[Trade Journal]
Publication: Thirty-Fourth Annual Report of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
Cincinnati, OH, United States
p. 1,55-59,65,76-77,147,260-269,302,316,322,330, col. 1
THIRTY-FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CINCINNATI
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AND
MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE,
FOR THE
COMMERCIAL YEAR ENDING AUGUST 31, 1882.
CINCINNATI:
THE MORNING JOURNAL BOOK AND JOB ROOMS.
MDCCCLXXXII.
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CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF OFFICERS.
CINCINNATI, September 1, 1882.
To the Members of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and Merchants' Exchange:
Your Board of Officers, in retiring from the honorable positions to which you called them, would congratulate the Chamber upon the year of unprecedented prosperity just closed.
The report of the Treasurer shows:
Balance in treasury September 1, 1881 ...................................... $4,301 22
Receipts..................................................................................... 221,779 37
Expenditures.............................................................................. 36,667 38
Balance September 1, 1882....................................................... 189,413 21
Total assets................................................................................. 229,413 21
On November 25th, the Chamber removed from its old quarters, which had long been an eye-sore to the members, to the more commodious and pleasant rooms now occupied, but which, with our largely increased membership, are so crowded that we look forward to the building of our new and permanent home with the liveliest interest.
As the time is rapidly approaching when attention to the details of building will be required, a permanent Real Estate Committee should be appointed by the Chamber, to have full control of all matters pertaining to the erection of the new building, on the corner of Fourth and Vine streets. It is understood that the Committee on Revision of the Constitution will offer an amendment to provide for this end.
On January 6th, the Committee on Terminal Facilities made a report to the Chamber in the form of a bill, entitled "An act to grant to the City of Cincinnati, for Belt Railroad purposes, a certain part of the Miami and Erie Canal," and on which, after consideration by the Chamber, an election was ordered, resulting in the adoption of the report by a majority of 175. Through unfortunate management at Columbus the bill failed to pass, but it is hoped that a measure of such vital importance to Cincinnati will receive the attention of the Legislature, and in the near future be made a law.
A change in form and terms of membership having long been thought desirable, to place the Chamber of Commerce upon an equal footing with similar organizations throughout the country, a committee, consisting of H. C. Urner, Theo. Cook, W. N. Hobart, S. Lester Taylor, Richard Smith, M. E. Ingalls, William Shaffer, W. J. Lippincott, T. J. Emery, John V. Lewis, C. M. Holloway, H. D. Peck, B. Eggleston, Solomon Levi, S. H. Burton, R. Dymond, Florence Marmet, David Sinton, Larz Anderson and B. W. Gale, was appointed by the Board for consideration of the subject.
After holding several meetings they reported the following proposed amendments to the Constitution, which were adopted at the quarterly meeting in March, by a vote of695 in favor and39 opposed:
To strike out all of Article I, and substitute therefor the following:
ARTICLE I.
MEMBERSHIP.
SECTION 1. This Association shall comprise active and honorary members.
SEC. 2. Any person of good character, and of lawful age, on the proposal of one member, seconded by another, and on presentation of a written application stating the nature of his business, and such other information as the Board of Officers may require, may be admitted to active membership, if elected by the Board of Officers, on paying the initiation fee hereinafter provided, together with the annual assessment then due; or on presentation of a certificate of unimpaired or unforfeited membership duly transferred to him; and on signing an agreement to abide by the Constitution, Rules and Regulations of the Association, and all amendments that may be made thereto.
SEC. 3. The Board of Officers may, by unanimous vote, admit to honorary membership any person who, from eminence, shall seem entitled to such consideration; and such honorary membership shall confer all the rights and privileges of active members during life, unless withdrawn for cause. But not more than one person shall be so admitted in any one year. To insert as Article II, the following:
ARTICLE II.
INITIATIONS.
From and after the date of the passage of this amendment until January 1, 1883, the initiation fee shall be two hundred and fifty dollars; from January 1, 1883, until January 1, 1884, five hundred dollars; and thereafter, one thousand dollars.
