chamber of commerce

chamber of commerce, any of various voluntary organizations of business firms, public officials, professional people, and public-spirited citizens. They are primarily interested in publicizing, promoting, and developing commercial and industrial opportunities in their areas; they also seek to improve community schools, streets, housing, public works, fire and police protection, parks, playgrounds, and recreational and tourist facilities.

The one trade association that is truly international in scope is the International Chamber of Commerce. Founded in 1920, it is a world federation of business organizations, business firms, and business people. It frequently acts as the voice of the business community in the international field and presents the business point of view to governments and to world public opinion. The organization was granted the highest consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, that of category A. In addition to publishing a quarterly called World Trade, the International Chamber of Commerce operates a court of arbitration that provides conciliation and arbitration facilities for the settlement of commercial disputes for members of disparate nationalities. In the majority of cases the awards of this court are accepted and executed.

Chambers of commerce are common to most industrialized countries operating within a free-enterprise or mixed system. Such organizations generally find the need for some form of national affiliation, so as to present an agreed front to central governments.

The title of chamber of commerce is applied to somewhat differing types of bodies in the various countries. In the United Kingdom and Belgium, for example, they are voluntary associations, whose members provide financial resources by subscription. In the other countries of the European Union and in some Latin American countries, they are bodies whose functions, membership, financial resources, and organization are prescribed by law. In such circumstances the chambers of commerce often undertake duties that are elsewhere usually performed by local or central governments.

The first use of the name—chambre de commerce—was in regard to a temporary commission set up in Paris in 1601 to examine industrial and commercial problems. The Marseilles chamber was established in 1599 by that city and granted letters patent in 1650; it was the first chamber in the sense in which the term is now used. A decree by Louis XIV ordered that chambers be created to nominate deputies to the royal council of commerce in Paris. A number of these organizations were, therefore, founded during the 18th century, principally in the ports. The chambers were abolished during the French Revolution in 1791 and reestablished by Napoleon in 1804. Subsequent legislation has redefined their functions, tasks, and constitution; the law of 1858 still provides the basic framework, putting the French chambers of commerce under close governmental supervision. The functions of these chambers are many; they generally include representing the interests of members to local and national authorities, issuing certificates of origin, nominating members to consultative committees, providing advice on import duties and commercial legislation, establishing training schools, and organizing exhibitions, public works, and administration of ports or airports.

The first British chamber of commerce was founded in Jersey in 1768; as the nearest territory to France, it naturally adopted the French title. There followed Glasgow and Belfast (1783); Edinburgh and Leeds (1785); Manchester (1794); Birmingham (1813); and Liverpool (1850). The Great Exhibition (1851) stimulated the formation of 13 in that decade. Junior chambers of commerce (to provide for businessmen between the ages of 21 and 40) were introduced in 1925; by the late 20th century there were well over a hundred of them.

The oldest chamber of commerce in the United States is that of the state of New York, formed in 1768 when New York was still a British colony. The first city chamber was formed in 1773 in Charleston, S.C. The Chamber of Commerce of the United States, “a national federation working for good citizenship, good government and good business,” was founded in 1912. In the late 20th century its membership comprised more than 40,000 business members and more than 4,000 organization members including trade and professional associations and local, state, and regional chambers of commerce. The national chamber of commerce had an underlying membership of more than 5,000,000 individuals and firms. Its various departments provided information and advice on all items of controversy between business and government, notably regulatory measures, expenditures, tariffs, taxes, and labour-management relations. Its monthly magazine, Nation’s Business, enjoyed a large circulation, as did its research publications, committee reports, special bulletins, and annual booklet on policies that it advocated.

Chambers of commerce are synonymous in Canada with boards of trade. Interest in their formation was stimulated by the success of French chambers in expanding home and overseas trade. The first was established in Halifax in 1750, and the next in Montreal in 1822. Coordination is provided by seven provincial offices. The national body is the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, with headquarters in Montreal; it provides information about federal legislation, disseminates commercial information to members, and encourages business education. There are also a few hundred junior chambers of commerce in Canada.