The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-15
 AND MERCHANTS
 OUT OF c. OF 6.
Board of Trade, Too, to
 Withdraw Membership as > An Organization.
ANNUAL MEETING IS
 CALLED FOR APR. 24.
Disparity of Assessments Leads to Move Towards
 Re organization.

The Bridgeport Chamber of Com merce will be reorganfzed on new lines after a years attempt not altogether successful to harmonize the various civic, industrial and commercial forces which constitute it's various de- partments. When the annual meet ing on April 24 has been held, the Manufacturers association, the Bus mess Mems association and the Board of Trade will be independent organi- cations.
 II Notification of the annual meeting and the proposal to revise the consti- tuition and bylaws of the Chamber of Commerce was mailed to the indi- vidual members today.
 The. move which is believed by those in close touch with the situa> ton to be for the best interests of the lcomn7unity and the only one which can bring complete harmony out of the existing conditions has not the full sanction of the minority members but the far seeing heads who are actuat- ing the. body say that as an organi- zation it will be far stronger and have greater effect upon the community without the various independent or ganizations> as organizations.
 When elimination of the Bridgeport Business Mems, Manufacturers asso- citations and the Board of Trade has been effected, the Chamber of Com merce will comprise what is now known as the civic department, in cluding the Good Housing association, which has already been merged. There will then be some APO members, pledged to the payment of $25 annu- ally for period of three years.
 The present dissatisfaction is said to have grown out of the failure of the Board of Trade to pay their as- sessment of less than $1 per member which was paid only by the Manufac- turers' and the Business Mems asso- citations. Further dissatisfaction be- came rife when it was found by civic department members that they were paying $25 annually against $5 pay ments by members of the various or ganizations which were admitted as a part of the Chamber of Commerce.
 The situation became embarrassing a monthSago to directors of the Cham Der of Commerce when the Board of Trade failed to send delegates to aid in the nomination of officers for the ensuing year.
 At this time it was found that the constitution and bylaws failed to pro- vide for the emergency and the re- peated failure of the Board of Trade in the calls, led up to the discus sions of the directors which showed the necessity for reorganization. Secretary George Cove, of the Chamber of Commerce, in discussing the coming election with a reporter for the Farmer today was m ost san- guine of the outcome. He snlid: fsWe must have the active support of all of Bridgeport. We must have full publicity every matter, and know what our internal standing is. It has been hard under past conditions to get one man to accept for $25 what another man was granted for $5. Such a condition could not last, especially when there was additional apathy on the part of some organizations and a failure to meet their assessments. If the reorganizatio is successful |aII will be parity and Bridgeport will get what it soreIy needs, an or ganization that can broadly take up improvements needed in the city. Do not misconstrue the situation by be- leving that because the organizations are withdrawn as bodies that their members and executives will not be- Hong individually to the new Cham Der. This will not be so as over 40 per cent. of each organization is al- ready represented individually in the Chamber