BOOST MISSOURI’ PLAN.

|
FIRST.STEP IN STATE-WIDE PRO-|
GRAM FAKEN AT COLUMBIA.

-| Industrial Expansion and Pro-
motion of Resources—Adver-
tising to Play a Big

: Part.

(By The Star’s. Own Service.y
Cotumera, Mo., March 3.—Two
_| hundred leaders representing every
phase of Missouri life met here to-
day for a 2-day session looking to’
the adoption of a state-wide pro-
gram of industrial expansion and
promotion of Missouri resources.
The meeting is the initial step in
a movement designed to place Mis-
souri in the forefront of states seck-
ing to capitalize on New and revo-
lutionary shifts in industry and
population. |
“The present drift is obviously to |
the west and the south,” said Hugh i
Stephens of Jefferson City, state
highway and civic leader. . “We are
the erossroads of the continent with
much to offer and with a trend in
our direction. We must work out
ways and means to Capitalize on
the opportunity.

“Few. states have achieved so
much as Missouri with so little tan-
gible co-operation between groups. |
None has a better balanced combi-
nation of year ’round climate
coupled with natural resources, di-
versified agriculture. industrial pro-
duction, transportation facilities
and recreational appeal.”

NEED FULL CO-OPERATION.

This achievement, Stephens ex->,
plained, had been in the form of
highways, education, recreation, so~
cial advancement and other prog-
ress, rather than in bringing new
facilities and development from the
Outside into the state. It would
take an integrated, state-wide
movement, divorced from all selfish
or sectional interests, he said, to do
the work now necessary,
>| Stephens and other leaders spoke
*|in support of the proposal to revive
_}and enlarge the state chamber of
commerce, the occasion of the meet-
ing. The moyement was explained
by George F. Olendorf of Spring-
field, chamber president, and Her-
_'|man L. Traber of Kansas City out-
‘| lined a proposed 5-year program of
‘| state-wide development, advertising |
‘-|and other promotion’ to make Mis-
souri advantages known throughout
.| the country.

How. other states were spending

poses was shown by John M. Guild
|of Kansas City. For instance, Cali-
fornia has a state chamber budget
of $650,000 and spends nearly $550,-
000 for advertising annually. Twenty-
one other states spend amounts
ranging from $50,000 to ten times

 

 

jandpromotion ie

large sums of money for these pur- |

that sum for research, advertising

CHAMBER BUDGET OF $25,000.

In Missouri it is proposed to have
a chamber budget of about $25,000
and to provide much larger amounts
for the development work. It is
hoped to get a legislative appropria-

| provided. ;

Moreland Brown, president of the
newly organized Travel in Missouri
association, said New York state
within a few years built up its
annual tourist business from 200
million dollars to more than 400 mil-

' |lion, Reports showed, he said, that

for every dollar spent in this form

was brought into a state.

Missourians spent 135 million dol-
lars a year in tourist travel, it was
shown, but only 35 million of it
within the state.

Others who spoke in support of
the Missouri development program:

Dwight H. Brown, secretary of state:
Edward K. Love of St. Louis, civic
leader and wild life benefactor: Col.
| R. A. Johnston, mayor of Boonville
/and president of the Lake of the
| Ozarks association; George C. Smith
of St. Louis, industrial development
director of the Katy railroad: C. H.
‘Denman of Sikeston, vice-president

of the Missouri Press association, and
J. W. Burch, agricultural extension
director of the University of Missouri.

Dan W. Snyder, jr., of Jefferson
City, ahd George B. Chandler, secre-
tary of the Ohio Chamber of Com-
/ merce, shared the speaking platform
at tonight’s dinner.

MENTIONS ATTRACTIONS HERE.

Chandler pointed to population
losses and other regressive traits of
the state and pointed to methods
which could reverse the trends in
industry and agriculture. He spe-
cifically mentioned the William
Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and
Atkins Museum, the Kansas City

 

 

| tion to supplement. funds otherwise}

of advertising and promotion $1,000

|

}
il

 

 

 

residential district and other out-
standing features of the state as
possibilities of making Missouri more
_ than a “1-day stop” for tourists.

_ ‘Chandler also pointed to the pos-
| sibilities of the state, explaining

_that a state with twenty-one cities

| with more than 5,000 population, ten

exceeding 10,000, two with more than |
| 50,000, and four exceeding 50,000, |
/ Some of which “have made marvel-

/ ous growth,” could not be overlooked,

 

_nor could the fact that ‘Missouri has |.

: the most industries of any state west
, of the Mississippi river.”

| Snyder, urging that the Kansas
/City and St. Louis Chambers of

/Commerce support the program, |

| said: |

‘+ “We must organize ourselves to)

sell the state—even if it comes to)
/making a sales point of the Jesse |
_James country.”

District meetings similar to the |-
state gathering held here have been |
set for March 21 in Hannibal, March |
24 in Excelsior Springs, March 28 in |

Poplar Bluff and an unannounced | ~

date at Springfield, it was an-'|
nounced tonight.