The Washington times., 1906-10-06
What the Board Did.


As was indicated in these columns
yesterday, the Washington Board
of Trade has an exceptional OPP
portunity TO serve the city whose
name il bears. That opportunity
lies in am energetic espousal of the
Industrial Washington movement.
A special meeting of the board was
held last night TO consider a report
from its committee ON manufac-
lures, with which body of business
men the immediate future of that
campaign now rests, and II was in
the hope of helping procure resolute
action i'm support of that commit
tee that The Times emphasized the
present situation of the enterprise.
Friends of the Board of Trade
Of which number The Times counts
itself oue-will find il mighty hard
to be encouraged by the record Of
last nights meeting. 1t includes
only three things-a formal ap-
proval of the projected District ex-
hibit at jamestown without any
participation H. the exhibit by the
board as an organization: an
authorization to the committee on
manufactures TO solicit advertise
ments for "a Greater Washington
booklet I'm the name Of the board:
"a speculative and rather scattered
discussion of the benefits promised
by the Greater Washington train
which Is now I'm the south
Not one Of these things repre-
sents active labor ou the part OF the
whole board. Not one in the form
approved last night requires amy
funds or can be expected to obtain
amy funds for its fulhlIment from
the board. Not one warrants the
slightest honest hope that the board
will seize the splendid opening
which now offers itself to eucour-
age and foster the Introduction of
industrials.
lt should be noted, however, that
the committee ON manufactures got
all it asked. The mistake here was
two fold-error ON the part Of the
committee i'm not presenting "a
scheme of advertising corresponding
to the need and asking funds ade-
quatc to execute such a scheme; and
error ou the part of the board i'm
not edUcing such a statement for
guidance as To- its own action. I'm
lieu of such Information the board
accepted without discussion "a state
meut that its funds now i'm hand
would an be required for office eX-
penses and board meetings with
luucheous un the side. and music in
The halls. Wherefore it was clear
that Industrial Washington could
hope for no financial support. There
was not even suggestion that
money should be raised
by far the greatest attention was
given to the train which has been
80 successfully advertising Washing
ton products through that district
wherein il is hoped to expand our
trade. But with that enterprise the
Board of Trade had nothing to do
and for it cannot with any show of
justice claim any credit The pro-
ject original with our contempor-
arg the Evening Star, and the
fruits are chiefly due to the Star.
The others who share in the credit
are the business houses which are
represented in the train. The Board
OF Trade has had nothing whatever
10 do with it,
So the record of last nights meet
ing is this-much discussion of
work done by others and not
sign OF real, shirt-sleeves purpose
to get behind the committee on
manufactures. If that is TO be the
story of future meetings, there is
mighty little prospect that the
board viii measure up to its ex-
ceptional opportunity.