Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1920-12-02
COOPERATION MUCH NEEDED
Is Vital Factor In The PrOmot.
ing of Best Interests of
Communities.

Friday evening at a mass meeting
held in the high school auditorium.
at which Charles II Goggin, presid-
ed, Lee II. Bierce, secretary-mana-
ger Of the chamber of commerce of
Grand Rapids gave an address on
the functions Of chamber of COM
merce, this being the second of the
series Of addresses in the education
al campaign in the reorganization
wor,s of the local organization.
In opening his address Mr.. Bierce
stated that the functions Of cham
ber Of commerce were to make a
community bigger and better He
then called attention TO Flint and
Detroit, which communities had been
growing bigger so rapidly that it
was now necessary 10 mark time.
while the cities were being made
better by municipal expansion and
Improvement, and the inhabitants
there might enjoy the advantages of
eity life which they had the right to
expect.
He stated that the people of
community were morally bound to
support a chamber of commerce. as
the community had created the ad-
va1htages that its people had. and
that the best way to pay the debt
that was owing to the community
was to support the chamber of COM
merce.
He stated that there were four
things chat every chamber Of COM
merce needed, a motive money men
and manner in which to use them. I
The motive, he said, was to make I
the community bigger or better. or
buster Money was roeded for clerk I
hire, and other things necessary to
sonduct a chamber of commerce. I
Men were needed who would support +
the various undertakings of a cham !
ber of commerce that these under /
takines might be brought to- a sue
cessful conclusion, and because the
united mentality Of the community
was needed behind the chamber Of
commerce 10 make il succeed.
Mr.. Bierce then told Of the ten
year fight in Grand Rapids to So
cure good drinking water, needed to
make the city grow. He told of the
expenditure of small sum Of money
there, % correct the evils in the fire
alarm system, whereby the insur-
ance rate was lowered in Grand Ran
ds, saving the community $50 600
per year, and then of an expenditure
OF Sl26,000 more, for enlargement of
watermains, whereby the insurance
rate was lowered, saving TO the city
another $4,000 in insurance rate
each year, this being to set forth
Just one of the functions Of cham
ber of commerce
lie then spoke of the number of
industries in Grand Rapids that
built additions to their plants last
year, and the far larger number Of
worlmen that they used. This
created a house shortage, he stated.
and the chamber of commerce there J
then organized company to build {
houses, to do away with the short I
age. !
Not the least of the cooperative i
measures that were needed. accord q
ing 10 Mr.. Bierce, was the patroniz- G
ing Of home merchants. He stated !
that while Grand Rapids had many
good stores, and that the chamber O
OF commerce there represented them. C
II frowned on the fact that people Of a
other places came there and nur- {
chased goods that they could lust as 0
well secure at home. He strongly o
advised Alma people supporting p
nome merchants, in making their 2,
community better
Following his address tbe apH- .
ance gave Mr. Bierce rising vote of "
thanks
AZ this meeting she members Of s
the old board Of trade voted ~ r,
amend the bylaws of the organiza. s,
lion. =
The name Of the Alma board Of b
.rade was changed by one amend
nent 60 the Alma chamber Of com 30,
nerce Another amendment raised r,
he Old membership Zee from $500 .,
20 $1,000 per year, provided for 2
Ioint membership Of husband and IN
VIE at fee Of S25.0O per year. and Ii
'lso provided that one or more mem. a
'erships could be held by store or
The third amendment in
reased the amount Of Indebtedness
hat the board Of directors could ..
reate in its work, the former !
mount being only $4,000. "a
n. r. Reece, secretary manager. Of On
be organization, before the address pc
y Mr.. Bierce outlined the methods nc
hat are being undertaken in the pc
ducationsl campaign, and stated ov
hat y was the method that had been fu