To insert as Article III, the following:
ARTICLE III.
CERTIFICATES OF MEMBERSHIP.
SECTION 1. Subject to the terms and conditions prescribed by Sections 2 and 3 of this Article, each active member shall be entitled to receive a certificate of membership, bearing the corporate seal of the Association, and the signatures of the President and Secretary, which certificate, if the membership it represents is not in any way impaired or forfeited, shall be transferable upon the books of the Association to any person eligible to membership who may be elected by the Board of Officers, upon payment of a transfer fee of five dollars, and any unpaid assesssments [sic] assessments due thereon. The certificate of a deceased member may be transferred in like manner by his legal representatives.
SEC. 2. Each active member, admitted after the passage of this amendment, shall be entitled to receive a certificate of membership, on payment of the initiation fee.
SEC. 3. Each person, who is a member at the time of the passage of this amendment, shall, at his own option, be entitled to receive a certificate of membership upon paying to the Association one hundred dollars; Provided, that, within two months from the date of the passage of this amendment, he shall avail himself of this privilege, and make the required payment therefor.
Sec. 4. The membership of any present member who does not avail himself of the privilege of taking a certificate, as provided in the foregoing section, shall not be in anyway affected by his declining to pay for and receive such certificate.
SEC. 5. Upon the tranfer [sic] transfer of his certificate upon the books of the Association, the membership of the person so transferring his certificate shall cease.
SEC. 6. In case of the loss of any certificate, and of a claim that a new certificate be issued in place thereof, the owner shall make an affidavit stating the fact of such loss; he shall cause an advertisement to be published daily, for ten days, in one of the daily newspapers of Cincinnati, describing the lost certificate, and notifying all persons in interest to show cause why a new certificate should not be issued in place of the lost one; and he shall give such bond as the Board of Officers may require, for the purpose of indemnifying the Association from all damage that it may sustain inconsequence of the issuing of a new certificate. Upon compliance with these conditions, the Board of Officers shall cause a certificate to be issued to such claimant, if he shall appear to be entitled to the same, in place of the lost certificate.
To insert as Article IV, the following:
ARTICLE IV.
ANNUAL ASSESSMENT.
The annual assessment upon each active membership, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Association, shall be twenty-five dollars, and shall be payable, in advance, on the first day of September of every year. Any member neglecting or refusing to pay the same within thirty days thereafter, shall be excluded from the rooms of the Association, until payment is made; and any member failing to pay the assessment during the whole of any fiscal year of the Association, shall be deemed to have relinquished his membership, and the same shall be forfeited; and such person shall thereafter be re-admitted only as a new applicant; Provided, that, so far as the present membership is concerned, no change in the annual assessment shall be made until the close of the present fiscal year, September 1, 1882.
To insert as Article V, the following:
ARTICLE V.
CLERKS, MESSENGERS AND REPORTERS.
SECTION I. Each firm or business house, one or more of the members of which are members of the Association, upon the approval of the Board of Officers of the person for whom the application is made, shall be entitled to one or more clerk's tickets of admission to the daily Exchange meetings of the Association, on payment of the regular annual assessment of members, for each and every clerk; but the holder of a clerk's ticket must be in the employ of the member applying for the same, and he shall not have the right to transact any business in the Exchange rooms for any other person than the employer, to whom the ticket may have been issued. Any clerk's ticket, and all payments for the same, may be declared forfeited by the Board of Officers, upon satisfactory evidence that the person holding it has abused any of the privileges granted by it, or that he is not a bona fide employe of the person upon whose application it was issued.
SEC. 2. The Board of Officers shall be authorized, under such restrictions, regulations and limitations as they may deem proper, to grant admission to the Exchange rooms, to messengers for members, such messengers not to be allowed to transact any business beyond communicating with their principal, and not to remain longer than is necessary for that purpose.
SEC. 3. Upon the approval of the Board of Officers, reporters of daily newspapers published in the City of Cincinnati may be admitted to the Exchange rooms, without charge.
