Evening star., 1914-01-12
Bankers and Representatives
Of Trade Organizations to
Decide on Spokesman.
TO PRESENT ARGUMENTS
TO COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY
Officers of Century-Old National
Metropolitan Bank Kept Busy
Acknowledging Congratulations.

Representatives of the Washington
Clearing House Association, the District
Bankers Association, Board of Trade.
Chamber of Commerce and Retail Mer-
chants Association are to meet at the
Commercial National Bank at o'clock
this afternoon for final conference be-
fore the presentation Wednesday of argu-
ments for the designation of Washington
as a federal reserve city before the or
ganizing committee composed of Secre-
taries McAdoo and Houston.
The purpose of the conference will be
largely to decide who shall appear as
spokesmen for the several organizations
at the hearing. Arguments for the loca-
ton of one of the region banks in
Washington already have been prepared
and this afternoon a decision will be
reached concerning the points to be COW
cred by each spokesman.
Bonds claimed the greatest amount of
attention at the meeting of the stock
exchange again today. Potomac Consol-
ldated IS sold $1,000 at par. and more
were wanted at that price. The closing
price asked for the bonds was 1O0N.
Odd lots of Railway and Electric COM
mon and preferred stock sold at 50. A
quotation lot of Washington Gas stock
Charles ]. Bell was on the exchange
today after an absence of several days,
due to slight illness.
Surrounded by dozens of magnificent
punches of roses and other flowers
which transformed the banking room
into a bower. the officers of the National
Metropolitan Bank were kept busy to-
day acknowledging the congratulations
from friends and patrons of the institu-
t1On. zad
yesterday. Many of the floral pieces
were from other banks in the city.
President George w. White, Vice Presi-
dent o. H. P. johnson and Cashier
George 0. Watson early in the day es-
tablished handshaking record sur
passed only by that of a successful
presidential candidate
Many of the directors of the bank
day to welcome the many callers who
dropped in to extend their best wishes
for another century of successful bank
ing business.
President White and his fellow-officers
took great pleasure in exhibiting to the
callers several interesting relics in con-
nection with the bank. One was a flint
lock musket. enc of fourteen issued to the
bank by the federal government when
the British attacked Washington in 1914
Another was q key to one of the vault
doors of the original bank building. Great
interest was manifested in heavy brass
papers in the days many years ago when
the National Metropolitan was known as
the Bank of the Metropolis.
The alleged default by the Arlington
Hotel Company in the payment of in
terest upon an eight-hundred-th thou
sand dollar loan which 1t secured from
the Equitable Life Assurance Society
of New York for the purpose of buying
the property on the west side of YER
mont avenue between H and 7 streets
northwest, on which 1t was proposed
to erect a -million-dollar hotel, has
brought about the announcement of a
foreclosure sale by the Equitable So
ciety. The property is to be sold as a
whole at public auction at II o'clock
Thursday, January 20. according to an
announcement made by the trustees
under the deed of trust Adds b.
Browne and Frederick E. Chaplin.
Edgar Bronx has purchased from w.
w. Brown the lease of the Dewey
Hotel, on street between 18th and
14th streets northwest, which Is to be
conducted under his management