Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-27


 l 50 members, who heard with interest l the annual reports of the committee | chairmen and of President James C. 1 Macpherson, which gave a very com pIete review of the activities of the year.
 After the meeting had been called to | order by President Macpherson, the minutes of the last regular meeting and of the last annual meeting were l read by Secretary Henry w. Tibbits and were approved.
 The president reported on the pro- posed commercial trip around South America. which had been brought to the attention of the board at a prevI- ous meeting. He said that it had been learned that the trip had been given up, as the Baltimore company which was trying to arrange for it found out that there was not sufficient Interest in It shown around the country. The president also reported that the proposed consolidation of the Board of Trade and Norwich Business Mems association had been found not feasi- bie and the matter had been dropped. Three new names proposed were voted into n1embership-Jose A. George, w. F. Herrick and c. V. Pen dleton, Jr.
 Committee Reports. Committee reports covering the year were next taken, George W. Carroll for the new industries committee mak- ing the first report. he stated that a number of inquiries made during the year by concerns that wanted to locate here. but the majority called for in- Vestment of local capital and the times had not been favorable for that He emphasized his assertion that the need here is for modern constructed and equipped industrial building and the committee hoped that this might be a development of the future.
 Applause greeted the repo@t when he stated that the United Metal Mfg. Co, Inc, which had located at Thames vile, began with 40 men and now had that 1t had paid out over $50, 900 in wages in the year, had $100,000 in sales, and had $40. 900 in orders on it's books. It was a. pleasure to make this report on a concern that had come here without asking for local capital to be invested.
 John T. Young's report for the trans portation committee mentioned the completion of the Boswell avenue troll ley and the hope that the MapleWood extention was to come. There was need of a good highway between here and Groton. Through representations made by the committee to the trolley com 1any, transfers from the Central Vil- lage line had been granted. and a meeting with the New Haven railroad officials had resulted in a change of train schedules that was to the ac- coInmodation of the Norwich public.
 Public Improvements Committee.
 In his report for the public improve ments committee three things that Chairman Frank J. King styled as dis graceful were the entrance into the city from the Richmond Radiator com pauy plant northward, the entrance from Pouuetanuck northward and the TrT7tinj condition nf 6o nal dock at the foot of Rose place. The condition of the dump on the West Side is also an eyesore, the report stated, and this will have to have at- tention before long.
 Commenting upon the Boswell ave nue trolley extension, he said that fl seemed inconceivable almost that the trolley company should have stopped 2.500 feet short of Mohegan park, but the trolley company claimed that the line to the park would bring them little uQlore in fares. as the extra traf- hc wUAld nearly all be on transfers.-I Ii that were so, it would seem advisable to allow them to charge double fares for perhaps three years. About the same condition applied to the Maple wood extension.
 He pointed out that the channel depth in the river at Allyn's Point was q feet, but the depth on the crossover was only i8 feet, with the result that IL cost 10 cents more per ICn send coal to AIlyn's Point from Newport News than to Providence. He hoped that the government engineers would recommend a 21 foot channel to Allyn s Point at least and q. Is foot channel to the docks here.
 The excellent condition of the schools under town management. President Macpherson stated, made it unneces- sary to have a, report from the educa- ton committee, whose chairman was John B. Stanton.
 Statistics Committee.
 From the report of the statistics committee, whose chairman was Her bert ". Gallup, the president selected several items worthy of note, giving first some figures about the Thermos company, which he said showed that the company was worth all that it has cost the people of Norwich to bring it here, even if it never did another thing for the city and town. In paYrolls and advertising it had expended to date S264,4 and in advertising Norwich in 1914 the sum of S42,6S5. In 1914 it had also made the following expendi- lures: $119. .474.50 for payroll, $S,22S to gas and electric department S16,097 for freight, express and parcel post, $2,76 for addition to building, $2,0S7 for taxes to city. IL now employs 194 people, of whom T8 are women and 116 men.
 The profits and surplus Of the Nor wich gas and electric department to date were $4$.103. Although the ra- tional banks showed a decrease oi s133,7S6 in the volume of their busi- ness last year, the savings banks showed a gain of $150.000, which was a demonstration that the frugal people had not been so hard hit in the past year as some others
 The New London County Mutual Fire Insurance company reported 17 per cent. gain in insurance premiums showing a total of S110,508.49 of pre- miUnl income in the past year, a show ing by a Norwich institution in which we could take pride.
 Advertising Committee.
 For the advertising committee, John M. Lee made 8 brief report Of the as- sistance which the Board of Trade gave to Merchants week held heEe last year with much success. Membership,
 On the membership side. Henry D Johnson reported a. net gain of 31 members bringing the membership now to 2I5. He mentioned with re- gret the less that the board had sUs- tained in the deaths Of John Eccles Herman D. RaIlion and Arthur J. Daw- ley.
 City Beautiful. Walter F. Lester, chairman of the City BeautifuI committee, reported or the annual cleanup week in the last week of May. in which increased in