Evening star., 1912-04-12
COMMERCIAL MEETING
TO Be WELL ATTENDED
Many Delegates Coming to
Conference to Form Ma
ti0naI Trade Board.

That the national commercial confer
ence. called at the request OF President
Taft. to meet in Washington April % for
the purpose of organising a. national trade
board. will bring to this city delegates
from all parts of the country Is evident
from the replies to the invitations sent
out by Secretary Nagel of the Depart
ment Of Commerce and Labor.
A. H. Baldwin. chief Of the bureau OF
manufactures of the department, today
published a statement in regard to the
coming conference in the consular and
trade reports He said in part:
1T is already evident that the confer
ence will bring delegates from every part
Of the United States Alaska Porto Rico.
Hawaii and the Philippines will be repre-
sented. and also most OF the national as.
sociations established for the promotion
Of single commercial interest. This will
insure the most truly representative COM
mercial gathering. probably, that has ever
been brought together in the United
States.
THE spirit and c.earness OF vision
with which the delegates to this confer
ence approach their task Of organization
will largely determine the value and per-
manence OF the national association
which. it Is hoped. will be established
a result Of this April meeting. 1t is
deemed that loss Of time and effort could
be the On-y result il the meeting enters
ever important, il these matters are not
essentially and closely related to the
main subject-that Is, the plan OF organi-
zation Of the national chamber of COM
merce.
Relations Will Be Advisory.
1.-The attention Of delegates is also
specially invited to the fact that at first.
or until Congress should take some
action with respect to authorizing gov
ernment officials to take active part in
the development of the new national or
ganization. the relations OF representa-
tives OF the Department of Commerce
and Labor and other federal departments
can be advisory only and essentially
those Of helpful cooperation.
obviously. commercial organizations
have 1t entirely within their power to es-
tablish this national association and start
it at once upon It's useful work without
aid from the government at first other
than that indicated above, and the exact
form of the relations which 1t will finally
sustain with government departments
must, it Is believed, evolve gradually out
Of the experience of the organ zat.on. It
seems certain that there win come. nat
urally, a close and cord al relation be-
tween 1t and the federal service and this
relation can readily be given Official form
by sanction of Congress. il desired. at q
later date. But 1t also appeals certa n
that this relation can not be defined In
advance by the conference OF April. and
that no action can be taken toward i'm
med ately establishing this bond Of union
further, perhaps. than to provide for some
form Of unofficial advisory council which
would afford dgnified method OF placing
at the service of the national body any
Information or suggestions which might
be desired by il from the commercial pro-
motive branches Of the government
''It Is evident that any discussion OF
moot questions in this meeting would be
futile