The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-19

signed, leaving a total member
13S. when the active work -
chamber was Sin.
time new members have beer
ceived, one member has been lrS
death. one by suspension, one l.,
moval from the city. and -four
resigned leaving a total of one
dred and forty-seven before our no.
bership campaign on Decent ;
when 1914 new members were s,-r~ss
by the two membership teams az
by the Blue team and Sc By thu Ma
team. Since the end OF the cs~.
paign and previous to Januar
1915, four other members were -.
cured, bringing the total memherSp5n
to 345 to begin u second fiscal W
h increase of membership "a.
one Of the most important matter ~
connection with the chamber dunno
the past year. Statistics furnished
some time ago by commercial seere.
taries and organizers OF commercial
bodies show that the most h.atrhv
commercial bodies of his cosrrr
during the past three years ray.
been those having a net loss in menu
bership Of 10 per CEN a year while
some others have dropped consider
able below this mark. Very f,u.
commercial bodies have been able 10
close their first fiscal year without
loss Of at least 10 per cent. While
this organization has been for1ra,e
enough to make a net increase Il
owe 10 per cent before the member
ship campaign of December 8. 1914
| when in exactly seven hours 1e4 aev
members were secured, more rhan
| doubling the membership. Since that
time several others have presented
their applications and the business
office is still conducting a campaier
for nonresident members.
Considerable publicity for the clty
has resulted from this campaign
| through press notices in the press
and magazines, and several inquiries
including n from Florida, asking IL
formation, ave been received.
In this report l have tried TO cirs
a review of the work and results Il
the chamber. and the progress of the
city during the last cal, as well =
the preparations hat should result In
more diversified and greater achieve
mentS by this organization for the
second fiscal year, and some minis
sion may have been unintentionally
made, but after summing up the first
years work, we must stop and con
slider two most important questions
which necessarily arises on an coca
sion like this, and l believe that after
consideration Of the questions. an
sWerS have crept into some minds
when the organization was formed.
The first question is this: Has the
chamber accomplished what the
members believed it could?' or has
it fulfilled the expectations Of the
members? The second question Is.
Has the Chamber been appreciated
by the citizens Of the community, or,
what is the attitude of the citizen
ship of the community towards it
h Business Men Answer.
Of course MANY in6iyi6,1c1 nnipf,gs
might be given as an answer of the
first question, but we believe that IS
a whole the members Of the chamber
believe that the chamber has accom-
plished more than it was thought one
year ago could be accomplished the
first year. AS a further evidence q
this fact did not the old membership
believe that the chamber was worthy
or the financial support of every man
in h city when they agreed to droi
the initiation fee and receive new
members at ten dollars a year les
than they themselves paid the first
year? Was this action not undenia
bic proof of the fact that the indivd-
ual members believed that the or
ganization was a good thing for tn
community and did not Thu evidenct
or good faith in the organization in
fluence others to affiliate themselve'
with and Join in the work of III.
; chamber?
: The second was answered by III
/ signatures of almost two hund7eC
men in seven hours actual canvass OF
thursday. December 8, 1914. wheI
the membership campaign was held
me chamber actually went on tria
that day backed by the indorsemen
OF It's membership with the men q
the community as the Judges anC
> the results was a surprise even L
!, me most optomlstic. This campaigl
. brought about three most importan
:. Iacts, first. it proved beyond a doub
! just what the opinion Of the citizen.
+. was: Second-it placed the ~organiza
: tloh on a financial footing where tn
cnafnDer may accomplish man,
: things in 1915 that would have beer
; out OF the question had the increas+
, IN membership not have been made
u added new life and spirit t
, the OFFICERS of the organization
= demonstrated in a most fOrcible man
ner that the citizenship of the com