Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-11
COME HERE To SHOP
Chamber of Commerce Hears
Report on the Movement.
PRAISE FOR SCHOOL LAW
Adoption Of Resolution Aimed at
Benning Gambling"
MATTER OF THE ANNUAL DUES
Consideration Given to Proposed
Amendment to the Code Of Laws
Of the District.
PRAISE FOR SCHOOL LAW
MATTER OF THE ANNUAL DUES

Matters Of moment to the District OF
Columbia and it's citizens were given
consideration at a largely attended meet
ing Of the Chamber Of Commerce last
evening at the Hotel Raleigh.
A resolution AIMED at 1.-The gambling
for two weeks, twice year at Benning,"
was unanimously adopted.
| The decision was reached to continue
the annual dues Of the chamber at $40.
| The success that is attending the COM
Observation-Disclosures shopping movement
was described in the report Of Chairman
D. J. kaufman.
The present school law was Endorsed
and praised in the report Of the commit
tee on schools.
Amendments to the present usury law
Of the District were given consideration.
| When the Chamber Of Commerce was
called to order by the president, Robert
tendance was large and representative
one. An amendment to the constitution
presented by Chaplin Brown and propos-
Ing that the annual dues be reduced
| d
but President Harper. exercising his
prerogative. cast the deciding vote, de-
claring the proposition lost
The motion of Mr.. Brown was that the
dues of the chamber be reduced the I'M
Outstanding being that the dues should,
be liked at $40 year. The question
| was discussed in three-minute speeches.
the proposal to reduce the dues being
Syme, Albert Schulteis, T. c. H. Vance.
P. M. Brown and John Fleming, while
those opposed were D. J. Kaufman, John
L. Weaver, Postmaster Barnes, A. S.
Trundle, Ross p. Andrews. D. S. Porter,
G. Y. Worthington and Allen D. Albert.
Come-Here-to-Shop Report.
Much routine business was transacted,
including committee reports AND discus
sions. Perhaps the most interesting and
important report presented was. that of
the retail trade committee, through its
chairman, Mr.. kaufman. The report
stated that "since the November meeting
Of the chamber of commerce the retail
trade committee has put into execution
its out-of-town Shopping plan, and 1 am
pleased to report this evening entirely
sd satisfactory results.
1.-The vice chairman of THIS committee,
Mr.. Norman Gait, reported a month ago
to you that forty-seven business men had
| been enrolled on the list of those partici-
pating. and that a total of 81. 200 had been
subscribed toward the expenses of the
campaign. Within two weeks after that
report was made the number of business
men subscribing had been increared to
ninety -eight, and a total of 81 800 raised.
1t was necessary then to close the sub
scription list in order that the literature
of the committee might be placed in the
hands of the printer and the forms closed,
or a considerably larger number would
| have been added.
Encouraging Feature.
This fact in Itself is very encour-
aging feature of the committees work.
for the reason that never before in the
history of the city has there been such
| united action on the part of Washington
| business men, and it augurs well for the
success Of future efforts on the part of
the committee and the Chamber of Com
MERGE at large.
Immediately after the last meeting Of
this chamber the committee opened head
quarters at the northeast corner of Penn
| sylvania avenue and 18th street, a loca-
ton which seemed to be the most avail
| able. and at the same time best suited for
| the purposes of the work.
The out-of-town campaign of publicity
| was commenced Immediately afters the
closing Of the subscription list. This cam
paign has been conducted on the following
| lines:
SP1cdOA0S Lue NeWS.
| Every good daily, semi weekly and
weekly medium in the natural trade zone
about Washington. in the three surround
Ing states, was requested to submit rates
for advertising. The boundaries of this
zone are indicated in general by Fred
| ericksburg, Lynchburg, Cumberland,
Frederick. Hagerstown. Annapolis. and
| Upper Marlboro. In many instances a
| considerable reduction OF rates was OBJ
| tanned and, finally, eleven dailies, eleven
| weeklies and three semi-weeklies were
used. In the dailies each. carried an
eighty-inch ad four times, and in the
weeklies and semi-weeklies the same ad
twice. This ad was set up and stereotype
plates made without charge to the com
mittee by the Washington Herald,
| through the courtesy of Mr. Bone. Those
| out charge by the Maurice Joyce Engrav-
ing Company. through the courtesy of
| Mr.. H. G. c. Stiles. In Winchester, Hern-
/ don and Martinsbu-g the newspapers re-
| the copy. and in fredericksburg the edi-
| tor of the local paper there was COM
| PEELED to discontinue our ad after the
j first two issues by his advertisers. In
| all the other papers. however, we found
| no difficulty in carrying out our contracts
and. more than this, each printed spe-
| cial news story of almost column in
length without charge. In the towns into
|
| distributed the committees booklet from
/ house to house, and have mailed them
| out from mailing lists furnished by Mr.
| Lisner. In addition to this the Richmond
Time Dispatch issued a special four-page
| section, advertising the same lin the coun-
try papers of Virginia. Is
/ Support by Newspapers.
Locally the newspapers have given the
committee exceptional support. Five spe-
cial sections. devoted to the committees
project. covering three Sundays and one
week day. have been issued. In each of
these, besides special news features,
there has been printed whole page, and
in some instances more than a whole page,
of the business cards of the merchants
participating in the plan, and this with
out charge to the committee orr to the
merchants.
1.-The committee has had printed and
issued 900 copies of a booklet, which Is
at once a souvenir guide and map and a
refund voucher In which are entered the
purchases of out-of-town shoppers. In
addition to mailing these out in answer to
inquiries from advertising and through
mailing lists, $500 copies have been placed
in the hands of students of the leading
educational institutions of the three sur
rounding states. This was accomplished
by obtaining from the heads of these in
situations the names of students who
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