Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-02
DELAY FOR ITS PLANS
Site Not Chosen for Chamber OF
Commerce Building.
NO FAULT OF COMMITTEE
Expected Options Were Not Secured in
Time for Meeting.
PLANS FREELY DISCUSSED
Loan and Subscription Project Still
Acknowledging Investment
Confidently Expected.

No site for the proposed building of the
Chamber Of Commerce has yet been Sc
lected. although 1t was expected that at the
meeting of the chamber, held at the Ar
lington last night, Mr.. Charles ]. Bell
chairman of the building committee, would
report some specific location for the APP
prevail of the members.
After the meeting had been called to or
der, shortly after o'clock. by President
Robert n. Harper. Chairman Bell was
called upon for report of his committee.
The chairman said he regretted that he
must preface his remarks with an apology,
but he had to report that no definite state
ment with regard to sites could be made
since the committee had been disappointed
as to options which had been promised for
that afternoon upon the two sites which
had been settled upon as the most desirable
of the 100 originally offered to the cham
Der. Mr.. Bell said that both the commit
tee on building and the subcommittee had
been most active in their work. and that
the failure to submit options was due to
no fault on their part, but to absence
from the city of owners of the sites.
Chairman Bell said that the project to
erect a building which. with the site should
cost about S4OO.OUO half of which sum
should be raised by bonded loan and half
by subscriptions among the members still
No Donations Wanted.
Eve desire no Donation" Mr.. Bell said
What we want is to erect for ourselves a
building that shall be a paying investment,
returning s. 6. or even ~ per cent. We
desire to interest many of the members
as possible, and for this reason we should
prefer to have ten subscriptions of $500
rather than one of 5000. redemption
price Of. say. 105 could be put upon the
bonds. so that gradually the chamber could
acquire the title to its own building be-
coming sole owner in about twenty-five
years. These figures are not based upon
an hypothesis. but upon actual facts"
President Harper then called for discus
sion upon the project, and many members
earnestly advocated the plan Of the COM
mittee and expressed the greatest conf
dence in the judgment of it's members.
Mr. Chaplin Brown said that he had such
a firm conviction that the building would
be a success an investment that he
would willingly erect 1t at his own expense,
If that were possible He said that there
feasible, and that every member of the
chamber would so acknowledge it if the
committee were not enjoined by diplomatic
reasons from naming the site which had
been selected as the most suitable for the
building; that 1t would meet with the in
slant approval of the chamber
Mr.. Samuel Ross advised that there be
no hurry; that the business be left in the
hands of the committee SO that he be not
compelled to take a plot of ground at an
exorbitant price to start with. M. John
Fleming cited a number of office buildings
that We're paying investments, although
they were not of the most modern type
Mr.. Fleming advised delay until the labor
troubles are all settled. since, he said,
they can't last forever"
Satisfactory Investments.
Mr.. Edgar D. Shaw. when called upon.
said that the Munsey building had proved
satisfactory as investment. Mr. Norman
Gait spoke briefly in advocacy of the
project.
Mr.. Thomas C. Noyes, when asked for in
formation about The Evening Star building.
said that 1t had been erected primarily for
newspaper purposes, without regard to its
use for offices, and that there was regret
that the structure had not been extended
over the whole lot on 18th street, which
might yet be done
Il am certain that the Chamber of Com
merce building will be a success" said Mr..
Noyes When sentiment and good finance
go hand in hand success is assured. Money
could be raised on the mere name Of
Chamber of Commerce building but when
this project Is backed by the calm judg-
ment of cool-headed business men, when 1t
has solid Endorsement and insures divi-
dendS, large compared to usual invest
ments. then we already see the ctruc-
ture built and see it great success"
Mr.. John Magruder advised that prospec-
1--WE settlers De ndlieQ down Win options IN
writing. In response to question from
Mr.. c. w. Claggett as to how payments
of subscriptions should be made Chairman
Bell said that the installment system would
be followed.
Mr. Isaac Cans moved that vote Of
thanks be given to the Norfolk and Wash
ington Steamboat Company for reducing
the charter price of the steamer used on
the chambers jamestown trip from 81 800
by 500 so
President Harper then announced that the
next meeting would be held the first Tues
day in October. but that the committees
would keep working during the summer,
as hot weather had no terrors for them
Advertising the City.
Mr.. Thomas C. Noyes moved that the
Washington Chamber of Commerce extend
invitations to members of similar bodies
contemplating trips to jamestown to stop |
over in Washington.
Mr. Noyes said that such invitations could |
also be sent through other channels. such
the bankers florists associations
and tina tmany would take advantage of
them and visit Washington. Furthermore, |
such measure would show that there
was something alive in Washington and
that the cty's business men were taking
steps to keep the city well advertised The
motion carried.
Mr. Allen D. Albert, jr. advised that the
accumulated momentum of the chamber be |
not allowed to dissipate during the summer.
but that most of the members would be
In the city during the hot weather, except |
for brief vacations, the work need not |
falter.
Mr.. Fl. c. C. Stiles moved that a commit
tee on invitations to conve ntions be ere
ated to induce gatherings to convene in
Washington. The motion was carried Pres
ident Harper announced that he would an
point the committee later
Mr.. Ross P. Andrews urged that the
chamber take an active part in influencing
Congress to raise the salaries of govern
ment clerks He thought a 20 per cent adj
vance would be about right. Mr. Andrews
said that it had occurred to him that Wash
ington retail dealers, who bought from
wholesalers all the United States |
could influence Congress by asking their
wholesalers to appeal to the representatives
of their districts, and he thought the repre- |
sentatives would listen.
Mr.. D. J. Collahan moved that the Nor
folk Board Of Trade and Business Mems AS
ISOLATION be thanked by President HARPER |
in the name of the chamber, for hospitality |
during the chambers visit to Norfolk The |