St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-01-21
EVILS OF FIRE WASTE
Strong Address AT Banquet of Com
merciaI Club by MIR. Wentworth
Judge Fish and Others Spoke.

The banquet of the st. Johnsbury
Commercial Club at the Avenue
House last Friday evening was one
of the most successful held by that
organization. The banquet itself was
good, the speeches were fine and the
address by Franklin H. Wentworth
on 'eThe Economic Significance of
Fire Waste was one of the most
instructive and interesting ever heard
in st. Johnsbury.
At the opening of the post prandial
exercises Secretary James B. Camp
bell presented 10 new names, which
were voted into membership.
Pres. Joseph Fairbanks presided
and introduced M. J. Lyster of White
field, N. H., as a New Hampshire
Booster" Mr.. Lyster in a short
speech told how fiat his town was
left few years ago by the departure
of the Brown Lumber Co., but how
later a few enterprising men of the
place organized and secured a tan
merry and shoe factory for the town.
The result is the property in town
has increased % per cent. in value
during the past two years and the
vacant houses had been filled with
tenants. He was sure that such an
organization as the Commercial Club
could be something for st. Johns
bury if ii really goes after 1t.
Albert A. Kicker.
Albert A. Kicker was introduced
as a former St. Johnsbury boy, but
of late years a New Hampshire
Booster" He recommended having
the local secretary a member of the
New England organization of boards
of trade secretaries as he could get
much benefit from their meetings.
Such an organization as this should
concentrate its efforts on few
things. The first thing should be a
membership that includes a large
majority of the influential people OF
the town and these men must not
only pay their dues, but actually
work for the success of the organiza-
ton. He did not believe in Offering
special Inducements for outside in
dustries to locate in town as so many
of them are failures. Rather the
organization should attempt TO inn
prove conditions in town, develop
a good community life, get GOOD
freight rates, develop. power and con-
ditions such that outsiders will want
to come in.
Pres. Fairbanks then announced
the cooperation of the club was de-
sired in welcoming the G. A. R.,
w. r. G. and Sons of Veterans at
the time of the annual encampment
in April and success in this would
pave the way for successfully enter
tanning the larger organization, the
State Teachers Association in Octo-
Der. He then introduced Prin. M. G.. |
Benedict to speak on the teachers
Prin. NJ. G. Benedict.
Prin. Benedict said he wanted to
st. Johnsbury on secur-
ing such an organization as the |
teachers association. He also ap-
preciated the work of the president |
Of the club in getting them to come
here. When others hesitated he
went straight to the goal. The Yer
mont State Teachers Association
bring more people to a town than
any other Vermont organization,
here being from 1900 to 1900 in
the last three years. The
asst time they came to this town
here was an attendance of 500 It's
coming is important because it will
llace the people of st. JOhnsbury in
ouch with the men and women from
I'll parts of the state who have charge
# the boys and girls in the public