| Show THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE at the annual meeting of the ch chaoui her ber of commerce january 13 colonel john W donnellan was elected pread dett de 11 for the ensuing year too to ducq succeed c president fred simon heber M wells was unanimous unanimously chosen first vice president and 8 W i morrison second vice art president aident T following eight directors were unan elected W H rowe W H shearman N A empey B H terhune J M ricketts Bic ketts A E da D rickles C P mason and M J gray PRESIDENT SIMON read his report for the past year the following is the gist of it to the members of the salt lake chamber of commerce gentlemen Gent leme the year just passed whether taken from a financial oz or commercial point of view will u undoubtedly be remembered by our bu business community as one of the chloal closest ever experienced in the annals of 0 out commercial history it is but natural that the dep depression in the money market which havi having its beginning in european nion money centers then affecting the mon monea centers center of the east would very a aboa 0 0 assert itself in our own city aul abo terr territory rel and that no greater losses an and failures have taken place than those 0 which we have a record duri during ng th toil year is indeed a great cause for foil 00 congratulation and speaks well for t solidity of our banks our busin boises pees and our real estate interests with such a beginning the ca chamber of commerce found it very hard bard bori to peart upon its labors for the ye year order to make that showing which wal strong strongly lk desired by the japard ard of d directors mr simon then urges the ir import rl ance of faithful and de detailed comm committee ditl work and continues upon the return of the chairman ant ani commissioner from the east a p was formulated which had bad for jilts its ob leet the consolidation of all the business interests aud and after working foe almost a year upon this matter a au sufficient n number amber of business men mea w bew wew found who concluded to join th their issues aud and pledged themselves by t signing of contracts to stand united together until freight rates were M deuced to reasonable charges and pa rates were made equa equally I 1 y fa favot able with the other points in the nor and west A test case on the r charged on cotton piece goods w wit made by the Z C M I 1 and the into inteer state commerce commission under chairmanship of generi general veasey vealey ga the case came a hearing in this city and aft anxious was the railway company 16 get this case settled that a compromise was effected almost instantaneously commissioner SEARS I 1 from january 1 of this year the aw vices of mr 8 W sears a most aali businessman business man who is also very C corn OWA detent upon railway and freight topi lopion has as been engaged and henceforth active work may be expected frook the transportation bureau but t i warn the business men of this el biff again that unless they stand and present a solid front like the M mo donlan phalanx of old they will 00 to pay the same high r arte rte too foi their incoming freight and battle difficulties to frid find an outlet for their goods beyond a limited distance ance from this olty city miscellaneous MATTERS on the of january mackintosh and gushing cushing presented to WO chamber a very valuable collection of mineral specimens for which a vote of thanks properly engrossed was tendered to them it is to be regretted that the fourth annual report of the work of the chamber of commerce of which tw two 0 thousand copies were to have been issued by direction of the board was sat not published and I 1 respectfully re ammend that the fourth and fifth an nual reports be published jointly mr simon then refers to the accommodation ackom mo dation of the planter library and the libels printed in the illustrated Amer american ioan and then sayi aa YARDS AND PACKING HOUSEL HOUSE 9 A project was early in february inaugurated augu rated fur for the purpose of organizing a stock yard and packing house in the vicinity of this city A company was waa organized organised sed in tho course of time ind and only abose who acted as directors director of the organization are able to tell th the difficulties which had bad to be overcome in brin bringing cing this enterprise to a successful issue it took almost a year to carry cut the work and due credit should be given to the see sec rotary of the company mr A E de who after a number of trips to the bast East succeeded succeed edin in raising the necessary means for carrying out the projected projected project es work of the company VARIOUS AFTER the president then recounts the efforts on the part of the chamber to abolish the merchants license to make the territorial school land yield some revenue to erect a new em smelter elter and to protect ore producers against the he advance of freight rates on ores from park city to denver on the of march a meeting was called for the purpose of assisting in the organization of a pickle and 0 n ning factory reFul resulting ting in the forming of a COM company pally with capital which has baa today a plant in full running order supplying the city with canned and ana pickled goods of a superior quality A communication was addressed to mr dr duval general