Norwich bulletin., 1915-01-27
BOARD OF PRIDE ANNUAL MEETING
Frank J. King Elected PresidenReports of the Work of the Year Were Given-Net Gain in Membership Was 31-President MacPherson Reviewed the Activities of the Year and Reports Were Made by the Committees

The expenditures left a balance on
 hand of s34.sS and the assets on hand
 amounted to s540.42.
 Seeretary's Report.
 Tn his annual report Secretary Tip
 bits told of a statement made to him | by a man whose experience covered much of New England that Norwich | in the past year had had a smaller proportion of unemployed than any city in the territory referred to. Build ing improvements that Secretary Tib- bits referred to were the Thayer build ing, Gordon building, Sunlight build 1 ing. Elks' home addition, Majestic 1 building, and the improvement of the | lower part of Franklin street. He also mentioned the fact that the Board of l Trade was to have rooms in the Thay- CT building which were to be kept open | during business hours for the accom- modation of it's members. He com mended the work that the president and executive committee had done during the Wear.
 . Before making his aEnual report, 1 President Macpherson spoke of the 1 coming annual banquet of the board, l which with Governor Walsh of Massa- | chusetts as a speaker, with other par 1 ticularly interesting speakers, promises | 10 be an event which every member will want to attend, and tickets are now being secured by the members for l Feb. 9th.
 President Macpherson's Report. In making his annual report Presi- dent Macpherson spoke as follows: Gentlemen of the Norwich Board of Trade: A definite idea, of the multiple activities of your Board of Trade dur ling the past year cannot be adequately
 stated in 8 report of this kind and l question if 1t were possible your en- 1 joyment Of or patience with 8. report that went foo far into detail,
 1 General conditions throughout the 1 country during the past two years llave precluded the possibility of inn 1 portant accomplishments by civic bodies everywhere, nevertheless there has 1oeen no lack of initiative on the i part of your officers and committees for greater civic industrial and social
 service to this city.
 The reports of your committees giV- en here tonight show that much good
 has been accomplished under the cir lcuns tances and that members of this board who are generally busy men about their own affairs are giving un- | sparingly of their valuable time with i out thought of reward for the city's benefit 1t is well for those who judge our acts to remember that lengthy inewspa per articles do not Of necessity mean - achievements and that this board does not maintain 8 publicity agent Many matters are handled in committee that are never heard Of in public for reasons of courteousy and diplomacy.
 Merchants Week held in the early spring of last year had its first start with your advertising committee, who in order to secure complete participa- ton included all merchants whether members of the Board of Trade or not. During this event the board lent it's active assistance to the United Com mercial Travellers in putting on an Industrial and Good Housekeeping ax- position in the state arInory that proved highly instructive and popular as well as an excellent advertisement for the city.
 l Benefactors' day, suggested by one of our prominent physicians. Dr. Brew CT. and financed by one of our in Auentia1 but modest members, who loy- ally for the city's benefit spent up wards of S250 towards it's success with the active aid of some of our best in formed citizens, was carried to Q, re- markedly successful issue and served to awaken our citizens to a. realization of the number and value of our bene- factions and proved remarkable tes- timonial to the generosity and public spirit of some of our citizens, both liv- ling and dead.
 Efforts have not been lacking to in terest our citizens in the need of a modern mill constructed industrial building for Norwich, but as We all know matters Of this kind have had to be held in abeyance because there was little chance of success. Many concerns have shown an inclination to locate in Norwich owing to cur ex- lceptional advantages but in almost every instance they required an in vestment in their business by the cit iZenS or better properties in which to locate than we wer= able to offer. l At the request of the transportation committee and the officers of the board
 early in the year a number of the off, cials of the New Haven road visited the city in their special car for a conference, with the result that our train service was not as severely cur tailed as was at first intended, two trains being retained. This commit tee has done excellent work during l the year. They have secured the 1 transfers from the Central Village trolley lines to all other lines in the l city and have handled other matters | that have proved of benefit to the com nlunity
 4 protest nearly two years ago to the Public Utilities Commission from this board relative to the location of IpoleS on Thames and West Thames streets after much delay has resulted in the placing of many new poles on a part of the line and we hope to
 see the more dangerous ones replaced very soon. Tn the efforts of the board for Improvements on Thames street and further widening and improving | of Franklin street, much time has been 1 spent on both matters and it was grat- flying to find that when the board was credited with ulterior motives and at tackled in your city meeting not a
 member would dignffy the speaker with q, reply preferTing to let the puEo- lie draw the inevitable contrast as between men who are seeking these improvements unselfshiy for the gen era1 gCod. The board could well afford to bide it's time for knowing full well the la1lentaole condition of the thor oughfare it was realized that the inn provenent must soon come.
 Many Of our citizens have brought matters to the attention of the board by letter and each has been assigned to the proper committee with request that ii receive all due attention or handled personally.
 ! We have considered it better judg- ment not to have the Board of Trade Quarterly published regularly through out the year. but have had it issued at the annual dinner only, because of the tax on our merchants for advertising space during the two years of depres- sion.
 Delegates have been sent to repre- sent this board at meetings of import ance in other cities particularly in re- lation to good roads and the recent