Barcelona Consortium Meeting - November 6, 1916 PDF

# City of Barcelona Meeting, November 6, 1916 On November 6, 1916, a meeting was held in the city of Barcelona under the presidency of the accidental Mayor, Don Luis Durán y Ventosa. The meeting was attended by representatives of the entities authorized by Royal Decree (R.D.) of October 24, 1916, t...

# City of Barcelona Meeting, November 6, 1916 On November 6, 1916, a meeting was held in the city of Barcelona under the presidency of the accidental Mayor, Don Luis Durán y Ventosa. The meeting was attended by representatives of the entities authorized by Royal Decree (R.D.) of October 24, 1916, to form a consortium. The following individuals were present: * **Count of Caralt** (National Work Promotion) * **Girona** (Catalan Agricultural Institute of San Isidro) * **Perpiña** (Official Chamber of Commerce and Navigation) * **Grañé** * **Vega** * **Gili** * **Vila Marieges** * **Rocha** who were the members of the City Commission of Neutral Zones. The Secretary of the Commission, Don Oriol Martorell, was absent. In the absence of the President of the Official Chamber of Industry, the Count of Caralt, as a member of the Board, expressed the Chamber's adherence to all agreements that were adopted. The President of the Board of Harbor Works sent a letter explaining the reasons why he could not yet appoint a delegate for the Board, agreeing that the letter should be attached to the file. Regarding the representation of labor unions involved in maritime traffic, the Mayor informed the meeting about the visits by the Committee of Labor Unions, which promoted a neutral zone and asked to be heard before a final decision was made regarding labor representation in the consortium. The Mayor also mentioned the visit by a commission from the Society for the Promotion of the Merchant Marine, composed of marine captains, who stated that they considered their Corporation to have a better right than other associations to intervene in these matters. When the discussion turned to finances, Mr. Girona asked if the government would grant the Barcelona Commercial Deposit the same powers as the Cadiz Deposit. Mr. Count of Caralt expressed his appreciation for the quick action taken by the City Council in this important matter. He emphasized the need to first establish the consortium and then proceed with studying the Bylaws. Mr. Rocha also agreed that setting up the consortium was a priority, even if it meant that they would need to wait for a formal legal entity to form before making requests as laid out in the R.D. of October 24, 1916. The meeting then discussed the representational role of labor in the consortium. The Mayor informed the attendees of the response to his query to the Governor regarding labor representation. Following a long discussion about how best to ensure fair representation, the group decided to appeal to the Government, as the sole authority to interpret its own legislation. The meeting decided to: 1. Establish the consortium for the organization and operation of the Commercial Deposit as outlined in the R.D. of October 24, 1916, with the two entities that were not present at the meeting (Board of Harbor Works and Labor Organizations) retaining their allocated representation under the R.D. 2. Request the Government grant formal approval of the established Commercial Deposit. 3. Immediately request the Minister of Finance to authorize commercial transactions in Barcelona and to grant the Barcelona Commercial Deposit the same tariff privileges as the Cadiz Free Deposit, as stated in the authorization of September 22, 1914, along with all subsequent legislation. 4. Establish a committee comprised of representatives from the participating economic entities to draft the bylaws. 5. Hold a meeting to discuss the general guidelines of the bylaws, with an invitation extended to representatives of Labor Organizations. The meeting was adjourned. The Secretary, the President, and the date are shown at the end of the document, though the handwriting is too difficult to read.