manager pacific insurance union for the purpose of rd readjusting the prevailing rates in this city in compliance with this request prompt action was taken and too the roper proper adjustments were speedily made the report elaborates upon the re boval moval oval of the chamber chani bet into the new building the visit of president har the endorsement of the torey bankruptcy bill the meeting of the irrigation congress and shows denver is doing to right any wrongs caused by the railroad discrimination exorbitant TAXES A committee was appointed to re abt the city council to make knake a reduction alu on in the tax assessed and while a reduction of twenty per cent was secured upon realty the tax upon personal property e arty which had bad been assessed to the highest valuation was allowed to remain at the figures atts assessed essed this tt le vi another nother grievance for which the merchants and business men must obtain redress As the matter stands now they certainly pay the tax upon realty through their rents they pay a second tax by being to take out a licence as merchants and they puy any a third tax upon their stock of merchandise not saying say ing anything about other taxes levied upon them from day to day by the public through con conff tribu eions and otherwise I 1 recommend that a special committee be appointed by the succeeding administration to take this matter in hand the work of this committee should not cease until the proper readjustments just ments have been made OTHER MATTERS the report then trevas treats exhaustively upon the part by the chamber in matters of the new city charter the proposed dee deep p creek road our representation sen tation at the trans missouri congress the meeting of manufacturers transportation the in creage in the number of judges the world corlila Wor lila Is fair appropriation reduced letter postage the gift of a painting all of which subjects are mentioned in condensed form in the secretary s report following statistical the postoffice poat post office department of this city under the efficient management of mr 1 I A benton has become one of the most valuable agencies in carrying on the business of this community at A t the request of the chamber a report showing the comparative receipts of the post effice for 1890 and 1891 has been submitted and I 1 take great pleasure in annexing the same to my report marked exhibit A the demurrage association is also rendering muon much valuable aid to our businessmen business men by publishing a weekly report giving the number of cars care of coal ore and merchandise received at and shipped from this city I 1 herewith annex the annual report of the association marked exhibit B as it hilll undoubtedly prove valuable to our merchants and ship shippers pem DEATHS OE MEMBERS BERS during the year passed this city has lost by death a number of prominent citizens who contributed very materially to the building up of this city in the death of john cunnington the chamber lost one of its charter members and the city a progressive progressive merchant wid aid citizen in t the e death of general P edward conner a land mark has pawed paused away which was for many years a guiding star to those who endeavored to bring this city and territory into full accord with the bal ance of the country the death i of bishop john sharp one of the first fir st settlers of this country who ranked high as a railway builder and financier in this community will also leave a vacuum most difficult to fill appropriate prop resolutions commemorating the loss of these estimable men were passed by the board of directors of the chamber and engrossed copies thereof forwarded to the members of their bereaved families THE WORK WORIC OF THE YEAR while considerable has been accomplished shed much remains to be done the discovery of bf natural gas in the vicinity of our city opens out a field for deep and energetic action of un limited scope the deep creek road the work of the transportation bureau the buil building dink of a union depot and of a government building are all matters which should engage the attention of the next administration the chamber should be put financially in an easy euy and independent position so that it can carry on its work without being harassed and compelled from time to time to raise the necessary means for its existence no institution can achieve more good than our organization being composed of all clas wields its power in all directions and if you will continue to keep this organization pure from political influences you will wield a strength inestimable in its results COURTEOUS acknowledgments for those who have been associated with me in my work I 1 have naught but words of thanks and gratitude to our secretary to the members of our board to the representatives of the press I 1 tender my heartfelt thanks for much important aid and many valuable services rendered to the first vice president eu t colonel J W donnellan I 1 am most deeply obligated gaid for counsel aid and ardent labors performed by him but for him the duties imposed upon me would often have proven burdensome burdett some As it is I 1 have endeavored endear red to serve you to the best of my ability being as it were the founder of this organization by suggesting upon my return from the east five years ago to governor