Norwich bulletin., 1918-06-20
NEW MEMBERSHIP PLAN FOR [. OF C.:
Brings in 625 Through Contributing Members to ChabeE
 of Commerce-Semi-Ann Annual Reports Show Many Ac.
 compEshments- Members Discussed Proposed Straight ening of Military Highway at Gales Ferry


 cost money. Town appropriations cost 1 self-respect- Gentlemen, it is up to 1 you.
 Our Secretary has told you that even with the service " e have given thiS community the past Sfx months many
 members have not paid their dues. can tell you that with a membership of five hundred, less than one hundred
 have contributed in any way by per sonal service and interest in any of the great accomplishments of the year.
 If any of you Gentlemen were Presi-
 dent of this organization would you like this and with a record such as
 face a gathering like this, in times our organization has made and have any doubts about the kind of support you would receive or the response such an appeal as tKis won4d arouse? We have been often opportuned by organizers to allow them to put over campaign for membership in Nor l wich, which would result in; 8 large proportion of our funds going to the organizers. We have always replied: Send us your literature, but don't put your experts on our payroll"
 The literature is eniightening: The results accomplished elsewhere are &C., claimed as wonderful Annual reports I of many cities have been sent to us. Dues range from $35 to }$250. Secre- taries are paid double what ours is. 1 Officers are men of leisure, men of wealth, men of influence men of na l tional reputation such as Joseph w. | Folk, counsel of the interstate com merce commission, who left his in1- portant federal office to act as attor- ney for the St. Louis Chamber of | Commerce. But nowhere in any liter ature or letters or reports can find | any chamber of commerce anywhere | giving the community it serves so much for it's money as has the Norwich 1 Chamber of Commerce, and few even 1 with an income of five and ten times ours have accomplished as much. Com pare our income from dues this year of Sc for each inha bitant of tine city with Meriden Sic; Attleboro, Mass, 63c, Ithaca, N r., 76c, and Bethlehem, Pa, $1.15. s zf- 4
 Lockport N. T., has been held up
 to us as a city where there is a typi- cal chamber of commerce. The prin- cipal accomplishments in 1917 were as follows:
 Aided three local industries in ex- tension of their plants by financial as- sistance, railroad sidings and neces- sary land.
 Recommended legislation to reduce 1
 tax the city as a whole for school
 purposes and not by districts.
 Recommended protection of shade
 trees, better garbage disposal and
 public comfort station.
 Secured freight interchange by rail-
 roads, new freight and trolley stations
 and canal terminals.
 Investigated electric light and power
 rates. Secured better mail service. ) Promoted improvement of highway approaches to the city
 Established a merchants bureau, Prevented promiscuous solicitation; of advertising.
 Assisted the farm bureau.
 Placed road signs at entrance tt ;, city. , Co-operated with local organization g in entertaining conventions.
 Held several open meetings
 1 Visited a number of factories ant . watched. legisla ton.
 : There are in Lockport 4S9 members ] not one of whom pays less than $25. = year to the support of the organiza l tion. In addition to this there are 1 l who pay anywhere from S160 to $625 : year to the support of the organiza I tion. Iockport is not much more thai e half the size Of Norwich The tota . income of the Lockport orginaztion 1 T s14,625. This financial support is. ac [. companied by a corresponding mora u support, too.
 d This is a record to be proud of. To f have heard the record of our organ y ization. Are you proud of it? Lock v port had an income of e9c for eao [. inhabitant and Norwich is trying t
 beat Loclzport on an income of s
 from aech inhabitant
 Does it mean anything to you tfa T we re-esta blished the boat line to Ne7 Il York in three weeks after it was aban doned and on a recent trip it took $50 Il 900 worth of manufactured product | Il New York and brought back. a$100, % = worth of raw material for another fac > tory? Since the boat attacks on. tll l. Atlantic coast no manufactured prod e ucts can be shipped by rail to Ne -- ork without a government per1ni > Does it mean anything to you that ai : 30 days after developing plan fC l. procuring a state road to the nav IS yard the contractors were on the iot l. Does it mean anything to you that
 | two days after request was made I 'e have freight embargo lifted our actio 50 secured the desired reSult?, IT amount you are willing to pay as duo J. will show the measure Of your apprt er citation.
 Oi1C O4 IIi6 u1nfCutI dIlu nCESSSai er tasks before 8 chamber of comrners at is the education of the public. ! le first duty, is to make the public thin to Every day brings to us fresh eviden, le that there is need for work along tn lg line in Norwich, You saw 1t in u r. recent city meeting. The discussiy Id of road improvement developed u e. fact that quite 8 few citizens believ, so that good roads were being pushed l C. the automobilists. or the residents d. the different sections through whi ot the roads passed. The fact was 10 C. sight of that these roads were connec r. ing links in a great national moto C. truck highway, over which raw mat r. rials and finished goods must ed moved when railroad transportHtr on breaks down, that the annual cost he repairs would build permanent roa CT in few years, and eventually redu re taxes; that the West Thames stre oS improvement was urged upon us : he the state of Connecticut In the ca ng of increased salaries for the firem
 and the policemen it4was in the min mt of many that justice was merely bei h. done to the men. To how many did i'd occur that no greater benefit can COT IT, to any community than by raising t nd plane of living The man who h he more money to spend increases. t en business of the community, As t it community recognizes the value a it's worth of the services. of any individi ms that individual is stimulated to bett UT serve the community. ... .,..@
 ng Do the men who opposed the i he crease in fire apparatus know that we we had a disastrous fire the proper