To repeal Section 2 of Article II, and to change said Article to read Article VI.
To change Article III to read Article VII.
To change Article IV to read Article VIII.
To change Article V to read Article IX.
To change Article VI to read Article X, and to strike out of Section 1, the words "to transfer from one class of members to the other, as change of business or profession may require," and to change Section4 to read as follows: "No professional counsel shall be permitted to appear in behalf of any member who may be arraigned before the Board of Officers under the second section of this Article, and no member shall be so arraigned, unless, by a vote by yea and nay, a majority of the Board shall decide the alleged cause to be within their jurisdiction."
To change Article VII to read Article XI.
To change Article VIII to read Article XII.
To change Article IX to read Article XIII.
To change Article X to read Article XIV.
To change Article XI to read Article XV.
To change Article XII to read Article XVI.
To change Article XIII to read Article XVI.
On July 5th, J. N. Wooliscroft, James B. Wilson, B. W. Wasson, Reed Case and C. S. Maguire were appointed to revise the rules governing the grain trade. This Committee has not yet reported, but it is hoped that this subject may receive the attention its importance demands. Many of the existing rules are meaningless, some contradictory, and nearly all need revision.
The desirableness of adding to the regular benefits of membership in the Chamber of Commerce the advantages of some kind of life insurance, which should inure to the families of members at death, has received the attention of the Board in the past year, and in furtherance of this end the Chamber, on the 13th of June, unanimously adopted the following:
Resolved, That a Committee of seven members, one of whom shall be the President of the Chamber, be appointed to investigate the subject of providing a Gratuity Fund after the manner of the New York Stock Exchange, and the New York Produce Exchange, for the next of kin of any member of the Chamber who may die, and that they report as to the practicability of this Chamber adopting the same plan, or one producing similar results, and suggest such legislation as may be necessary, in the event that the Chamber shall deem it advisable to provide a fund for the purpose above designated.
The President thereupon appointed the following members as said Committee: S. F. Covington, John V. Lewis, John A. Gano, W. W. Taylor, G. P. Griffith and W. & N. Hobart. This Committee has held a number of meetings, and has given much attention to the subject, but has not thus far agreed upon all the details necessary to the presentation of a perfect system for the Chamber. A conclusion, however, has been reached as to the main points involved, and an early report may be expected for the consideration of the Association.
The Board has appointed this year the following gentlemen as Commissioners to the Cincinnati Industrial Exposition: Thomas G. Smith, A. W. Ross, S. W. Ramp, B. F. Hopkins and Michael Ryan. The usual subscription has also been given to the Guarantee Fund, and the indications now point to one of the most successful Expositions yet held.
The growth of Cincinnati as a hay market, and the demand fora system of inspection which should be a protection to the purchaser, led to the adoption, May 2d, of rules governing the inspection of this article, and the appointment of Mr. H. C. Secrist as Hay Inspector.
While removing from the old quarters, and before the premises had been remanded to Mr. J. R. Smith, a Mrs. Shoup fell into the cellar, sustaining serious injuries by reason of the grating having been left open. Mrs. Shoup commenced legal action against the Chamber for heavy damages, and upon the advice of our attorneys, Messrs. Hoadly Johnson & Colston, the matter was compromised upon the payment of $750, and the suit was withdrawn.
For the purpose of expediting the work of receiving market reports, the Board during the past year arranged with the Gold and Telegraph Stock Company to place in the Exchange three tickers, one at each of the bulletin boards. This change greatly reduced the interval between the transmission and receipt of our reports at the Exchange, and very materially increased the value of this branch of the service.
At the quarterly meeting, in July, S. Lester Taylor offered the following resolution, which was adopted unanimously:
Resolved, That a Committee of nine be appointed by the President, to revise the Constitution of the Chamber and its Rules and Regulations, and to prepare a bill for legislative action, should that be deemed necessary.
Resolved, That President URNER is hereby appointed Chairman of the Committee.
