Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-10
HEARD ON 'CHANGE

Owing to the slaekness of business and
the absence of orders there has been plen-
ty OF time recently to give attention to
general matters, such as, for instance, the
general conduct of brokers and how prop
erly constituted broker should conduct him
self toward his fellows, and other interest
ing and important matters Of like nature
Included in the latter class comes the
question of how much conversation should
be carried on at the meetings of the board
and to what extent the members should
indulge their social dispositions or attempt
to transact their private business while
supposed to be engaged in listening to the
call.
As far as the expression of opinion Is
concerned. there is not a man on the board
who will not say that all such proceedings
are entirely out of order and that there
should be nothing of an extraneous nature
to divert the mind from the business IN
hand. This is the position In theory OF
practically everybody. and there Is the
same unanimous attitude in favor OF an
entire disregard of rules or anything else
that would interfere with their liberty to
do exactly as they please when they come
to the daily meetings of the board
As far as conversation goes there are
of course some members who talk good
deal. They have been brought up that way,
and they chat through the business day and
then in the evening, and when they get to
sleep their tongues take rest for the first
time in the day. The rest have this talent
in varying degrees of Intensity, but none
of them are very slow when it comes to
the use of language, and while the majority
ffatter themselves that all the talking is
done by one or two, yet the fact of the
matter Is that practically ali do their share.
Next week the City National Bank is to
start on it's career, and the American Sc
NOS
session of its new building, the finest struc-
ture of the sort that has been put up in
this city. Both of these events are notable
In the history of banking here, for the i'm
portance OF the business which this Splen-
did structure indicates is further empha-
sized by the fact that the new bank secured
its capital of 100000 with less difficulty
than few years ago was encountered in
placing a much smaller amount of stock
for exactly the same purpose.
In fact, If the capital stock had been
double it would have all been taken and
there would have been no need to hawk 1t
about. as used to be the case. and even
then the outcome was extremely doubtful.
The stock of the new bank is to be added
to the list and also that of the new stor-
age company which is to be formed from
out of the American Security and Trust
Company. But such additions do not meet
the want of larger scope for the opera
tons of the exchange which is now being
felt. 1t is generally recognized that the
list could be Increased with profit to all
concerned but it is not so easy to find Sc
curities which will be suitable for the pur-
pose, which is of course to Increase the
number of active stocks
The broker element in the exchange and
of course the banker element into which
two classes, according to the idea that now
prevails, the membership of the exchange
may be said in general to be divided, is in
favor of anything which will add to the
current business.