The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-10-17
COMMERCIAL CLUB
MAY RAISE FEE
Proposed Advance Is From $50
to 500 for Resident
Members.
AND FROM $25 TO $50
FOR N0N-RESlDENTS
Question Will Be Discussed
and Possibly Settled at
Early Meeting.

Inc board oil governors OF lue NoH'
mercial club recently sent out letter
to all the club members, submitting the
Of the membership
committee TO increase the entrance fec
from $50 TO 800 for resident members,
and from $25 TO $50 for nonresident
members.
The hundreds Of replies that have
been received show that the members
are alive TO the best interests of the
and the careful and earn
est manner in which the matter Is dis
cussed pro and con shows much thought
full consideration.
4 large majority Of the members
who have so far expressed themselves
favor the proposed increase, and yet this
is modified in many cases by sugges'
tons of various kinds
MANY of those who favor the increase
would have It 90 into effect upon
moving into the new clubhouse. Others
want 10 fix the date at January. l. 1910;
some would give thirty days notice,
others sixty or ninety days, or even
six months, thus giving all who desire
TO ioin ample opportunity to come IN
under the old rates, with fair warning
Of the proposed increase
Many Opinions
Out Of more than 500 replies re-
ccived, more than 200 members have
taken The trouble to give reasons
why they do Or do not favor the in
crease, and these replies ranging in
length from terse sentence to two.
page letter, are full Of interest.
Among those who favor the plan are
found such expressions rs "worth the
money! and "cheap at any prce.
and even among those who oppose the
raise there is a general expression that
the club would give good value for any
amount that might be charged. Among
the opposition, however, the prevailing
note is the fear of shutting out desirable
members, especially among the young
business men, by putting the initiation
beyond their reach. Others fear that
the higher fee would tend TO make the
club exclusive, and one man declares
that he don Z want the impression to
go out that the Commercial club belongs
10 the ''A00. -
One who favors the increase thinks il
might keep out some undesirable citi.
lens' and this is answered by score
or more who argue thst the increase
would tend to shut out many desirable
citizens With this argument goes the
statement that it is not the rich man
but the united strength of the 'boost
ers - OF moderate means that has made
he club so powerful an organlzatlon
Governors May DeClue'
Many of the members are willing to
leave the decision 10 the. board of gov
ernors, as it is in better position 10
know the needs of the club, aud more
than n score take the ground that the
financial needs of the club should be
the only thing considered.
In liue with this, many argue that
the club is now in most prosperous
condition and is gaining members rapid
ly. so why not lei well enough alone.
and this is answered by the statement
on other cards that the present mcm-
bers carried the club from poverty 10
affluenec, and that those who enter now
10 enjoy the increased privileges and 10
rcvcl in the present prosperity should
pay the larger fee. TO quote from the
card of young banker: ''The entrance
fee has been too low and is especially
so now, since The club has horne the
burden through the heat OF the day.
Another says: "Thcro is not a club
| privileges for the same money, and
! these privileges will be doubled when
we move into the new building.
One interesting reply came from n
| remote corner Of The state. This mem
bcr said that he had never used the
club and was SO situated that he never
expected 10 be able to enjoy its privi-
| IegoS, but he hdU PAID MIS- limitation
fees and dues gladly for the honor of
| having his name connected with such
an organization, and resident member
expresses similar sentiment when he
says, Membership in the Commercial
club Is high honor, and then explains
that while he has never been in the
club, he will gladly continue paying
dues to help further the worthy oh
| iects the club has stood for and will
stand for.
May Limit Membership.
While many express the belief that
the fee should not he raised until the
membership reaches the 1000 mark,
there are others who think that unless
something is done to limit the member
! ship the club viii become overcrowded
| Several members favor limiting the
membership 10 1000 and keeping A
"waiting list, - from which to fill the
| place of any member who might die:
| for, az one man remarks. Commercial
club members never resign; only the
dead ones drop out -
While the question Of raising the an
uual dues was not submitted 10 the
members. a great number of the replies
suggests that the dues should be raised
to correspond with the rate At the Alta
and University clubs and the argument
| is advanced that IN increase IN the au-
nual income would be better for the
| club than an increase on initiation
fees.
The board will meet at an early date
| to consider tho question.