Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-19

Dsrsonal absence. letters to THE STAR sheuld
ct b. Addressed 10 any Individual connected
with the once. but simply to THE STAR. - d
The Hditorial O. Businees Department, acecrdiAS
b toeor OF pufpooA
Division Of Labor or Merger.
To be most enlightening the straw vote
IA the interest Of consolidation Of the
Board Of Trade and the Chamber OF
Commerce should show what kind Of
merger Is favored by the Affirmative voter
Is well as this voters membership
relation to the board and chamber
Two or three years ago. when the sub
set was as vigorously discussed as to-
day, tho Indications were that the board
would. If tested. have consented either
70 merger In the name Of the board.
preserving its corporate existence, or to
o division of labors between the two
organizations on commercial and non
commercial lines. A conference commit
tee of the chamber assented to merger
in the name of the Board OF Trade, but
the chamber never agreed either to such
merger or to the proposed division Of
labors.
The practical questions of interest
now are: What Board of Trade votes
favor a merger which will terminate the
corporate existence Of the Board OF
Trade? And what Chamber OF Commerce
votes favor a merger which win absorb
II IN the Board Of Trader.
over three years ago February. 1909,
when the Chamber of Commerce was
very young and. being in the formative
stage, had full control of the lines which
its future development would follow, The
Star said:
the indications that the Chamber OF Com
merce will not retain its individuality as
q purely commercial body, and. concen-
trating its energies, develop along trade
representative body. spread Itself thinly
over the whole range of municipal activ-
tiles and to avoid the duplication of such
hbors will merge with the Board OF
Trade.
THE experiences Of recent years have
seemed to demonstrate that the Board OF
Trade, with q Membership over two
thirds non-commercial, with It's many ana
varied interests and activities. and with
its small dues and meager financial re-
sources as an organization, Is not adapted
to quick and effective work In the pro-
motion Of trade and manufactures. a
task requiring in Washington a concen-
tration OF EFFORT and liberal expendi-
fure Of money. The Jobbers and Ship
pers' Association, and later the Chamber
Of Commerce. came into being on the
strength Of the conviction Of the neces-
0ty Of their separate existence: The
Dsactical and effective steps toward trade
pcomotion, involving the expenditure OF
usoney and Of time and thought and hard
work. have been taken with the active
y the Jobbers ana Shippers Association
and by the Chamber Of Commerce. es-
socially through its retail trade COM
"A mercer Of the Chamber of Com
msrce with the Board Of Trade means,
The Star fears, one Of two things: Either
that the hustling trade-promoters who
bave found the Board OF Trade too large
and unwteldy and non-comInercial In
mercial work are to have their energies
dissipated and wasted in a still larger
and moro unwfeldy non-commercial or
sers Of m. OF s Of
activity In attendance and in public Ia
bors, will outvote and dominate the more
numerous noE-commercial members. and
by absorbing all the organizations finan-
lures promotion. and perhaps by largely
Increasing the dues for this purpose, win
give out the nOn-commercials from
membership. leaving the organization In
the end a purely commercial body.
IN the first alternative Washington
WIN lose its chance OF securing an effect
I've trade-promoting organization. vigor-
ons and prompt In action; in the second
alternative the city Will lose its general
representative organization. the non-com-
merc1al Board Of Trade, as It has existed
ana labored effectively for the capital s
welfare for eighteen years.
Washington needs both kinds Of or
Gan:5Etseps and cannot afford to lose
eiAer OF Shem- BY non-commercial Is not
meent aiiti-commercial. but merely not
e1oeSsaveiy or primarily commercial The
noHzsssi.ercial general representative
of6e3xSaton which the capital needs
1870 cooperate heartily within the
nmts OF IT'S powers and resources and
otner cDngafions with the purely COM
1aerctal body In the upbuilding of Greater
Commercial Washington"
Tho Star repeated these suggestions
when. 10 October. 1908. through the neeo-
tdat1ons outlined in yesterdays Star the
cnamoer had before 1t the alternatives
OK consolidation with the board under
the .latter's name or Of division of labors
with the latter on commercial and nom
commercial lines. The chamber was
snen and has been since unwilling either
70 absorb itself in the board or to divide
functions with the latter. It has extended
III scope indefinitely and has developed
elective and creditable activity along
several non-commercial lines.
Then. - now, there Is general aRree-
naent on the abstract proposition that one
general representative organization Is
hettags for the city than two or three.
But should the Board Of Trade or will
thss Chambes Of Commerce commit sui.
de to accomplish this result?
10 It in the public interest that thu
Board of Trades continuous corporate
existence OF twenty years Of effective pub
Tic labors should be ended? Why should
the Information collected, the experience
gained, the wise policies established. thu
prestige and influence won all available
and utilized in the public interest, bt
diseipated and wasted as a couimunit,
asset to remedy q condition Of duplica
ton of effort for which the board is no
held at all responsible? Why, after II.
long and creditable record of labor and
achievement at q time when it's member.
slip is larger and more broadly repre-
sentative than ever before in its history
should il be expected to feel that the pub
lie welfare demands that il commit sui
ode? Are its directors less able ant
Trustworthy or its membership less bl,
and loyal than at any other time in thes,
twenty years? During this long periot