Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-02-24
EVENING CHAT

members of the Legislature and
many Harrisburg business men will
be much interested in the meeting to
be held here the latter part of next
week by the Commercial Secretaries
of PENNSYLVANIA. This will bring the
active spirits in the business of prac-
tically every city in the State into
touch with the State capital during
the legislative session and the in
| huence of the business men on pend
ing bills will be strong. AS a matter
OF fact there are many bills in the
General Assembly that interest busi-
ness men and the representatives of
the score or more of organizations can
give the lawmakers considerable in
formation on how people feel. This
organization was formed here several
years ago and its meetings are gem
orally attended by prominent business
men who take the opportunity of talk
ing over things pertaining to COM
mercial organizations.
Speaking of the proposed meeting 1t
is OF interest to know that two of the
men active in the Lancaster Chamber
OF Commerce have been identified with
Harrisburg business and may be here.
n. ). Williamson, the president, was
head OF Williamson & Foster, who
had store in Market street ten or
twelve years ago, and John j. Bair.
the vice. president, is a member of the
firm of Wilmer. Bair & Wilmer, of
this city. Charles Newbold, the sec
retary of the Lancaster chamber, is a
brother of Willis Geist Newbold. a
well-known newspaperman of this
city.
The intercity business being done by
the large motor trucks that have be-
come so common is well illustrated by
the observer of street traffic. Yester-
day three trucks that had come from
other cities were seen here, one from
Philadelphia, one from Baltimore and
one from Allentown. They came here
with cargoes and it shows the way the
truck is being used to avoid the re-
handling necessitated by the railroads.
incidentally, cross-country trips with a
motor truck at this season show that
some of the roads must be in good
shape.
A good many Harrisburgers are
asking about the derivation of the
word Jltney' which figures in the
proposed lines of auto buses which are
coming into use about the country,
largely because of the arbitrary man
ner in which street car companies are
operated. The word comes from the
Tar southwest. 1t is a combination of
Mexican and Indian and is the name
commonly given to the least respect
able coin, the nickel, in the southern
states.' Originally the term was used
Tor years in Texas and New Mexico
without any one transplanting it, but
then 1t spread to the south and has
been working north. Sometimes il is
shortened to "jit'
The city of Harrisburg will keep out
OF some annoying tangles If an ordi-
nance presented by Commissioner
Lynch is enacted. 1t will REQUIRE that
all contractors give corporate security
for contracts, certified checks being
accepted with bids. This is the plan
adopted on all state contracts and for
all state deposits. Experience has
shown that settlements are far easier
with corporate security than with in
dlVldualS and personal bonds are be-
coming rare. After this ordinance
passes they will be unknown in mu-
nicipal contract affairs.
The State Beekeepers' Association,
which is holding it's annual convention
here to-day, is eleven years old and
when 1t was started the wits of the
press had all kinds of fun over it, but
II soon turned out that ii was not a
JOKE but an organization of very seri-
Gus men. and in due time it was rec
osnlzed by the Legislature to the eX-
tent of allowing it representation on
the State Board of Agriculture. When
II is considered that the production of
money in this state is worth over a
million dollars year and that it is
largely profit. the importance of the
buzzing bee can be understood.
The number of trolley cars sent
through Market Square an hour is
something that impresses a good many
OF the travelling men coming to this
city and they declare that they get a
line on town through It's cars.
Wien / first struck Harrisburg il was
showing like the dickens and | pa
raded up Market street until I got to
the Square. I saw the cars going in
and out and l went over to the place
where the people were standing and
watched and counted. I saw the cars
piling from all over the neighborhood
and lot of local cars too. Then 7
knew 1 was in a live town" said one
veteran in the sales business.