west the necessity of establishing nuch an institution have seen it grow from year to year in numbers and in influence you in return have rewarded me by electing me a year ago unanimously to this position if during this time errors have been committed I 1 to say any that they were errors of the head and not of the heart during a life of twenty one years in this community many vari ous duties appertaining to the public welfare hafe hoje been assigned to me but no work lills has given me more pleasure than when it connected itself with the chamber of commerce beginning in the ranks as a member of this organization niza tion I 1 have served you to the best beat of my ability for five years and if I 1 now beg to be permitted to retire that I 1 may attend to my own affairs I 1 feel that I 1 am not asking too much from you vou the chamber of commerce rests now dpn cpr n a solid foundation I 1 shall watch its work from time to time and should I 1 see dangerous breakers ahead of you by which the work of your organization might be impeded or frustrated I 1 shall be heard without awaiting the call no politics and no religion in the chamber must continue to be the watchword of the organization and as long as you will work upon this basis you will wield a power and accomplish incalculably good results and by your work make this city the great commercial and industrial centre of the grand 1 rand intermountain inter mountain region for ahro which h a kind providence intended it by virtue of its geographical location and natural advantages tributary to it SIMON president gait bait lake biake chamber of commerce A carefully compiled statement accompanying compa nying the report shows that there were carloads of commodities received in this city during tibie the year 1891 THE SECRE REPORT to the honorable president board of directors and stockholders of the chamber of commerce gentlemen 4 I 1 have the honor to submit the fifth annual report repart of the secretary of the salt bait lake chamber of commerce in explanation of its brevity which will render it more acceptable cep table to those of you here tonight if a less lees valuable contribution to the records of the chamber I 1 have this to say I 1 assumed the duties of the office of secretary about august 1 I having been elected to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of my predecessor de cessor the rho period covered by my incumbency therefore represents but one third of the year and for reasons which appear imperative to me I 1 can only touch officially on such events and aad occurrences as have transpired during that time I 1 may say however that if the work of the present directory for that portion of their term which preceded my official connection with the chamber has been proportionately equal in volume and importance to that of the past four mouths months the gentl gentlemen emeA whose terms of mee expire tonight are entitled to the fullest measure of praise which this organization is capable of bestowing but of this I 1 will speak later the first important question which received the attention of the chamber of commerce after my official connection with it was that of THE discrimination OF THE ROADS 08 against this city and territory in freight and passenger rates the the intricacies trica cies of the question the magnitude of its ita min minurva mi ulva the expert knowledge and experience requisite to handle it understandingly understand and the paramount importance of perfect integrity and stability of character which must need be possessed by the person or persons who underlie to act as mediators between these great railway corporations and the shippers of f salt lake city are considerations which commended commanded themselves to the careful thought of the chamber these considerations alone were sufficient to j notify the directors in refraining from hasty action I 1 am informed by the president that this question has been under consideration tor for two ur three years year and that the pre present sent modus operand randl has been shaping itself mos most t 0 of that time it is only now that the transportation bureau headed beaded by a commissioner or of acknowledged ability experience and integrity has commenced work on a systematic and improved plan and with decidedly good prospects of bringing this work to auch aboh successful saul conclusions finally as will result in the establishment lish ment of such rates as will I 1 e highly y satisfactory to the shippers as well as extremely beneficial to the entire community I 1 need not enlarge on the evils that exist under the polley policy of the railroads or the great general good that will surely result in their correction it is sufficient to call attention to the fact that a city with a population of people situated geographically as is salt lake should be as great a distributing point as is st paul kansas city omaha or denver and yet the fact remains that the trade of salt lake city does not equal that of such great centres bentres as I 1 have mentioned this fact is all the more deplorable sitione plo rable when it is known that all conditions exist necessary to render this city the greatest distributing point between the missouri river and the pacific coast save that of equitable freight rates the only obstacle which has prevented her |
