New Britain herald., 1927-02-16
Biggest Handicap Of (. Of (.
 Is Failure to Receive Dues

Chamber Of Commerce is primarily q merchants organization, and 1t is up to the merchants to raise the S6,00O.
 Are we going to let the chamber go by default because We lack civic interest? I believe the businessmen are patriotic enough to get back of anything that is for the betterment of New Briain.
 Millions to Hartford
 ''Millions of dollars are going out of New Britain to Hartford. The Hartford merchants are going after New Britain business. Last fall the New Britain Chamber of Commerce rented 10 billboards. The Hartford Chamber of Commerce wanted to get those boards to direct Hartford goods to New Britain. MT. Leven- thai had difficulty getting the money to finance these boards, and the Chamber of Commerce directors agreed to underwrite the expense for promised contributions were not forthcoming.
 The chamber needs an assistant for MT. Benson. Now there is only one young woman In the office, and the mass of detail work keeps the secretary at his desk when he ought to be out mingling with the mem bers.
 "The directors feel that the sec retary should have an assistant. Mir. Benson is the first secretary the New Britain Chamber of Commerce has had for years who is a mercantile merchants man. He had experience in the mercantile bureau at Spring field.
 If the bureau can raise s6,000 it will enable MT. Benson to have an assistant"
 Financial Status
 The whole problem seems to re- solve itself into a collection of dues. according to Secretary Ralph H. Benson, who reported on the finan- cial status of the organization.
 At the close of the fiscal year. Oc- tober 31, 1926, the chamber had an operating deficit of S1,595.45 and bank indebtedness of S4,000. Old dues receivable still outstanding amounted to s3,300. Additional dues receivable Nov. 1, 1926, amounted to s13,992.14, making m apparent in come of approximately s17,000.
 The chamber set up budget of s9,51O. we are finding out every day that a large part of the old and some of the new dues are uncol- lectable,' reported the secretary.
 Instead of s17,0O0 it has resolved ifself into a question whether or not we will be able to collect s10,000," he added.
 Of the s3,300 outstanding in old dues. S1.934.S7 are mercantile dues The chamber directors recently drop per 20 members from the rolls be- cause of non-payment, which takes S949 from the amount due, leaving
 
 on unpaid mercantile dues Since November 1, s1S5.95 of this amount has been collected.
 Of the current dues of S14,O00, there was a total of s6,023.45 mer- cantile dues. designations and mem- bers dropped made difference in mercantile dues of $S06.50, leaving balance of S5,216.93 due. Of this amount, there have been paid by mercantile members just s2,505.50. leaving balance of s2.711.43 or more than half the amount. unpaid.
 If we can have the support of those on our books, it is not a dark picture" said Mir. Benson. If the S2,711,43 could be counted up, with a reasonable proportion of old dues, we could almost raise the s6,0OO."
 We have received altogether this year about SS,000 in dues. We should have received S11,000 or S12,000. We are like a man trying to operate a good automobile withort tires" added the secretary.
 H. J. Donnelly of the Donnelly Co.,, inquired how many members the mercantile bureau had. He was told 256 of which 64 are delinquent in their dues.
 Uniform Hours Report
 At this point Chairman Dyson call ed upon A. J. Leventhal to report for the uniform hours committee, of which he was chairman. The rec concentrations of the committee were adopted with but one objection,