The San Francisco call., 1910-07-18
-Four LARGEST
CIVIC BODIES in
:.
l~fgar
sugs
Movement TO Concentrate Ef=
forts in One Organization
Viewed With Favor
-sH
Question of Property Equaliza=
tiOn Only Bar TO Immediate
FruitiOn of Plan

one. The organizations included In the
plans are the Merchants exchange, the
chamber Of commerce, the Merchants
association and the Downtown associa-
ZION.
At two meetings held for the purpose
OF discussing this amalgamation rep
rSsentatives Of these four bodies heart
ily approved the scheme, and urged its
adoption as soon as there could be for
uuIated an equitable basis for the
transfer Of property rights In order
that all difficulties lying in the way of
the merger may be rapidly settled the
committee. composed of delegates from
each association, appointed three sub
committees with which viii lie the real
work.
The committee which viii consider
and report upon suitable name for
the new body is composed OF Z J. Bates
Of the Merchants association, Henry
Rosenfeld Of the chamber OF commerce
and J. L. Walter Of the Downtown asso-
citation.
The committee on bylaws consists of
a.. r. Michaels Of the chamber of COM
s-aerce Robert Dollar OF the Mer-
rslsnts' exchange. G. X. Mcintosh OF the
Merchants association and J. G. john
On the finance committee are r B.
Anderson Of the Merchants exchange.
". NJ Alexander of the chamber or
commerce. Milton Esberg of the Down
town association and Joseph Sloss of
the Merchants association.
Comprising the general committee on
the amslgamation. in addition 10 those
named above, are President William
Cferstle Of the chamber Of commerce,
President James Rolph Jr. and r. P.
RiIhet of the Merchants exchange,
President NJ. H. Robbins Jr. of the Mer-
chants association and President II. H
Allen of the Downtown association.
QUESTION or PROPERTY RIGHTS
The members of these committees are
now at work upon the difficulties which
lie ia the way. The finance committee,
IN Is believed. is facing the greatest
problem. Although. as far as has been
at present ascertained, all individual
members Of the organization are en-
Enthusiastically in favor OF the merger,
there remains the fact that the Mer-
chants exchange is the only associa-
tion owning extensive property inter
ests. The Merchants exchange building
and lot. valued conservatively at
sL5OO.0O0. and built for the most part
by bond issue, is owned by the Mer-
chants exchange association The OBJ
LEGATION on the bonds lies with the
members Of the present Merchants eX-
change During the last three years
the big building has been producing
en- average annual profit OF approx
Iaately $4,000.
The other associations have nothing
TO give in exchange for this property,
which through the merger would SEEM
ingly become the joint property of all
four. The finance committee Will have
10 -wrestle with this problem and work
sat some scheme Of equitable division,
whereby the members Of the exchange
will receive due return on their invest
ment.
Because Of this condition it is real
lied that the three purely civic organi-
cations viii TO some extent be COM
PEELED 10 gather about the Merchants
exchange as a nucleus This viii be
true despite the adoption OF any new
name for the bodies as a whole.
Besides its property holdings the
Merchants exchange conducts two de-
psrtments, grain and maritime. These,
according 70 Secretary T. c. Fried
lander. would be conducted as depart
ments under the new organizations and
would continue their work
SUCCESSFUL ELSEWHERE
The scheme of amalgamation was
first proposed in the Merchants asso-
citation An Investigation showed that
in Boston and Chicago the various civic
Improvement bodies had Joined in one
large central organization, and were
doing much more effectie work than
had. been accomplished before. The
plan was broached 10 the boards of
trustees and boards Of directors of all
four associations. and each appointed
a committee TO meet with committees
from the others These were instructed
to thoroughly Investigate the subject,
and were empowered TO devise a scheme
Of smalgsmation.
The first meeting of this committee
WIS held July II. and a second at the
: Merchants association rooms last Fri
day Here the committee was formally
organized and NJ. IT, Robbins Jr. was
elected chairman. T. c. Friedlander
was made secretary, the subcommittee
were appointed, and L. NJ. King, pres
e,t secretary Of the Merchants asso-
cIstion. was made secretary of the COM
nlfttee on bylaws &. W. Burks. secre-
tsTy of the chamber of commerce, was
made secretary Of the committee on
name At this session ii was also de-
termined to effect the merger as soon
as possible.
TO COMBINE MEMBERSHIP
The combined membership of the four
organizations approximates 5000. Al
lowing for many who are members of
two or more the total membership of
the central body should be about 2,500.
To this is expected TO be added the
. names of many who have refrained
Of the fact that they were seemingly
working in deviating ways with the
same ultimate objects in view.
Upon the consummation of the scheme
other civic bodies which have for their
aim solely the advancement of San
Francisco or California may be admit
ted should they apply. Among these
ietff6e Home Industry league which
has been doing beneficial work on be-
half Of local products: the city board of
trade and the San Francisco conven-
tfon league. The last named is rec
ognized as an association of utmost
value TO San Francisco. For years 1T
has been spending money TO bring con-
veptions TO this city and has been sue
cessful in gathering hundreds of thou
sands Of visitors in San Francisco. Its
latest work was done in securing the
1911 convention of the National Educa-
ton association.
TIE idea is to make the organization
prinapally a San Francisco affair.
leaving the state work to be handled
by the California Development Board.
The amalgamation should be of
attvalue to the city" said T. Cary
Frhdlsnder yesterday. 'One central or
yaNiEation will carry more weight and
power, its decisions viii be of greater
impartsnce than will those of half a
dtzAi smaller bodies with smaller mem