The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-11
Some Items of Lakelands Progress During
1914, as Outlined In The Annual Report
OF Board of Trades Sec'y, Al. Holworthy

To the Officers and members of the |
Lakeland Board of Trade: Gentle
men-In addition to the usual
monthly report, 4 have the honor. as
| it is my duty. to present to you my
second annual report of the work of
this office covering the year ending
Dec. 81, 1914.
During the past five months,
while the whole civilized world has
been in a turmoil and the CONNER
cial and financial conditions of this
country very much disturbed. it has
been our good fortune to feel the re-
suits Of this disturbance very slight.
ly. Fear of what might be has been
the real cause of what depression We
have felt more than any actual con
ditions of disturbance in this sec.
ton. In this connection 7 am glad
to be able to report, from personal
interviews with our leading mer
chants during the past few days,
ness has shown healthy and de ..
cidcd increase, while the cash sales
during the holidays have been un
prcccdented. This is more than
even the most optimistic of us could
have hoped for few weeks ago.
Cotton is moving. phosphate is be .
} ing shipped, both for domestic and
export trade, and the prospects for
the coming year look good, perhaps
the war. Supplies for European
demand are larger than ever, and all
of these supplies must go from this
II country 1t is a hopeful and graft
d flying fact that the exports for De
cember exceeded the imports by IS
millions of dollars because we know
that present conditions indicate tha,
Z this large balance of trade in oul
d favor will continue to grow fol
some time to come.
: One gratifying feature to be notet
is the advance We are making in th'
effort to supply in larger measur,
our own markets This has beel
quite general in the South and Poll
county is getting Dusy to set tn
pace in this direction. Merchant
say that they have been using hom
products to a much larger cxten
than ever before, and we must tr
I'd of and use more of our home crow
products anil buy less from outsid
markets. Ii is estimated that nu
less than from fifty to sixty thou
sand dozen cans of fruit and vege
tables were Imported into Lakelan
during the past year; most of whic
contained the surplus crops of til
northern fields, while from .ixty I
seventy five per cent of our ow
~ uroducts either wasted on th
ground or were unprofitably shippe,
netting the growers little or no re
FOR ,urns. II is foolish for our farmei
,e TO say that they cannot grow tomS
i, toes for canning purposes at $40
Sts per ton when ;hcy are hippir
= large quantities every season f
lie which the receive Jess than III
ar amount net. considering the surpl,
crop for which they have no marko
This large amount of waste could
prevented BY proper conservatiC
or and preservation of these product
80 lust as good, if not better than tho
ia imported at high cost of livil
NJ lprices. The Board should take tn
Nm matter up more actively during I
coming year. We have small ca
merry now, only prevented from b
ing a large and profitable busint
because it lacks financial support
- develop the industry it has alrea
created.
This Lakeland has been growing at
rin- rapid rate, and from the obsers
o,f- tion Of thoughtful and .compets
nter men, is now liable to be over-b
anced unless more of the outly