THE BOSTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BANQUET

The carefully planned and skilfully executed merger of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants' Association has at last made its official bow before the public in a great banquet at which the President of the United States was among the guests of honor. The occasion was picturesque and memorable. Among the interesting things, such as always develop at such a time, was the revelation to many of the clean-cut, oratorical ability of Governor Eben Draper The governor's speech was all that the time and occasion required and was delivered with ease and force. President Taft, President Taft, whose speech was, of course, the event of the evening, remained significantly silent concerning the tariff, took occasion to eulogize Senator Aldrich, defended his great tour, and urged reformatory financial legislation. His sincerity impressed the great audience very strongly, and from the moment that he rose to his feet his personality dominated the vast audience and its sincerity and overflowing good humor became the atmosphere of the occasion.

The Boston Chamber of Commerce, it is needless to say, was greatly gratified by securing the attendance of the President of the United States as its guest of honor at the banquet. It takes pride in the recognition of Mr. Taft of the value and significance to every progressive community in the country of an example of enterprise and energy in the cause of progress throughout

New England. The significance of that consolidation, from the point of view of the Chamber, is the proof it gave that civic patriotism and earnestness of purpose to labor for the general welfare, and a refusal to allow selfish consideration to obscure public duty, were placed whole-heartedly at the service not only of Boston, but of all the other interdependent communities which are comprised in the name "New England." The Merchants' Association, which consented to sink its identity in another and younger organization, was composed of members entitled to be proud of past achievements, who, only a short time before, had reorganized themselves for still more effective work than they had been doing in the past. Their recognition that, by merging with the Chamber of Commerce, they would be able to advance the cause which they had at heart still more effectively, was striking proof of their high conception of public duty.

The reorganized Chamber desires to impress upon the public the fact that the scope of the public service which it has equipped itself to render is not bounded by Boston alone. Its field is New England, and it is to her commerce, her industry, and her public. interests no less than to those of Boston proper, that it purposes to devote itself. The advancement of those interests in Boston will, it believes, benefit all the other communities of the section of the country of which Boston is the metropolis, and it earnestly hopes for co-operation from without as well as from within its municipal limits.

NEW ENGLAND SHOE AND LEATHER ASSOCIATION

By Secretary Thomas F. Anderson

With a threatened "invasion" of British shoe manufacturers, and with Senator Warner, of Missouri, predicting that his state is by and by to become the center of the shoe manufacturing industry of America, the representatives of our great New England industries certainly are getting some food for thought just now.

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And, as if this were not enough, there has been a lively Peary-Cook controversy in progress between ultra-protectionists of the Home Market Club variety and the free hide advocates, as to the ultimate effect on the manufacturer of footwear and the much-discussed "consumer" of the recent removal of the hide duty and the lowering of the tariff on shoes and leather.

The so-called "foreign invasion" is giving New England manufacturers but little concern, and they are just now more interested in the question of shoe prices than in the industrial ambitions of Missouri.

It appears to be the opinion of most manufacturers here that even with the protective tariff on a certain grade of shoes reduced to ten per cent, it will probably be a long time before the foreign manufacturer finds a profitable entrance into the American market, if, indeed, he ever does.

There is a certain subtle quality called "style" that foreign manufacturers, even with the aid of American shoe machinery, have not been able to impart to their products as yet, and there are various other respects in which their footwear falls short of the American consumers' requirements. With an enterprise that is greatly to their credit, some of the British shoe and leather manufacturers are already displaying samples of their goods in the Boston and New York markets and advertising their product in our newspapers, but thus far they have made but little impression.

On the other hand, our American

manufacturers, partly as a result of the great free hide victory, are beginning to give more serious thought than ever to the foreign markets for their own products. There has never been a time in the history of the trade when the outlook for the extension of foreign business in leather and footwear has been so promising as to-day, and it is generally believed that the next five or ten years will witness a remarkable expansion in American shoe and leather exports, accompanied by more intelligent and systematic methods of exploiting the foreign field. The unscientific and desultory manner in which our entire foreign trade has been heretofore handled is rather discreditable to us, anyway.

Any considerable increase in the exports of New England made products of leather (and what a bewildering variety of them there is) will have its direct effect upon the commercial development of Boston, the improvement of its port facilities, the earnings of the railroads centering here, and the general prosperity of its people.

This entire question of foreign markets for shoes and other products of leather is to be taken up in a broad and systematic way by the New England Shoe and Leather Association, and this is likely to form one of the organization's most important activities in the near future. It certainly is a most promising and inviting field of action.

Incidentally, the association has inaugurated an important "forward" movement, with the idea of adding considerably to its already large and representative membership. With this end in view, it has instituted a vigorous canvass of the entire New England territory. In view of what it has accomplished for the benefit of the trade it represents in the past, and of its splendid opportunities for usefulness in the future, it is obvious that no individual or firm associated with the shoe and leather business or their allied industries can afford not to be connected with it.

Commercial organizations, of course, ought to be of direct and definite value

to their individual members as well as a tower of strength to their trade in general, and if they do not meet these requirements, they would better not exist at all.

The NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE is doing splendid missionary work along this particular line, through its "With the New England Boards of Trade" department. The latter is a clearing house of ideas and a bureau of information and suggestion that cannot help being of much value to all of our numerous New England trade bodies.

HARTFORD'S ASSET IS SKILL

By T. J. Kelley

An increase of 7000 wage-earners in Hartford the past ten years is shown by an industrial census just completed by the Board of Trade. This means that the industrial activities of the city have practically doubled in a decade. The net gain in population during the same period has been 32,000, the present figures being 112,000. Statistics procured from forty factories show that every one is on full running time during the first week in September, with seventeen on overtime, two being on a twenty-four hour schedule. The revival trade wave is also reflected by the additions to factories and new manufacturing homes. The Hartford Machine Screw Company will erect a large addition to its plant this fall and the Universal Machine Screw Company will erect a new building. The Pope Manufacturing Company has expanded by purchasing the immense tube plant from the steel trust, which it will occupy at once in the manufacture of its cars. This factory has an area of five acres. .

A significant feature of the building statistics procured in connection with the census of the Board of Trade is the tendency toward cottage life and away from the tenement type of dwelling. Mechanics here aim to own their own homes and they generally build a two-family structure away from the congested district, yet near enough to the manufacturing center to enable

them to be in close touch with their work by trolley.

There are at present five outside concerns seeking Hartford capital for the establishment of branches of their industries here. One of these will give employment to 2500 men. The reason given by each of them for being desirous of locating in this city is that it affords better opportunities for procuring skilled workmen than any other city in New England. It was for this reason that the Underwood Typewriter and the Royal Typewriter companies came here. Between them they employ approximately 3000 mechanics. Hartford's great asset therefore is the skill of its workmen. It is winning fame and earning wealth for the community to such extent that the stride. of the city's progress is amazing. There is not a vacant factory here today and the space available for light manufacturing is being so rapidly absorbed that factory building will soon prove one of the best and safest investments for surplus capital.

NEW BEDFORD

Editor NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE

New Bedford's situation is perhaps unique among the rapidly growing cities of the country, in that its growth has been accomplished almost entirely without the "booming" efforts which are made by some of the Boards of Trade and commercial organizations in other places. Business men, and particularly those engaged in the manufacture of cotton goods, have long appreciated New Bedford's natural advantages, and have themselves profited by the situation without urging in the customary way.

While there have been, from time to time, the usual "write-ups" distributed through the ordinary medium, New Bedford has depended, largely, for its advertising upon the local newspapers. That these newspapers have loyally attended to that line of work is a fact which many people in New Bedford do, and which

many more people should appreciate. There is no question, however, that such a chance for blowing its own horn as was afforded New Bedford in the September number of the NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE is of great value to the city, and that it will result in good returns, for which the enterprise of the magazine should receive a just proportion of thanks.

Like every community, New Bedford possesses some well meaning citizens whose pleasure it seems to be to criticise, rather than to help, especially when the subject happens to be "The Board of Trade." Because, at some periods of its existence, the Board of Trade has made mistakes, the critics prefer to join the knockers' chorus, instead of singing praises for what good has been accomplished.

I presume that every Board of Trade secretary finds something of this sentiment in his community. If there is one who has a good prescription for curing such a condition, I would suggest that he take advantage of the Board of Trade column in the NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE to offer his fellow-secretaries a "hand-out" for their benefit.

The usefulness of the Board of Trade, as it seems to some of us, lies in its readiness to do things when doing is required; the conservation of Board of Trade energy is perhaps better than frothy wastefulness, which is hardly worth the powder to make it go.

W. H. B. REMINGTON,

SPRINGFIELD

Secretary.

Editor NEW ENGLAND MAGAZINE

It is very interesting and decidedly encouraging to note the commercia atmosphere in western Massachusetts to-day, as compared with that of a year ago. Business men on every hand feel a confidence in themselves, in their business, in their neighbor, and in their neighbor's business that was little in

evidence during the fall of 1908. Retail trade is brisk, manufacturers are working, in many cases, overtime, and building operations are notably numerous.

With all the rest the Board of Trade is anticipating a very active year, and already committees are busy with various problems, many of which will require unusual consideration and mature judgment.

During the summer months a committee of ten have been working to perfect a building code, a much-needed piece of machinery in Springfield. The summer heat was, indeed, a test for faithfulness, and no small amount of credit is due the members of the committee who have recently presented to the city government a building code which, it is hoped, will be in the main immediately effective. The question of the consistency of our state pure food laws, as compared with the national pure food regulations, is one which is receiving much attention at the hands of our committees on mercantile affairs and legislation, acting jointly. Local dealers are, of course, much interested and are looking for definite action in the matter. Several transportation problems and others, including the developments of foreign markets, both at home and abroad, will be taken up by the board during the early fall.

Before this short Springfield section. has gone to press the Board of Trade will have held its second annual clambake, an institution which, in a single year, has become very popular. This year the "clambakers" will be fortunate enough to have preceded their dinner with a greeting from President Taft, for, as the bake is to take place on September 15th, arrangements have been made to give the President a rousing send-off when his train passes through the city shortly after noon. After all, good fellowship of the right kind pays!

Very truly yours,

C. HENRY HATHAWAY, Secretary Springfield Board of Trade.