The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-18
Chamber Directors Are
Expected to Indorse
Main Street Site.
SAY RAILROADS
ARE TOO ACTIVE
Intimate That Missionary Work
Is Being Done to Defeat Down
town Terminal-Division in
Board as to How Far
Chamber Should Go in
Site Matter.

With view OF giving directors or
the Chamber Of Commerce, who are 81
meet this afternoon. more definite in
formation on the union passenger sta
tion question, Chairman T.. c. Laird,
OF the inland trade committee sent
out yesterday a circular letter to
every member Of the board and every
member of the chamber, showing why
the Fifteenth aod Main Streets site
was recommended. New Interest was
thrown into the fight by the statement
OF members or the committee that
representatives OF the two railroads
opposing the downtown location have
been doing missionary work in the
hope OF bringing about a division in
the board.
Notwithstanding the effort on the
part OF the Richmond Fredericksburg
and Potomac Railroad and the Atlas
tic Coast Line TO show the Importance
OF having station on the hermitage
Golf Club property. which the inland
trade committee has frankly fought,
II is claimed that straw ballot
among directors shows that the
chamber is heartily in favor OF big
terminal for all roads in Main street
Take Different View.
There are members or the board,
however. who assert tina, the cham
ber should restrict !ts activity 10
demand for II union station, leaving
tho matter Of location TO the railroads
and engineers. They suggest that tic
chamber or the city might employ en-
g!necrs familiar with such problems.
believing that engineers employed By
tho opposing railway factions Will
never agree. The chamber has TWEEN
tE-sevcn directors. nearly all o, whom
viii attend the meeting this atteS
noon III o'clock, and IT IS known that
not all or them Will indcrse the report
~ the inland trade committee. Some
of them are in favor OF the West End
station. while others ID not believe
that business organization should
say the city must have station on
this site or that or not at all.
Chairman Lairds committee con-
tends that there is nothing to justify
change from the chambers position
IN 1921. when il stood out for a union
station In tho Shockoe Valley. nu,
there arc other members who are OUT
spoken in opposition. who show that
conditions have changed In the past
TWENTY-FIVE years. and that what
would have suited Richmond twenty
two years ago. Will not satisfy Rich
mond now While the indications are
that the committees report viii De
approved hy the directors, II is not
likely to be done without considerable
discussion ana opposition.
Inland Committees Letter.
In the letter sent out yesterday by
Chairman Laird. these statements,
among others. are set down,
"rhe acute agitation or the subject
has not been precipitated by the cham
ber: on the contrary. for certain good
and sufficient reasons, il has been held
in abeyancc: but now that the question
has been taken up by councilmanic
committee and the carriers opposed 10
the location in the vicinity OF Fiji
teenth and Main Streets are doing ac-
tive missionary work among the mem
hers OF the board of directors of the
chamber. II is eminently proper that
the chambers committee on inland
trade. for the information OF its direc-
tors should submit its views as 10 this
whole question in all OF its bearings.
and accordingly IL requests your care
Iul attention TO the following consid
erations. viz:
First This question should be now
fully and finally settled. before the
growth OF the city and inevitable de-
velopments render its solution far
more difficult and perpleNng
Second. While your committee has
given careful thought and called TO it's
aid expert investigation and advice. to
satisfy its mind that there were no
insurmountable engineering problems
Continued On Seventh PageD