Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-03-23
AUGUSTUS BOARD OF TRADE.
ro" ext OF the Excellent Report Of
Secretary r. L. Dutton.


The fuil text of the annual report If
secretary Frank L. Dut,on.
Gentlemen of the Board of Trad,
Your secretary was elected at the las,
annual banquet. He entered upon AMI
mas performed all Of his discOyerab,.
| duties. He has done the best he CON, I
10 make this banquet a success. This
report might with propriety stop her.
Tut a few suggestions born of observ
alton. if not of experience. NAV no, he
| out Of place
Inc records Of the Augusta Board Of
Trade We're burned in the Meonian
HAL BLOCK fire, SO that tho fund of in
formation which my predecessors
might have handed down to me was
lost. Our constitution, bylaws and
lst Oh membership are all gone
The only obtainable information
IS from newspaper reports Of the vari
Gus banquets. The secretary was
obliged to depend upon hearsay as 10
the very duties of his office But ~
| soon learned that the Board of Ira 10
or this city is a voluntary association
| composed of business men, many of
whom didn't know, or. at least. had
| forgotten. that they belonged to il al
! all
| The bylaws of this association pro-
vided for monthly meetings. There has
been no meeting during the year lust
passed and in this reSnect the year
does not differ materially from thos,.
| just preceding. The President did call
| a meeting last July for the purpose OF
| considering a matter Of grave public
Importance to the CRY Of Augusta 1t
was the grade crossing at the foot OF
Pines' Hill This crossing is an immi-
ncnr danger 70 our pnon:e That meet
| ing was widely advertised, yet there
| was not a single person appeared. The
President adjourned the meeting with
out date and went home.
general feeling of Indifference is
manifest. 1t is doubtful if the present
| Board of Directors or Managers know
| that they hold such offices. If they do
| they have had no suggestion to make
| to your Secretary during the past year.
Political and business considerations
are such that the officers rs indi-
| .iduals.-and their office at present
carries no other weignt,-are SLOW to
take up public questions. If they did
! they would be powerless to carry out
any broad plan or policy. The GER
tainty of success only would bring to
| their support our leading business men.
Now several questions naturally
| arise from this condition of affairs.
Does the Board of Trade represent
purpose? Has it a mission to perform?
| Has it a membership who feel that the
| acts of the Board of Trade are tn cir
acts? Is it an organization with
power to act and responsible for its
nd nf
Trade" is no panacaa for prosperity
The Board must 30 something. 1t
must give a reason Or an excuse for its
existence. The President when he acts
| ough, TO act with authority. He
should not sign his name as President
OF the Board of Trade to a petition UNI
less the subject matter has been before
the Board. Such act expresses only his
individual opinion, and it may be some
thing that the people do or do not
want.
Your Secretary should have other
duties. and more vital to our business
interests. than getting up banqu"ts.
His record should give expression to
rho, oughly canvassed public Judgment.
They should show that the Board is
alive to the prosperity. the health.
These dinners are pleasant and bene-
fetal 1t is good for our business and
professional men to get together once
year But it is futile in results t.
come here and listen while one man
tells what everybody else ought to do.
We 20 away. and the Eext day the
Beard of Trade becomes q memory.
Your Secretary has given this matter
considerable thought and reflection.
| He is very strongly Of the opinion that
| the Board Of Trade should take on
new form Of life in order to strengthen
our inherent weakness. The Board OF
| Trade should become a legal organl-
| cation, with power to bind its MEM
bers Nearly all aggressive Boards OF
Trade are incorporated, so that they
can hold property and make binding
| contracts Then the act of the Board
| is not the personal act of its officers
but the non-personal act of the cOrpor-
| arion. But i'm order to get the act OF
the corporation you must havezthe
| concerted act of it's members. The
| Portland Board of Trade has been in
| corrorated for more than fifty years;
| Faith and Bangor for nearly as long.
| With an organization to which its
members were legally bound you would
| get Il freer expression of individual
| opinion. An enthusiastic Board OF
| Trade in Augusta is an impOssibIlity
| until you get an organization where
every business man on Water street
mayexpress his views. whether they are
| right or wrong. Such an organization as
I speak of. with regular monthly meet
| ings. could not fail TO accomplish
| great results. 1t is too common err
ror that the sole duty of Boards of
| Trade is to secure new industries. Old
industries properly protected and en-
| couraged are as valuable. and certainly
| as reliable as new and doubtful en-
| terprises. Municipal revenue saved is
as desirable as new objects for taxa
ton. The proper expenditure Of mu-
nicipal funds is quite within the sphere
| of consideration by an organization like
| this.
The time has already come when the
municipal and business affairs of the
city of Augusta should be conducted
| on business PRINCIPALS. AS it is today