The President appointed the following members to serve on the Committees : S. Lester Taylor, C. M. Holloway, Theo. Cook, B. Eggleston, W. N. Hobart, H. Wilson Brown, J. R. Megrue and Adolph Wood.
This Committee is giving careful consideration to this subject, and a report may soon be expected from them.
The Superintendent of the Exchange has again been authorized to act as an expert of the Treasury Department, in matters pertaining to the commercial and transportation interests of this city and vicinity, and has performed a service which will be of permanent value to the business welfare of the city.
The mortality list for the year is large, comprising the following: Walter R. Garrison, S. S. Rowe, Isaac L. Chase, Geo. Schrauder, Eugene Grasselli, Henry E. Spencer, Archibald Macbrair, James P. Gay, Samuel S. Clarke, Charles L. Wrenn, Wm. B. Maddux, Solomon Levi, Chas. J. W. Smith, Geo. F. Doughty, Daniel Jung, Thomas B. Richards, H. Thane Miller, jun., William Clarke, John Anderegg, Henry B. Henning, Jacob Bowman.
By order of the Board,
JOHN H. LONG,
Secretary.
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GENERAL REVIEW.
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THE MANUFACTURES OF THE CITY OF CINCINNATI.
Table showing the cash capital invested, the value of real estate occupied, and the number of hands employed, in the various classes of manufactures in the City of Cincinnati and immediate vicinity, together with the aggregate value of the production, and the number of establishments engaged in each, for two years:
CROCKERY, GLASSWARE, ETC.
The business in crockery, china and glassware has increased over the previous year. Our own potters have been busily employed, having turned out increased quantities of goods, though at low prices, and on slender margins. They have engaged actively in decoration, and are producing goods which highly commend themselves to the trade. They have been re-enforced by a new pottery, known as the Matt Morgan pottery, in which a few experienced artists, embracing the distinguished artist whose name it bears, have sought to lay the foundations of a manufactory, unpretentious in its beginning, but ambitious in the end sought to be attained, where all the better grades of pottery may be produced, after the best models, and by skilled hands. They give promise of results which will add another creditable chapter to our efforts to give true art, in this particular, a permanent home in this city. There has been a steady improvement in the style of goods manufactured here, the spasmodic efforts of the amateur having largely ripened into permanent methods, having for their object the supply of a demand which is now universal. Our dealers mainly report good year's work. The early months of the year were favorable. When spring came, the effects of the partial failure of the crops were felt. Sales were less, and collections from the interior merchants were behind. The later months, however, brought compensation, and especially when abundant harvests became reasonably assured, was there marked acceleration. The demand for the better class of goods, which was apparent in the previous year, was more marked in the late one. The wares in which art is combined with utility, find the readiest sale. Nearly everything is decorated. A few years ago, not one dinner set in fifty was decorated; now, not one in fifty is purely white. Then, the growth of articles purely ornamental is worthy of note. The counters and shelves of our stores are crowded with works of art, which go to make up a well furnished house, that a comparatively few years ago were the exceptions. While prices generally have not shown marked decline, there has been a general tendency to lower prices, which has been specially apparent in fancy goods. The demand for glassware has been equally good with the previous year, and, as in the case of crockery, there has been a growing inquiry for better grades of goods. While the quality of American glassware shows a steady advance, the general average of the goods imported of this class is also superior to former years. The production of glassware, in this city, has increased over any preceding year, though our furnaces have not at all times been running to full capacity. The number of furnaces was increased at the close of the preceding year, so that our capacity for production is now about 25 per cent. more than it was previously. Prices have been fully 10 per cent. lower on such goods as manufactured here. Wages have been about ten per cent. higher, while raw materials have been somewhat cheaper. Competition has been active, our manufacturers, especially, having felt the effects of foreign production.
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MEMBERS
OF THE
CINCINNATI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE.
MARCH 13, 1883.
(The first column indicates the number of the Certificate of Membership. Where a blank exists therein, the membership has no Certificate.)
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