The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-07-07
eREAreR VERMONT WORK
Remarkable Increase Of Commercial
and Civic Organizations.

The list of Vermont commercial
and civic association which has just
been made in the office OF the Great
er Vermont association after months
OF correspondence contains the
names of 81 organizations which
have been formed during the last 20
| years. While the movement for
commercial and civic organization
in Vermont began in the year 1893,
more organizations have been form
ed during the Is months from Feb
ruary H. 1912, to May II, 1913, than
during the preceding Is years. Moth
ing is more significant for Vermonts
prosperity than the extension of this
| movement throughout the State,
| the growing efficiency of these as
sociations for commercial and civic
progress, and the increasing cooper
alton of these local organizations for
the good of the State as a whole,
says Secretary j. p. Taylor of this
/ city.
The organizations given in the
| list are arranged in several groups.
| There are 80 boards of trade and
business mems associations six vii
| lage improvement societies; one
| town association; one town-group
association; one county improve
ment association; nine county agri-
cultural associations; and one as
ISOLATION which, as a State board of
trade aims to unite these organiza-
tons and individual citizens in work
| for general State development.
| Vermonters have come to recog-
nize more and more the importance
of organization in civic and COM
mercial development. The two old
est organizations, the Newport
! board of trade and the Lyndon
board of trade, were formed on Jan
tuary 10, 1893, and March 6, 1896, and
these are the only boards of trade
now existing which were at work
before 1900 In 1901 two-organiza-
tions were added, the Bellows FallA
board of trade and the Island Pond
Business Mems association. The
Hardwick board OF trade began its
work in 1902 and the woodstock I'm
provement society in 1904 Two or
CARNATIONS date from 1905, the
boards of trade at Waterbury and
Swanton. In 1906 the list was in
creased by four commercial organi-
cations, at Burlington, Morrisville, |
Brattleboro and Windsor, Ludlow
followed with an organization in
1907, and Springfield and White
River Junction in 1908.
The year 1909 marks the begin
ming of the strong movement for or
ganization which has made the last
five years notable in Vermont his /,
tory, 80 of the "a organizations dat-'I
ing from this period. In 1909 boards !
of trade were formed at Montpelier, |
Barre and Vergennes and improve
ment societies at East Middlebury. |
Arlington and Dandy. Although on
ly one organization was added in !
the year 1910, the ST. Johnsbury |
Commercial club, there was renewed |
activity in 1911 as seen in the for
nation of the Stowe Civic club, the |
Mortified Commercial club, the Ben |
nington board of trade and the Bur |
lington Merchants association.
But the year which stands out SUI |
premely as the organization year is |
1912. Vermonters set about organi |
eating as though by common con-
sent. The record of this year sur
pdSotN lht lOldl Iui tut
five years. The impulse to secure |
greater unity and energy in the adj |
ADMINISTRATION of affeirs of common |
interest in the commercial life of the |
State spread throughout the entire |
commonwealth. On the east organiza |
tons were formed at Saxtons River |
Londonderry. Bellows Falls, Wood |
stock, South Royalton and Stowe; |
on the west, at North Bennington |
Dorset, Rutland, Fair Haven and |
Essex Junction. Moreover there was |
a tendency not merely to organize |
the citizens of cities and villages but |
to form associations whose fields of |
operation should include much larg-
err territories. Hartford Forward is |
an organization of the citizens of a |
town The West River Valley as
ISOLATION aims to forward the inter
ests of the towns in the West |
River Valley between the Green /
mountains and the Connecticut The
Bennington County Vermont I'm
provement association has county, |
for its province. The Greater Yer /
mont association seeks the develop
ment of the state as a whole.
Ht years 1919 pEOHllses W sur
pass the records of 1912. largely |
through the organization of farmers
of the counties to secure the SER
vices of agricultural advisers and to
improve conditions in the business
of farming Bennington and Wind
sor counties had organized in 1912.
Windham Caledonia, Lamoille,
Franklin, Orange Rutland and Or
leans have followed their example
during the first four months OF the
present year. Four commercial or
CARNATIONS have been added to the
list, the Benson Boosters club. the
Bristol Business Mems association.
the Putney board of trade and the
Poultney Business Mems associa-
ton. With less than half of the
year gone. more than half as many
organizations have already been
formed as in the record year of 1912.