St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-03-06
MEETING AT GROTON
Connecticut and Wells River Val
Ieys Board Of Trade Had Sue
cessfuI Gathering Last Week.

The Connecticut and Wells River
Valleys Board or Trade held large
ly attended meeting in knights of
Pythias hall in Groton last Thurs
day evening. Besides Groton people
there was a large attendance from
Wells River and South Ryegate.
The banquet was served by the lad
les of the Village Improvement Soc
iety and others and was veritiable
town feast. 1t represented a large
amount of labor on the part of the
women but the many compliment
tary remarks heard about its excel
lence must have been a source of
qualification to them. About 125
people sat down at the tables.
Music was furnished during the meal
by a local orchestra and during the
post prandiaI exercises Mrs. A. r.
Taylor and Mrs. Ernest Clark sang
solos.
G. C.. Lord, editor of the Groton
Times, presided and first introduced
Nelson Bailey of Wells River, presi-
dent of the Board. Mr.. Bailey ex-
planned the purposes of the organi-
zation and spoke of the natural adj
vantages of the section and closed
by asking for applications for men,
bership.
Rev. r. /. B. Illman of the Me-
thodist church spoke a word of well
come to the out of town guests and
expressed the wish that the organi-
zation might be a success.
Fl. T. Baldwin of Wells River
spoke OF the highways in the county
and urged the people of the different
towns to vote an appropriation for
permanent road work to be matched |
by an equal amount by the state. He
advised a strong vote for these apt
preparations as the state road COM
missioner was more enthusiastic in |
his aid where the towns really want /
ed such work done.
Robert A. Dawson who has been
instrumental in installing the new
electric station in Groton spoke of
the great opportunity there was for
the storage of water for power pur
poses at the head of Wells River
Valley and said there were two kinds
of energy needed to develop the in
dustrial life of the valley. First
there was the energy of power with
which the valley was well supplied.
Then it needed human energy to
harness the power and promote it's
development. To furnish and or
ganize the human energy was the
work before the board.
Rev. S. H. Myers of the Baptist
church spoke a word of encourage
ment but said the shortness of the
notice he had had left him like the
workman who fell down the elevator
shaft, not dead but speeches..
S. A. Leavitt, postmaster at Wells
River told of some of his early ex-
periences fishing and said he always
had to fish to get a good catch. He
that was what this organi-
cation should do, fish for new enter
prises. and he advocated the pre- t
Daration Of a booklet setting forth t
the advantages and resources of the
territory and then begin to let the {
world know what the towns there
had to offer
F.. J. Tewksbury Of South Ryegate =
spoke enthusiastically of the need +
Of all working together and talking .
up and not down the conditions In 8
heir own neighborhood.
w. +. Bigelow of st. Johnsbury Z
was introduced and discussed quite !
exhaustively the conditions in Yer :
mont and the necessary steps to inn :
prove them. He laid special stress
On the necessity of larger and stron-
ger units in the development of the
Industrial, religious and educational C
interests of the smaller communities s
If the state and approved of the A
present organization as larger unit G
# power in the industrial develop d
nent of that section. e
William Terry of South Ryegate d
closed the speaking with several of '
lis inimitable stories. "
At the business meeting which fol-
owed, c. NJ. Libby asked that the
PRESIDENT appoint committee to as
list in the distribution OF native G
rout in the Wells River and its tri- s.
,utaries saying that now they had L
rot the saw dust out of the stream
here was an opportunity to develop 1
,etter fishing there than ever. The /
committee was named. 4
A committee was also named to v
zee about issuing a booklet as advo- b
ated by Postmaster Leavitt. About +
s new members were admitted and X
he meeting was adjourned. d