Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-27
CHAMBER COMMERCE

Plans to Build Up by
Membership Campaign
A special meeting of the Chamber o.
Commerce was held at City hall Tues
day evening to hear the report OF a
committee which was appointed a ween
tgo 70 investigate the proposition OF the
American City Bureau of New York to
come to Waterville and reconstruct the
Chamber of Commerce. making a cam
palsn for membership at the rate of s2j
yearly for dues and the contract reuuir-
Ing the members to sign for three year-,
thus affcr1ng a working fund.
! For Gods sake. gentlemen. let's get
INTO the game ana do the trick This
was the ejaculation OF DR.. f. c. Tha YER,
who presided at the special meeting Of
the Waterrile Chamber OF Commerce
TUESDAY evening in the absence Of
President Harry $. Brown who IS in
Boston on business
III opening tlie meeting Dr. ThaNe~
sad that in his opinion this was IA,
most important meeting tina, had ever
been held by the WatervilIe Chamber
OF Commerce because he believed that
TINS was the turning point when either
1t would amount to something or laps.
into state of "lnnocuous desuet,,de
but he believed it wasn't the latter. He
SAD that Whenever the people of this
city got together on any proposition
they have accomplished anything thev
have undertaken and ended with ths
opening sentence.
l)r. Thayer reported that he AMI II
J.. Emery had visited Bangor and talk
Ell WIN meI over there in regard to the
work They We're fairly well imbued
with the spirit of the game before they
went. hut after talking with eight or 10
OF the prominen, business men in Ban
sor they became more enthusiastic. He
hoped to have a representative of tho
American City Bureau come here and do
the work. meeting of the entire con,
iiittee' consisting Of Dr. +. c. Tia YER
Hon. William I. liaines Harvey T.
Eaton. II. l.. Emery and John B Frial
had been held and they approved of the
scheme
Herbert l.. Emery was then called on
I" report on the visit to Bangor. He
said if he felt enthusiastic ne WAS not
gong to show it; he was only going to
tell them facts in a cold blooded way
He asked all to forget the fash in the
pan they had year ago which might
have been Il success if someone had led
the movement who understood it, But
he felt that it would be a very desy-
aoie thing 1t some arrangement could
he made if all the force Of the town
could bring influence and power to bear
on given project at given time.
, Mr.. Emery said that the chamber Of.
Commerce that had been developed in
Bangor is AN organization of that kind.
1t ties the men and the women also FOR
that matter up into team work He told
o. the work of the American CITY Ru
reau in Bangor and other cities where
they have been engaged such as
Springfield, Mass. Dayton. o. and But
Ter IA lie said that Mr.. Rirhardso,
OF New York who was here recently in
the interest OF the American CITY RI
reau, went to Bangor.
lie hr't talked with groups of men
and hna!lN the Rotary Club took hold
ana IT WAS proposed to get an organ
lzaton 30 put across in Bangor any
thing that the people of Bangor
some thought that $50 members couId
De secured but the membership is
now 500. They pay So year dues
and get thereby a working fund He
+ SAID that the prominent men of Ran
gor said that the representatives. OF
the American City Bureau were 2
slfalSht, clean. enthusiaS site bunch of
men. He read kilograms from differ
ent cities recommending their work
The National Chamber of Commerce
also recommended the plan of worl,
DR.. j. +. Hill moved that the re-
port of me committee he accepted
and that the Chamber of Commerce
enter INFO an arrangement with the
American City Bureau to that end.
After some discussion. Hon. Will
liam T. !iaines addressed the meet
ing. He said he had never yet known
the Waterville Chamber OF Com
| merce to do real piece of concrete
work. The city had developed SPLEEN
didly. but almost wholly from out
side capital ard by men outside the
State. He then spoke of the imme
! diate needs of the city. the first of
which is a State fair. IF we can
raise $4,000. we can have it. We
must build pavilion"
Mr.. Haines then spoke of the ne
cessity of central milk depot, say
, ing that there would be milk fam
! inc here inside of seven months
Then he referred to the three dan
gerous railroad crossings, which he
had crossed for 80 years and which
might be tunneled for what it had
cost to keep men there. Then he
touched on the park question and
said he wanted these things and that
strong. civic organization was
needed to do it.
Harvey d. Eaton spoke briefly on
some encouragement he had received
in regard to the Central Maine fair.
The question wass then put by the
chairman and il was voted that the
American City Bureau be engaged to
come to Watervlle for the work
specified.
1t was also voted that the same