The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-12-06
Elected President of the As- sociation at the Annual Meeting Last
 Evening.
IDEA OF TRAFFIC
 SQUAD ENDORSED
Uneasiness Among Merchants About Police Protection During the Night
 Hours.

The annual meeting of the New Ha- ven Business Mems association was called to order shortly after o'clock last evening in the banquet hall over Hepblein's, with President Pagter ia the chair. The most important mat ters to come before the meeting were the reports of the officers and cosn- nlittees of the association, the election of the new officers for the coming year, including the election of Sidney P. Butler as president; tine official ap- proval by the association cf the pro- posed new traffic squad, the decision to join the Atlantic Deeper Waterways commission, and the discussion of q crying need for better police prCtac- tion for the stores fn the center of the city during the night hours.
 President Pagter's Rspcrt.
 President Pagter's report wss the first matter to come up. His report in full was as follows:
 We have just completed another year in the existence of this organsa- ton The increased membership dur-l ing the year supplies the proof con- vincing and complete, that there isl real need of suth an association as ours, and gives the movement which 1t represents dignity and importance.
 'ThEteen years ago the founders ek this association were brought togethei' by motives that could hardly be called unselfish--they had fought each other commercially after the fashion of bar- barian warriors, blow for blow andxcut for cut to the death. if possible to dis ability, which certainly reduced the contest to one of endurance without Judgment, skill or satisfactory results. thereby reversing the maxim Time is money, and with wasted efforts and commercial disappointment as a divi- dend.
 It was, therefore, not in spirit of brotherly love that we came together l to organize ourselves and better OUT condition, but l think we had erown weary of the plirposeless process and sat down to use our reason rather than quarrel, and thus the educational movement began, with the barbarian sentiment, however, predominating For the first few years of our exist ence 1t was a toss-up as to whether we should lapse into savagery or progress to an intelligent organization which would protect each others rights. The zig-zag movement contiri- ued up to seven or eight years ago. whom, thanks to the courage and un- tience of our early leaders, the septi- Dlent changed and the majority stood for that maxim Love thy neighbor as thyself; that one faction harned the folly of our ancient and hope forever discarded policy of mean competition. and this evidence alone shows the dif- ference of conditions surroundins rather than any native superior iudg- ment,
 Thus we have become friends be- cause we know it pays and that is the logic of our course stripped of senti- mentality and the benefits accruins from these meeting by which the mer, chants are brought into personal con tact are incaluable. The discourage- nents and disappointment of those who stood by the association in its earlier days were, after all, but ex- \ perienees common to every pro- l gressive movement. They had faith in themselves and communicating this J