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Show PRESIDENT HOLMES'S REPORT. The report of President Holmes of the activities and progress of the Commercial club of this city for the year Just closed, is a striking exhibit of the good -work done and the benefits bene-fits It has conferred upon tho people. It is gratifying to note from this report re-port that the club Is so strong In membership, mem-bership, and that It has such vigor and excellent promise of long life and continued con-tinued substantial good to Jhe public. The suggestion of the erection of a club building is admirable, and Is not the least of ' the evidences of the strength of tho organization and of the enthusiasm with which lis? members regard It career thus far, and. the high opinion they have of Its future usefulness, as well as of their -ambi tion to make its striking success a permanent and individual, feature of-the of-the city's business life. We hope that no unnecessary time may be allowed to pass until this project is put in practical form. In his report, President Holmes naturally nat-urally and properly directs especial attention at-tention to the water question, in connection con-nection with the efforts made u year ago and more by the club to present a proper plan for relief Valuable work was done, at. considerable expense, and Col. Holmes himself generously expended ex-pended of his private means In the collection of material nnd facts, which will always be valuable In the solution of our water problem. It Is excellent advice which he gives, that the subject sub-ject be kept alive by the club, and Its data be ready for use at call. In the general statement of the office of-fice of the club In its relation to public pub-lic affairs. President Holmes takes spund positions; it must not take sides between capital and labor; it must not be unfnlr to corporations operating public utilities, but must be ready to protect the public whenever undoubted Injustice or imposition is found; it must not attempt to usurp the funcr t'ons of the City Council, nor Interfere Inter-fere In private affairs. "In short," as the President well expresses It, "the club Is not Intended to be and should not he, a common scold, but should and doubtless will be so broadly and patriotically conducted that Its actions will meet with the approval of all conservative and fair-minded people." In the specific good accomplished by the club during the year, President Holmes places first Its successful move to keep the public schools open the full term last spring; then the entertainment entertain-ment of the newspaper men who came from the East at the time of the Irrigation Irri-gation Congress; the fostering of good feeling between 'this city and Ogden, and reciprocity with the Weber club; the encouragement it has given to art; the effective and highly' important move which put back the price of coal when the combination made the unwarranted un-warranted raise In price last fall; the effort, now on with most hopeful prospect pros-pect of beneficial results, to obtain a better adjustment of freight rates; the fostering of the organization of the real-ei'tate association; and the cordial cor-dial support given to the plan of beginning be-ginning irrigation work In Utah under the new National Irrigation law. As to the latter, It will be remembered that Chief Hydrographcr Newell, head of this work, was given his first reception re-ception at the rooms of the Commercial Commer-cial club, and his first lecture in explanation ex-planation of the work and the law, was given there. 1 x .The report Is admirable, both in substance and in form, and wo congratulate con-gratulate both President Holmes and tho club on the excelled showing made. |
