Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-16
Expense for the year. 4,113.2
Cash on hand, December SIS 72.s

The recent membership campaign
was without question the greatest and
most successful membership accom-
plishment ever attempted by the asso'
citation. The entire membership list
was rewritten on the basis OF go per
year for the period of three years. AT
this time we have 592 regular mem:
bers signed up at the regular dues and
Is special memberships at $40 per
year. Ottumwa's travelling men are
now working on the special member
ships and it Is expected that a goodly
number will be secured. The regular
membership committee will continue
its good work until everyone has been
seen, and given an opportunity TO De
come member.
The recently appotnted club
quarters committee il busy looking
for a location for the new club rooms
and working out details on furniture
and fixtures. The committee expects
to have commodious, comfortable
quarters ready for occupancy within
80 days. ..-..
Before l conclude, let me speak fol
a moment of that vast amount OF IN
visible work and good which an organ
ization like this does from day to day
refer to the daily correspondence
with other cities, with outside firms
and individuals, requesting all sorts o.
information, with the time and atten
ton given to those who call on US
These things must all be attended to;
they are not tangible to your eye, ye'
they play an important part IN the
work of your association.
These are some OF the endeavors Of
your association which must stand az
answer to the question. What are
you fellows doing?" You have have II
mind any number of things toware
which we should direct our EFFORT. II
is safe to say that many OF them car
and will be achieved during the com
ing year. We must, OF course, nave
your interest and support, otherwise
we can accomplish little. Let each one
say, then, 1--WE can't make this city
In a day-the organization is doing
good business for our city-it needs
nv active support in time, work anc
money SO that in place of the ques
ton, "What are you fellows dolng?'
NAV be substituted much better one
what am I doing to help you Eel
1ows?"
In conclusion, your secretary OK
presses his thanks to the 1ndlv]dua
members, officers, directors and com
mittees for loyalty and cooperation
to the press for its many courteous
and liberal gratuitous publicity space
and to the city and county officials fol
their splendid cooperation in al
things for the betterment OF the com
munity. Respectfully submitted.
J. N. WEIDENFELLER,
Secretary.
Following is the report submitted
by C. O. Dawson, traffic manager o.
the freight rate bureau:
Freight Rate Committee-The work
and the results of the past year have
shown the Importance of an active
freight bureau In connection with ou1
Commercial association work.
Many shippers, particularly those
who do not have In their force traf
fic department Of their own, have
been loath to believe but what the ad
justment of freight rates is matter
which can be taken care of In lin
tied time and Is matter OF genera
interest only periodically.
Those who have been most active
and most interested in the work Of the
freight bureau have insisted that goot
can be accomplished in this work only
by constant and aggressive attention
During the past year new tariffs
have been added to our files 80 tina
we now have very complete list O.
tariffs and there Is practically no bet
ter file of tariffs in the state than We
have and quite liberal use of our ia
cilities in quoting rates has been made
by the shippers of Ottumwa. This ha:
also enabled us to do considerable
amount of auditing Of freight bills
which, without an active file of tariffs
...es..la he diffic,alt md also a1aahlas -.