civ
en- power to appoint the committee on
condition that he make himself mem
Der.
The annual report of the president
was then read and placed on file, as
follows:
Presidents Annual Report
"The work of this organization the
past year has been one of organiza-
tion and preparation for the greatest
event in the history of Orogon-the
Lewis and Clark centennial, and look
ing forward to the incoming tides of
immigration and tourist travel that
will come to the Pacific coast in larger
numbers next year than ever before.
The officers of this commercial organi-
zation have realized that a great re-
sponsibility rested upon their should
ers in representing the interests Of the
community in a multiplicity of mat
ters that seem to devolve upon no pub
lie official and are not always given the
attention of private citizens, which
Al -. ,,,.,I,r loao~,-o ..roial aI,,h
acting through its officers and standing
and special committees, can arouse pub
lie interest and awaken public spirit
where the newspapers even fail to ac-
complish results. One of the first tasks
that devolved upon this club was the
condition limited at by the report of the
retiring president last year, which
asked that the club take up the mat
ter of relief for the shippers from ear
shortage and proposed advance in lum-
ber rates that would leave many Ore
gon industries practically without any
but the home market. This club re-
ceived statements from hundreds Of
shippers, sawmills, produce dealers and
others showing the actual losses suf-
fered and the effect the advance in
lumber rates would have on the lumber
industry in the interior Of the state.
These communications were sent in
confidence 10 the Commercial club, and
were never surrendered to the corpora
tions complained of. The result was
conference of the traffic managers after
extended correspondence, and the resto'
ration of the old rates on lumber and
a revival Of business in western Ore
gon. The cooperation Of the CONNER
cial clubs at Eugene, Portland, Cottage
Grove and other places proves the prac-
tieal value Of these modern business
guilds Another matter that has been
pressed by this club has been the i'm