Norwich bulletin., 1913-07-01
PLATFORM FOR BOARD OF TRADE,
Advocated by Lewis D. Sampson President of Municipal
 Service Bureau-Should Have Four Five Definite Ob, jects For Community Betterment

I zens who would not assent to it, and they would want to be part of the con- structive force in this movement.
 Don't Be Too Cheap.
 Boards of trade have been discred- iting themselves. President Sampson said, because of their moderate rate of duties and that has been largely re- sponsible for lack of interest, after the fact of lack of knowledge of what a board of trade stands for We have been deceiving ourselves for 20 years with the ideas of cheap boards of trade. He said that communities he knew of in Illinois and other states had found the s5 membership is a delusion and snare They are too easily gotten. The man who gives you $5 just be- cause you call him up on the telephone and say you are trying to get 50 mem- bers, is worth actually nothing as a member of the board of trade
 How 1t Worked
 The speaker illustrated by the ex- perienceS of the Cincinnati Conner cial association which proved its dol lars and cents value to the community by marketing the attractions of Gin cinnati with such effect that 100 new industries employing 5000 men were brought into the city. He told also of Alton Illinois, a city of about the size of Norwich, where the campa ign
  Trade was a dollars and cents prop osition to the community was fol- lowed by increasing the membership to 400 and at the same time raising the dues from the old figure of $6 to $25.
 There is but one way to get the con fidence of a community on this board of trade proposition, and that is to ln- vite your neighbor into the confer ence that writes the platform and then to take the platform to the man who does not come and invite him to sub- scribe to it's platform or give you something better.
 He told how the biggest business men in Chicago were enlisted in the Association of Congress because they were shown that there were certain things that had to be done because otherwise the business interests of eSe community were going to suffer. They were the type of men who would not go into a thing unless they felt it was going to be worth more to them than it was going to cost them to do. The association returns to it's 4,000 mem- bers their moneys worth twice over. If it wasn't returning their moneys worth these men wouldn't stick.
 President Sampson dwelt particu- larly upon the value of board of trade members thoroughly convinced of the boards value and committed to com
  who merely join because someone asks them to-
 In conclusion, President Sampson said that there was no American com munitv that was different and it all ways happened when he came into a community and associated with it's business men that some man would take him aside and say: Sampson, our city is a little different from others. We are slow and easy going and we don't seem to move on very fast. Our Board of Trade works along and holds it's meetings, but the men don't come very much. Sampson, we are diff ferent from other places. You'd better put in your work somewhere else.
 To this MT Sampson replied that the saving virtue In 1t all was that every man wanted to see things inn proved and it was the constructive in- terest of the individual which could and would be aroused by such a cam paign of education as was preached by the municipal service bureau.
 He was warmly applauded as he con- cluded his interesting address.
 No Time to Quit.
 President Macpherson declared his belief that the future of Norwich lay in the hands of just such men as com pose the Norwich Board of Trade. In view of what the city has experienced in the last six to eight months we can not think of quitting now. It was through the Board of Trade that two thirds of the improvements and ad vancements which have come to the city and he thought that the Board of Trade might foresee for the futrSl wonderful improvements if they could see 1t advisable to employ the ser vices of this municipal service bureau.
 President Sampson wanted it under stood that his object in coming here was not to secure an engagement for the bureau to take up it's work here, but he was actuated by the desire which the bureau has of offering it's suggestions which it's experience had shown were of value in community development.
 Buffet Lunch.
 After adjournment the members were invited to partake of the buffet lunch for which the Wauregan house served strawberries. cake, cheese. sandwiches, lemonade. Cigars were also passed. In the absence of Chairman A. s. Spald ing of the entertainment committee, this part of the evening was directed by Secretary Tibbits.
 MT. Sampson returned on the boat train to New York right after the meeting.