The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-11-15
ADVERTISING TAX
New Plan to Raise Money to EX-
plot Topeka.
Has Been Used Successfully in
Other Cities.
BENEFITS TO ALL.
So Why Should Commercial
Club Bear Burden
Details of the New Plan EX-
planned by Burge.

The Commercial club will get in line
With a movement started by the com
mercial executives of the country with
a view to making possible a city tax
to pay for municipal advertising under
the general supervision of the COM
mercial body of the city.
The public improvement committee
with N. B. Burge as chairman has the
question in hand. This is one of the
important subjects discussed at the
convention of the National Association
of Commercial executives held in
Grand Rapids last month";" said George
S. Badders, secretary of the CONNER
cial club.
1T was the general consensus OF
opinion that any publicity or munich
pal advertising is a benefit to the city
as a whole and not merely to few
merchants, and therefore the whole
c;'y should pay for it. The only way
of getting all property owners on an
equitable basis is to take the money
out of a, general tax fund.
Several cities have already adopte1
this plan. The money is expended by
the Commercial club by and with the
advice of the city officials.
THE matter will be taken up with
the city officials in Topeka, and if we
cannot, under our present ordinances,
use a municipal fund for this purpose,
we will endeavor to have laws passed
to meet this end"
Every city has something to sell"
says the campaign literature that is be-
ing circulated. IA city has vacant lots
to be builded upon, schools ami
churches to be supported, merchants to
be patronized, streets paved, and q
destiny to determine. Information con-
oft ar a
be compiled accurately and completely.
The attention of the commercial organ
ization first should be directed to put
ting the house in der,'-that is, look
ing to the betterment of existing con-
ditiOns in order that those industries
upon which the town is at present de-
pendent should be satisfied, before any
effort is made to attract new indus
tries.
with this preliminary work done,
the city itself should undertake an ad-
vertising campaign to call the atten-
ton of the business world to oppor-
tunities within its corporate limits.
And the cost of this advertising should
be paid for by those who get the bene-
fits and not alone by those who are
blessed with that other essential fac
tor in American progress, civic pride.
''If advertising brings new industries
or new citizens, the immediate result
is an increased land valuation, and the
property OWneIy-DS HIS property III
the city or in the suburbs,-is the
recipient directly or indirectly of re-
sulting advantages. The landlord who
rents to the down town merchant raises
the price of the rental; the merchant
pays the higher rent and is happy, be-
cause he foresees a larger business.
The nonresident property owner, the
man who cannot be found when the
general subscription fund is being
passed around, but who can always oe
found when a purchaser is on hand to
pay high price for his property,-en-
Joys increased valuation on his hold
ings The narrowminded. closefisted
citizen. who will not loosen his purse
strings, but who will burn the midnight
oil calculating increased profits from
an advertising campaign. paid for by
others. is compelled to pay his share.
"And what is this share? Take fOl
instance the city of Schenectady, with
1000 population. and an assessed val
uation of s3S. 900 600 An appropriation
Of one-haIf mill tax would net s19 Coz
as fund by means of which Schenec-
tady's advantages might be exploited
Every man pays his share, and it is MOI
necessary for any committee to GO
around from door to door on a beggins
expedition. No professional money
raising expert is made necessary AND
his compensation of ten or twenty PEI
cent of the fund raised, is saved