New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-02-13

characterized thinks that the question
must be settled between the employers
ard employees by arbitration.
Mixed Flour Law" Issue.
This article does not deal with Ques-
/ tions such as the value OF arbitrator
+ in commercial disputes. or between
employer and employe. or between en-
+ plove and employer. The chamber has
cone on record in regard 10 the value
Of arbitration again and again, and to
detail the instances here would be TO
become technical about subjects that
the officers OF the chamber could tel!
/ Of in official statements. Nevertheless
/ here comes the opportunity 10 point
out what happened al the convention IN
/ Washington IN a case which viii inter
/ est every person who eats bread.
The gentlemen VINO are interested IN
the question Of whether or not flour
i products shall be labelled 20 show eX-
actly what they contain have been hay
/ ing p hearing before Congress on the
possibility Of amending the so-called
4 linked -four law which was passed In
/ 1898. Those who manufacture corn
products and corn -four wish the law
amended. but the wheat -four men OPP
/ pose the repeal or alteration OF the
law.
The interests that desire the repeal
Of the law stormed the convention Of
/ the chamber in Washington with tele.
grams in a widespread campaign. All
/ of these messages were referred 10 the
committee on resolutions and the board
of directors. with the result that these
two bodies decided that the fight be-
tween the wheat -four men and the
corn flour and corn products men was
q trade fight" outside Of the province
Of the possible engagement OF the
Chamber Of Commerce OF the United
States
The committee on resolutions sat on
this case until nearly o'clock in the
morning They summoned the repre-
sentatives OF the wheat -four interests
and the representatives Of the corn
/ -four and corn products interests. For
q while II looked as II the six men on
each side would settle the question
between them with blows. Finally
they all agreed that r. was trade
fight that they were engaged in and not
q thing that the dig chamber could
settle They made up their minds 10
settle it between themselves.
These two instances show how things
are done IN the National Chamber Of
Commerce. All these men are big
They take pride, in fact. Of showing
that they are so. The things that they
have done at the convention which has
just closed in Washington prove that
70 he true The way the chamber has
grown proves II TO be big thing. The
first annual meeting was held January
q. 1913, with only 264 organizations
affiliated and with no provision then
made in the bylaws for individual
membership. Indeed. when one looks
back TO the days when a conversation
among William II. Taft. then President
Of the United States; Harry A. Wheeler,
vice president Of the Union Trust Com
pany of Chicago, and others. was held,
m 1912, rs 20 the poss biity OF forming
the National Chamber Of Commerce.
one might we'll doubt, as some Of the
organizers did. the possibility % the
organization becoming such great
factor as u has since become in the
/ business life Of the nation.
Robert Goodwin Rhett, the new pres
/ ident Of the chamber. was one OF those
/ doubters. He says so himself to- day
F I'm a conversation I had with him yes
terday he drew my attention to the
/ figures which the growth Of the cham
| Der shows. In a general way | knew
them, but q search among the records
showed that after the chamber was
/ organized. May q, 1912, with twenty
/ five organizations without provision
/ having been made for individual mem
/ berships. although the bylaws were
/ changed afterwsrd 10 permit individual
memberships no less than 1O5 organi-
7ations of business men throughout the
country exhibited their eager interest
70 join, and the figures increased so
that a. the first annual meeting. in Jan
uary. 1918, 2S4 organizations were in.
II is matter Of history that since
then, IN 1914. 6l6 organizations came
in. as well as LIS individual members.
and that In 1915 623 organizations. "a
well as individual members numbering
1894, belonged In 1916 the figures
were even more impressive. They
showed organizations numbering I'll
belonging and individual memberships
. Of o GG5