Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-17
CITY CHAMBER Of
COMMERCE. HCLLS
YEARLY MEETING
Directors Elected at the Session
Held at the Hotel du Pont
Last Evening.
OUTLOOK SEEMS GOOD

The annual meeting of the Chamber of
Commerce. held AT the Hotel du Poat
last night. was attended 10y goodly
showing of the membership. The meet
ing was held IN the grill room.
The retiring president IllIam IS
Negear, after calling the meeting 70
order. presented his annual report, which
was greeted With applause
Il VAS rs follows:
To the members of the Chamber OF
Commerce. In greeting you at thls'
your annual meeting, Il is not my purpose
To make any extended remarks. Nith
the signing of the ariulstcc d,unlte
epoch closed and our faces have Ill been
turned In different direction HE war
pr,bleIns winch seemed sn q rratcnIng AT
the time oi our last ANIMAL meeting,
have vanished and happy arc We all that
the whole world Is rapidly glrdlng itself
for the pursuits of peace. We are all
rghtruush proud Of the achievements OF
our community during the war period.
But vuu Anaw these achievements as
well AS DO You know that moro than
ever we have earned our right 10 bc called
the Diamond state.
But business community cannot
live IN or upon the past, any more than
the individual business can. The war
perlol h done The reconstruction or
reaaui,tmrl.t period Is here. The transit
tlln. to to sure. Is gradual. and every
where We see business realizing ltscu
silently but quickly. As We might expect
from the community that did is war duty
SO whole AcartcIly. the read!usimcnt
problems arc teue handled !asi As cN-
pedltou~iN
III Il vel Is remember that VII
miugtou lnIl .ric- Wcre established aud
grey, IN y.car ou /, peace footing, and that
with most ~ them tie conversion to
peace orders i Simple process. The
fact that Wilmington hu .nees iic i
sound and i.cr indus rlcs 81 ptrmaucni
character Is b,ug amply demonstrated
TO-DAY.
The secretary. in his report will deal
with the dctaIIcd activities IT the wear
IL la, been a hlsy and tcnsr year tor all
Of us MANY ~ our normal activities were
of necessity abandoned Much ot the
Work was ii character hti rto. not
undertaken from haa on however,
YOUR organization s#ltd' tt aHIc onte
again ta concentrate Its atteat.i oa local
improvement, prt. r.IN
II trust that t.r tl.ce N,ais oWng
which / l4yg i,,, L,,ttel sc.Nis Is
the prcsletLt =. Nnur aI.t ps fANc teen
proltatIc urcs ior tile DrAIlfatlcn
have Cn.oyci tie association oCtPA. and
lOUk nov ililA ttN i.tt 81 t.t S1ttite ~ 4At' a
who have extended tlc t.ld Il. tclpll!-
ness Whenever TIE t,# >ui i'qmrC!
Whatever the CrgauUatl j LIS teen ,tlc
10 ach!cvc duIlng tlcso thrtt wears has
been due 10 tie oN: taChHg 81 lie
mcnll,f-ti tie c,l er ui Gers And tsle-
ClallN Tile uATd Oi D4O,tors cur tNald
has SUPPORTED tNe pTcsl mi 81 ali TN q.
and ! pI-l UeU iaIN III tNIrtss to.
them mis- tiaL4- IL -,I.atluI j
fortune, 4, tiat ,.I. cen b aI.a tt III >trNIccs
OF a body +. IN S-cl. ~ LnNc C.t pasted
Vour bp4ri ,Lsu uaf SIc ctk o' Tie work
Of the tutgT, te,aIsC ! 4o not want 70
hanLicar n any NAY. tic Work 81 my
successor 4.uv,ttr 4u pant q com
mend ,sTe...l4s ID I. I,>' .ai Irist1a-
tion most !eNa. slilolt "a tic fcari
of l.artur OUI.I.lss..utfs IL tLtl II ort
10 pruNGc Waetu t.It4ur IaCItIco Tor
Wilmington Iti~ WORK = - pnue iu-
portaDce, Cversi ad0Wlnp al else and
know the chauter vii push tie pro!ect
with all the VIgoI II can command
The directors you are choosing to-
night, viii. ~ tttI organization meeting,
participate III tie eleCtI,n Oi q new presl
dent, ana that otiC Clal will command ny
best support. II ! know. be WIl yours.
Gentlemen, shall never regret these three
years, tceung WITH Memories Of our
Joint Efforts 10 heneit cur community.
The report OF Treasurer JosiaL Marvel
and that oi Secretary hIllen, read Ly the
batter, were ordered received and tiled.
They are printed elsewhere Ia Lvery
Evening he seCTetary's report greatly
interested tic members as II was read
they listened attentively, and expressed
their approval by hearty applause and d
rlslne vote oi thanks.
FAyoR PAID FTRE DEtA RTMRNT.
President Megear surrendered the chair
temporarily 10 Nlce-Presidcnt IrcderIck
Brady, while The matter ui The APPROVAL
OF the pending Till providing 3 paid { re
department Tor Wilmington was under
discus ION Oh mot ion Oi CooIee "
Sparks A synopsis Of tie il.l vas read
by the secretary and q rlei disctlSsIon
ensuod Wien put T. vote tic InGorso-
ment by the haHber Of Commerce OF the
measure was unanimous.
The need of III adequate oudi'orium
for puilie mectlLts Was urged by a Eac
du Bell, Who aicd Ia, ,AP,rohce of tLs 81
who had been forced TO use a theatre a.
Sundays for war meetings IS lie only
place and time available. e oi such d
hall for community meetlnps Cf various
sorts was rcf-frcd 20 Mr. du lei asLcd
for the appointment Ol d cor u itat to
agltate ht project, az ii WAS stated hy
Mr. Sparks bat such o committee already
existed. having been formed al an earlier
Session oil the Lcgls ature. which pa sscd a
bill for an armOry building al the outset
OF the war
-. tod EaF . 4