Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-31
1926 Year of Progress Well of Administrative Turbulence
TRADE ORGANIZATIONS
ACTIVE DURING PAST YEAR
Closer Cooperation Among Various
Bodies Has Developed, With Success
in Many Undertakings.

| The past year has been one of the
most active in the history of the vari
Gus trade organizations of the Ma
| tional Capital. Stimulated by rapid
development here and the vast plans
| laid out by the Federal Government
for the development of Washington,
| the Board of Trade, Chamber of Com
merce, Merchants and Manufacturers
Association. the Better business Blu.
reau and the City Club have been I'M
| ceaSingly active on behalf of the Dis
trict.
| One of the outstanding features Of
| the past year has been the closer CO.
| operation that has developed between
each of the various trade organiza-
tons in respect to local problems. and
particularly in respect to the indus.
/ trial and commercial development 81
the city along lines that will be e5r1f
mensurate with the development of
/ Washington as the most beautiful city
| of the world.
! Throughout the entire year the vari
Gus organizations have adopted pol-
icy of inviting influential members of
! Congress. particularly members of the
! House and Senate District committees
| to participate in conferences and meet
| ings, so that they would become ac.
squainted and properly appreciative Of
| the problems of the National Capital
5000 in Board of Trade.
The end OF 1926 finds the Washing
ton Board of Trade with the largest
membership in its history, approx
| 1ately 1900.
The outstanding work accomplished
| by the board last year was perhaps the
exhaustive study of the local tax rate.
made by the municipal finance com
| fn1ttee, under the craftsmanship of
Joshua Evans, jr. This committee in
| vited before It Commissioner ]. Frank
| lin Bell and Daniel j. Donovan. Dis
trict auditor and budget officer, and as
a result recommended that the tax
rate be kept to s1,70 or below.
The industrial interests committee
OF the board, under its chairman, J
| Phillips Hill, made a complete survey
of the commercial and industrial posi-.
! bilities of the city, and subsequently
| recommended the encoura cement of
| industries already established in Wash
| Ington and the procurement of manu-.
! featuring and commercial concerns to
| Increase Washingtons standing as a
business center. The committee was
| divided into various subcommittee
for the purpose of carrying out these
recommendations
Three Needs Selected.
The boards officers and various COM
| mittees spent much time and energy
in selecting from d host of improve
ments three basic needs for the Dis
| trict, which were placed before the
| House special committee investigating
| the affairs of the District of Columbia.
The board recommended to the COM
| mittee: Local men for local public of
fees. representation for the people of
| Washington in Congress and the right
| of franchise in presidential elections,
and the establishment of an equitable
proportionate fiscal relation between
the Federal Government and the Dis
| trict of Columbia.
The various committees of the board
have been uncea singly active in urg
| ing improvements Of all types for the
city. The special traffic committee.
under Pearce Raynor. made num-
! Der of recommendation regard
| ing traffic regulation. parking and the
conduct of the local traffic force. The
| public order committee, under Odell $.
| Smith. made a, number of recommen-
| dations. among which were a central
| police and fire department headquar-
ters.
| The extension of Fourteenth street.
a new Recorder of Deeds office, the
park and playground development of
| the city, AmericaniZation of foreign
ers, the water rate, sewers and the i'm.
| provement of the river front were
among the many items studied and
acted upon by the board.
Exposition IL Held.
The Washington Chamber of Com
merce has had an equally busy year.
The year 1926 was started with the
second annual industrial exposition
staged by the chamber. This exposi-
ton was an unusual success. Under
the leadership of Martin A. Leese, it's
president, it is planned to repeat the
exposition the coming year.
One of the outstanding changes i'm
the fiscal policy affecting the District
was advocated by the chamber, name.
~: The floating of a bond issue of