Little Falls herald., 1914-01-23
COMMERCIAL CLUB GETS BUSY
ANNUAL MEETING HELD MON
DAY NIGHT-STEPS TAKEN
FOR BANQUET

nall IueSuay evening TOT the dHHud4
meeting, and although the attendance
was small, matters Of vital impor-
tance to the club were thoroughly dis
cussed
After the reading of the club re-
port by A. H. Vernon, secretary, the
members were called upon to give their
views as to the future Of the organi-
zation. All agreed that commercial
club is necessary and essential for the
welfare of the town, but some sug-
gested that it be reorganized and run
on different plans. 1t was suggested
that the present officers serve until,
the club could be reorganized, but the
majority of the members present, in ;.
Guiding the old officers, seemed to be-
in favor Of electing new officers and
to try and get something started.>
Election of officers resulted in the fol.
lowing being selected unanimously:
President F. Koslosky.
Vice-president-G. w. Firnstahl.
Secretary-R. B. Millard.
Treasurer-H. j. LaFond.
The newly elected president was
authorized to appoint committee on.
entertainment and also committee
which will select the directors Of the
club. On the first named committee
he has appointed l.. w. Vasaly, N. N.
Bergheim, Julius Jetka.
Committee on arrangements for get
together banquet: H. w. Venners,
Frank Kicwel, L. O. VESSEL, to report
at next meeting.
The principal object Of the enter
tainment committee will be to make
arrangements for get-together ban
quet at the new high school in the
first part of February, and to arrange
for number Of good speakers to adj
dress the citizens at that time.
A resolution was drawn up and
ordered sent to the senate endorsing
the bill which provides that cities may
employ outside architects to prepare
the plans for government buildings,
in order to overcome the great delay
which is due to the large amount Of
work always on hand in the govern
ment department. Should this bill be
passed and take effect Immediately
Little Falls could possibly have it's
post office erected by 1915. AS it now
is the city must wait until the govern
ment architects prepare the plans for
the building, which may not be for
two or three years. .-. ~~. ..s..g
A letter from the extension division;
of the state university, i'll regard to
an entertainment and lecture course for
the winter Of 1914-15 was referred to
Supt. F. w. Dobbyn for investigation.
He will report Oh it at the next meet
ing.
Another meeting of the club will be
held next Monday evening at the city
hall, when the matter IF raising the
membership dues and other important
m alters will be taken up and discussed.
The report Of the secretary was as
follows:
To the Little Falls Commercial Club:
After three years Of service as sec
retary of this club, 1 take the liberty
Of embodying IN my report some de-
ductions from my experience.
/. I am firmly convinced that
Commercial Club without club rooms
ism It worth the trouble Of maintaining.
It acts merely as an agent for the COL
lecting and disbursing Of money. The
average business man takes no interest
in it, nor can be expected to-, and
regards it as another one of the too
numerous subscription propositions.
In the small city Jnere is nothing to
bring business men together TO the
exchange Of views, the discussion OF
the city's business problem 8, and the
development of the cooperative spirit,
and this, I believe, is the greatest
! work that a Commercial Club should
do. Cooperation among men engaged
i in the same business is highly develop
ed in the larger cities, and the lack
Of it is one reason why the smaller
cities are tagging behind.
If there is not now sufficient in
terest among our business men to main
tain a Commercial Club, start could
be made by holding series Of get-to-
gether banquets, for which instructive
speakers could be secured from the
| University and larger cities, upon the
problems that confront Little Falls,
and if this were done, believe the es-
! tablishment of club rooms " ould event.
ually follow.
2. The present method Of raisl ,g
funds for quasi-public purposes by Sub.
scriptions is cumbersome, wasteful and
puts an unfair burden upon few OF
| our citizens. Our business men are
loyal and generous with their money,
but every subscription list circulated
takes lot Of some. other business
man. g time.
Many progressive cities now have a
city budget, in which every customary
item, both charitable and quasi-public,
for which subscriptions were former
ly solicited, is included, and contin-
| gencies and publicity provided for,
and the one subscription to the city
budget fund, each year, provides for
all charitable and quasi-public pur-
poses, and any request for a subscrip-
tion is referred to the committee in
charge of the budget fund. The diff
Guilty in establishing such system is
that few business men realize how
much the subscriptions which they
make, aggregate in year, and are
likely to have heart failure when con-
fronted with q request for one sub