lient features of the convention were the decisions: to double the
annual dues, in order to provide for a paid secretary-manager and to
establish permanent headquarters; to organize a spice grinders' section;
and to ask the government to remove all restrictions on coffee trading.
The Food Administration's coffee regulations came in for severe
criticism.

The election of officers resulted in Carl W. Brand, Cleveland, becoming
president; Robert M. Forbes, St. Louis, first vice-president; J.A.
Folger, San Francisco, second vice-president; and Lewis Sherman,
Milwaukee, treasurer.

The ninth convention of the National Coffee Roasters Association was of
greater import to all branches of the coffee trade than any that had
preceded it. The results of the meeting showed the association had gone
far since the organization meeting in St. Louis in 1911. As in 1916, the
convention was held in Atlantic City, November 12-14, 1919, and drew
delegates from as far west as San Francisco and Seattle.

The most important subjects before the meeting were the reports of the
Joint Coffee Trade Publicity Committee, read by Ross W. Weir, chairman,
and Felix Coste, secretary-manager. The committee had been organized
during the year to carry on the national coffee-advertising campaign,
and announced at the convention its publicity plans for the next year,
which included a national coffee week, a national showing of the
committee's coffee film, and the issuance of several educational
booklets. Other outstanding features included the description of how the
association planned to conduct a research into the cost of doing a
wholesale coffee-roasting business, the investigation to be made by
Columbia University; addresses attacking the meat packers' invasion of
the coffee roasting and distributing field; a paper, and discussions, on
shorter terms and uniform discounts; the recommendation to employ a
traveling field secretary who would hold periodical meetings with local
branches; and the condemnation of guaranteeing prices against decline
and giving advance notices of changes of prices.

The convention unanimously agreed to the re-election of President Brand,
Vice-Presidents Forbes and Folger, and Treasurer Sherman.

The tenth annual meeting was held in St. Louis, November 10-12, 1920.
Scientific cost finding, short terms and discounts, the national
advertising campaign, the activities of the N.C.R.A. freight-forwarding
bureau, and laboratory-rese