Semi-weekly herald., 1917-01-22
Report Of Exchange
for The Past Year

A goodly number Of members of
the Durango Exchange met last
evening at the Exchange rooms for
the purpose of transacting the bust
ness of the annual meeting which in
cluded the election of seven directors
for 1917.
After regular routine business the
secretary was called upon 10 give
the annual report Of the Directors
after which the election of directors
was taken up. On motion the Pres
ident was authorized to appoint a
committee for the purpose of sub
mitting a number Of names from
which the members should select 7.
The President appointed Messrs.
Camp, Parsons, Stein, Barber and
Bradford. This committee submitted
a list of some fifteen or twenty
names and presented them to the
meeting. The members voted by
ballot and those receiving the high,
est number of votes were Mcssrs
=. l.. Young Judge Clements. Judge
Searcy, B. W. Ritter, w. L. Duggan,
A. d. Leiner and DIR. Libby.
II was the unanimous opinion that
the outgoing directors had done an
excellent work and the members ten
dered them a vote of thanks. All
were strong in their praise of the ef-
ficient work of Secretary Wilson.
All was harmony and all has been
harmony among the officers and the
members generally. There is every
indication of prosperous year
ahead for the Exchange.
The official report as given by the
secretary was as follows:
To the Members of the Durango
Exchange:
Your Board of Directors submits
the following statement of the bust
ness done for tho year 1916:
There were thirty weekly meetings
held during the year by the Board
of Directors.
Matters handled by the Directors
during the yeaI include the San
Juan Railway Bill, opening of Carey
Act Land, bringing of Reagan Re
port down to date, sending exhibits
of products to Denver Stock show
and to FL Paso International Soil
Products exposition (at both OF
which awards for excellence were re-
ceived). Sent handsomely framed
pictures Of Mesa Verde cliff ruins to
Colorado congressional members and
the Secretary of the Interior, issued
freight rate folders Of rates in and
out of Basin communities, placed log
of road over Wolf Creek pass in To-
cal book of logs, planted 100000
trout fry in Basin streams, aided
State immigration Board with new
descriptive folders to extent of $500,
had experimental sugar beet tracts
grown in various sections, (Which
show that beets win grow here sue
cessfully), issued 1900 booklets fav-
oring San Juan Railway bill and dis
tributed them to all parts of the
country, completion of school build
ings at Ute Mountain agency, federal
term of court for Durango, and
many matters of equal Importance.
Letters from inquirers desiring to
locate in this section numbered 270
as against 1872 last year. The Ex
change endeavors to encourage only
desirable class of immigrants. I'm
less inquirers can show that they
have ability and means to success
fully locate in this country, they are
not urged to come here. Second and
third replies from many of the in
quirers denote commencement of
healthy immigration of capable pro
ducers. Land spectators without
means and fortune seekers of var
ious kinds are told that they are per-
haps as well off in their present To-
cation as if they came here.
The finances of the Exchange are
of great Importance. During the
year just closed the receipts from
all sources were: