The Washington herald., 1910-05-22
PUBLICITY IN STATES
How a Special Commission
Works in Missouri.
FIRST STUDY THE RESOURCES
Holds Farmers Congresses and
Seeks to Awaken Interest in De-
VeIopment of Local Industry-La-
bOrs for Factories and Opening OF
New Mining Operations.

Several Of the Southern States and
some In the West maintain a state com
mission. charged principally with adver-
tising the resources of the Common
wealth and through mediums Of publicity
seeking to induce people from the out
side 20 become permanent citizens.
These commissions are often useful in
[ building up the resources and working
forces Of their States when they are not
established for the purpose OF giving GER
tain politicians fat jobs.
! A good illustration OF the working State
/ immigration commission is found in Mis-
souri,, where efforts are being made, with
some success, to induce Northern and
Eastern farmers and investors 20 come
20 that State. In a letter 10 G. Grosvenor
Dave. of the Southern Commercial Con-
I gress. J. H. Curran. chief Of the commits
sion, describes briefly the work Of the
commission.
work of Commission.
/ In part he says:
I I'VE were organized last August, but
were not ready for business until OCto-
Der. having had trouble with our appro-
]
party Of twenty-five State officials. press
/ representatives. and others took a trip
Of exploration through the heart of the
( Ozark regions on horseback, by fat boat
( by logging road, and afoot, spending a
week in the most unsettled parts Of the
! Mississippi Valley. at times being thirty
4 five miles from the railroad.
] our next object was the organization
OF the Springfield land congress. the first
Of series, IN which we set a pace and
where we had 5000 people 10 see our
exhibits and 10 hear our back to the
farm lectures. In March the governor
and party took a trip Of exploration
through Southeast Missouri drainage
district
You attended our farm home confer
Ience last week Our next meeting is the
Ironton land congress. which bids fair
To outstrip anything Of its kind ever at
tempted. We have In view another con-
Eress in September az Moberly. I'm which
/ Northeast Missouri viii participate. 20 be
followed by one in St Joseph for North
west Missouri
Many Smaller Propositions.
1T would be hard 20 recall the smaller
propositions we have enunclated for pub
.licity. We have one contest IN progress
giving eighty prizes 20 children OF Mis-
souri under sixteen years OF age for
essays written on Missouri and her re-
sources. We have another contest for
citizens Of the State over sixteen years of
age. giving a fve-acre farm and other
prizes for the best plan and thesis Of a
hvc-aCre farm. We also have a contest
running giving 10 any citizen Of the Unit
ed states a fve-acre farm in the Arcadia
Valley for the largest number OF words
constructed from letters In the two
words Missouri homes Proper names
and abbreviations barred. all words %
appear in the Century Dictionary. and
no letters to be used a greater number OF
times than appear in the given words.
I'VE are arranging for a correspond
eEce school of agriculture. We have
organized the real estate men into a body
and will recommend legislation 10 The
next legislature which viii put the land
business Of Missouri on a strong founda-
ton We are investigating thoroughly
every possibility Of the State, both FOR
farm homes and Industrial propositions
as well as mining possibilities. water
power, &c.
Mr.. Pinchot comes to Missouri for a
weeks trip as soon as he arrives from
Europe. We are taking the ten best
scholars in our school OF journalism foI
a trip over the whole State. and have ar
ranged with the local and outside news
papers for publicity We have a number
OF other different propositions in view
that are not yet ready 10 announce"