The Republican journal., 1912-06-06
OUR PORTLAND VISITORS.
What One of Them Says of Their Reception
in Belfast.

What One of Them Says of Their Reception
in Belfast.
francis L. Lttlefed City Editor Daily Ar
From Bath to Belfast was a long run.
beginning at Ais and ending at IT'S.
And 1T was at Belfast that the first rude
shock was experienced. 1t is up to the
Argus to say 81 told you so, for in the
preliminary writeup it was broadly hint
ed that ''big feed" was in store for all
hands and they were plainly advised not
to eat too much in the dining car in an
ticipation thereof. But the night was
dark and rainy and most of the company
seemed to feel that bird in the hand
was worth whole flock Of them in pros
pect. On reaching Belfast the entire
membership of the local trade board was
found at the station with band and the
line of march was quickly taken up to
the Opera house, banners were strung
across the street informing the visitors
that they were welcome, which was some
what superfuous after they had met and
talked with the men awhile.
On reaching the Opera house it was
found that one of the most beautiful and
appetlzlng looking spreads that any of
the party had seen in many day had
been prepared by the good ladies of the
city, who were present in force to serve
it.
Not man in the crowd but would
gladly have put in a good solid hour at
the table with such good looking viands
and such expert mattresses to handle it;
but owing to the fact that the capacity
OF the human frame is limited, it was
impossible for anybody to do full justice
to it except the few who did not sit down
at the dining car tables until just before
the train reached Belfast and who left
the tables for the Opera house as soon as
possible afterward.
The speech making was fine. They
have a man in Belfast who for apt al
liberation cannot be beaten. He is the
secretary of the local Board of Trade
and his name is West. He is certainly
star actor and his speech, which was re-
plete with specimens of the difficult art
of ALTERATION, ought to have been taken
down in shorthand and preserved as
school exercise for students of rhetoric.
The president of the Belfast Board of
Trade, Mr.. Frost, bellies his name strong
ly. There is nothing cold about him and
his speech was gem. There was per-
haps more solidlty to it than there was
in any of the others, but he is solid man
and talks business most of the time.
For the visitors in addition to Vice
President Adams and Hon. A. F. Moul-
ton, E. H. Mcdonald of the Ad Mems
League spoke. Mr. Mcdonald was called
upon with little or no preparation but he
did himself proud and dropped hint
that the Belfast people say they are
going to put into practice at once. This
was his suggestion to them to form an
AID Mems League there for the benefit
of their busy and busting city.
Belfast by the way is on the boom and
strung all around the hall were catchy
banners with such advice, on them as will
if taken in full measure result in the
great benefit of the city.
The people of Belfast show by their
action that they are live ones and with
their natural advantages and little as
sistance from various sources it will
without doubt be true if the Portland
Board of Trade should go there again
few years hence they would find much
increase in the industrial situation there.