Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-07-15

OMMERCE

By R. E. L. MEL

Gently mace a report ol AOSdA Siiait.0
bers of commerce treating mainly with
the fundamentals of the latter. There
is given in this column this week some
of the summary of conclusions of the
committee Of which Richard Grant,
president of the Lehigh Valley Coal
CORPORATION, New York City, was
chairman.
NATURE AND PURPoSE.-The
Chamber of Commerce is IN organl-
cation of business men and Others who
share their general point of view, set
up as a non-profit making institution,
for the purpose of developing and pro-
tecting the commercial, financial, in
dustrial and civic interests OF a COM
munity. 1t is a community agency that
is striving by proper cooperative
measures to extend trade, increase bus
mess and strengthen business institu-
tons; develop and protect industry,
natural and means of trans
portation and communication and
protect the public interest in relation
thereto; take all appropriate steps
looking to a sane growth and devel-
opment of the city and its resources;
encourage proper and healthful pride
in local institutions and achievements;
and obtain adequate and desirable reg
ulations and development along civic
lines.
LEADERSHIP. Chambers of COM
MERGE are useful and necessary parts
of our civic. and commercial life, and
have been an important factor in the
development of American cities. We
believe they have rendered signal ser
vice during emergency periods, and
that they will sumo increasing i'm
p%ortance, modifying their policies and
program to meet the demands of the
cities they serve. We urge, therefore,
hat chambers of commerce merit and
should have the support and guidance
of outstanding citizens in every COM
munity.
GENERALIZATION OF ACTIV-
tiles. - The chamber of commerce
should be a strong, central community
organization, performing as far as pos
sIble by means Of its own departments,
divisions or committees, all those pub
lie or semi-public functions that have
cornrnunity-wide aspect coupled
with a definite relationship to bust.
ness, and whose purpose is to advance
the general detectives of the chamber
itself.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT. 49, Il
should be recognized as a principle Of
business that chambers of commerce
are an essential part Of the CONNER
cial and civic life of our cities. Bust
ness concerns should regard support
Of their chambers Of commerce as a
legitimate part of their own cost Of
doing business, and should not look
upon the chamber as a separate agency
from which individual businesses may
readily detach themselves. Chambers
Of commerce should not be considered
as temporary agencies, to be support
ed in good times and neglected in bad;
but should be looked upon as 2erma-
men central clearing houses If the
communities they serve, useful and
constructive elements in our social
scheme, inseparable from the public
welfare.
1t is wondered if the reader Of this
column, especially if he is a business
man or property owner in Salisbury,
would not read twice the last para
graph. 1t contains a world of meat
that ought to be digested by a large
number of this fine people. The other
members of the committee making the
report which in full is a very inter-
esting. document are men high in the
business, educational and financial
world and besides Mr.. Grant are:-
Vim. R. Dawes, vice president, Cen
trail Republic Bank and Trust Com
pany, Chicago, ILL.,; Asa Briggs,
Briggs, Weyl & Briggs, St. Paul,
Mimi; James W. Spangler, Chairman
of Executive Committee, First Nation
al Bank, Seattle, WASH; Harry J. Bell,
Executive Director, Association of
Commerce.. Milwaukee, Wis; Roland
B. Woodward, Executive Vice-Presi-
dent, Chamber of Commerce, Roches-
ter, N. Y; Wallace R. Clark, West
Texas College, Canyon, Texas; Phil
lip ]. Fay, Nichols & Fay, San Fran
cisco, Calf; Robert Bruce Campbell,
President and General Manager, Ark
ansas Valley Interurban Railway Com
pany, Wichita, Kans.; Alfred c. New
ell, General Agent, Columbian Ma
tional Life Insurance Company, At
lanta, Ga. Ralph Bradford, Manager