The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-15
WORKS TO ONE END

Formed for the purpose of encourag
 ing trade and commercial enterprise between the states and foreign coun'
 tries the national chamber has con- sistently worked toward that end. In
 order to do this effectively. it has en-
 deavored to coordinate into one strong
 national body the various civic, com
 mercial and trade organizations of the country, and to extend there usefulness IL strives to secure cooperative action
 in the advance of the common purpos of it's members, uniformity and equity in business usages and laws, and proper l consideration and cbncentrationf Q
 opinion upon questions affecting tho | financial, commercial. industrial an l civic interests of the nation.
 The national chamber determines the i concensus of opinion of American busi-
 ness through the medium of the refer l endum. When the board of directors oi | the national chamber has decided that
 a question submitted to it by one of the | organization members or otherwise is a questiono affecting American business nationally, it refers the problems to z | committee for investigation. If this com mittee after a careful study of the sub | ject, finds it important enough for ref
 erendum, then this is recommended. The question is then submitted to the organi-
 zations which are constituent members
 of the national chamber and an express
 sion of opinion is asked. The vote must
 be completed within forty-five days from | the date of mailing.
 The chamber never takes position by reason of a mere majority of votes It becomes formally committed to any prop ostion only in accordance with a dc- eided preponderance of opinion in the votes that are cast. To carry, any pro- posal has to command at least two thirds of the votes which are recorded Through these provisions the funda- mental statutes of the chamber are in tended to give assurance that the organi- zation will advocate only the policies and principles which represent the un- doubted tenets of the great body of it's memberships.
 To serve it's membership more effec- lively the departments of the chamber have been increased and the whole or organization modified and supplemented in such a matter that. in addition to the department of research, field and or ganization service already built up and established, the chamber would have de- partments parallelng the main divisions of American business.
 One prominent manufacturer having in mind his own particular industry eX- pressed approval of the plan in these words: "We now have men at Washing ton who know our business and talk our language"
 The departments of the national cham ber are as follows: Finance, insurance foreign commerce, civic revelopment domestic distribution, fabricated produc- tion. national resources, production transportation and communication. The departments of insurance. fabricated pro duction and foreign commerce have al ready been inaugurated
 Adequate provisions have been made to house these various departments in the new building. which will be a veri table workshop for American business. The entire first floor will be given over to conference rooms. memorial halls and libraries and auditorium where business mems conventions will be held. In the large memorial hall and every unit of American busi-