The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-12-29
A GOOD HOTELS "MEssAGE"
Brought to Barre by Max L. Powell, the
Apostle of Good Hotels for Vermont.


Apostle of Good Hotels for Vermont.
Max i. Powell Of Burlington, apostle
OF good hotels for Vermont, was the
guest OF Nincitia club at smoke talk
following its annual meeting in the club
rooms last evening, and in the course
Cf an hours talk Senator Powell out
lmtd the rise Of his own new MOTEL, the
Vermont, in burlington, and sought 20
impress upon his hearers that good
new hotel would be a fine feature for
Barre and that il would be paying
proposition as well
After being introduced by President
H. a. Phelps of the club, Senator Powell
told Of the general advantages Of fine
hotel to a community, how a great many
people get their first, as well as their
last, impressions of town or city BY
the hotels in that city or town. He said
that good hotel will be a splendid
advertisement for people to visit the
community, while, on the other hand, a
poor hotel makes "knockers" all a'on9
the line, with the consequent loss 10
the community which gets knocked.
Satisfaction makes boosters
Even better than city hall like Mont
pelier's, than park like st. Adams,
is good hotel he declared. IN fact,
a good hotel will do more than any one
other thing TO boom a city or town.
Coming to the illustration OF the
seven.story hotel in Burlington, whose
erection he financed and OF which com
pany he.is now president the speaker
declared that it had increased the tourist
travel to Burlington fifty per cent. dur
ing the past summer, and they were eX-
pecting eYen greater things next sum
mer. This hotel registered l0600 people
during the season and had 800 automo
bies stop there. Indeed, the hotel Yer
mont made enough in five months to
pay the interest ON the entire invest
ment- of approximately 100000 for one
entire year.
Senator Powell told OF the struggles
he had to finance the big proposition,
how he had to fight fierce competition
with an established hotel, but how the
hotel went ahead in spite Of the dis
eOuragements which met his efforts 20
secure subscriptions. how he met with
pessimism which told him they already
had one hotel in Burlington AMI that
was enough But the hotel was built;
and il wasn't enough, for during the
summer season the Vermont was illed
so that he had TO send the overflow to
certain other hotel not far away.
Everybody was pulling and hauling in
Burlington, although the majority were
with him
But in Barre, he said il would be
different, as everybody would pull to-
gether; and 80 he proceeded to bring the
message Of the good hotel crusade
10 Barre He hadn't bad time, he de-
clared, to determine the exact status OF
the hotel proposition in Barre. but he
knew a hotel was needed and he ex-
pressed his conviction that it would be
paving proposition, because it wouldn't
have such fierce competition as they
bucked up against in Burlington
Calling Barre the winnipeg OF Yer
mont, he said there should be no ques
tion about financing hotel in Barre
costing sl50.000; and You ought to build
il yourself. without the aid OF any "rich
New Workers"
He said that If they had waited for
erich New Workers" to subscribe in
Burlington. the toes OF the promoters
would have all been turned to the daisies
before it would have been accomplished
Why. your merchants can well afford to
90 down in their pockets, every one Of
them. and subscribe for your new hotel,
even il they were to kiss their money
good-bye" (which they wouldn't have to
do, he interposedl, becatse of the in
creased trade it would bring them. Ner-
chants in Burlington had recently told
him their trade was much improved by
the acquisition to the city OF his new
hotel He thought Barre's commercial
life would make new hotel pay, and on
top OF that would be the SUMMER tourist
business which would come to the hotel,
You ought to buiid, he continued, a
hotel OF $50 rooms. for if yon build any
less YOU would find yourself too crowd
ed. Allowance for sl25.000 for the build
ing and $4,000 for the furnishings ought
to make such hotel possible in Barre.
according to his idea The banks ought
TO furnish $4,000; like amount should
be taken in preferred stock subscriptions
and the remainder in common stock
land snap up the common stock, he eau
TONED his hearersl.
Senator Powell's remarks were lis |
tened to with close attention, and he
was heartily applauded at the close. as
we'll as occasionally during the talk, |
As 4 further mark Of appreciation. the
audience, on motion of Senator John w.
Gordon, gave him rising vote of thanks. /
Then buffet lunch was served, and the I
cigars were passed
Prior TO the smoke talk these officers !
were elected by the club at the annual
meeting: President, Henry A. Phelps; /
vice president, John w. Dillon; secre-
tary. Frank +. Austin; treasurer, Frank |
r. Robinson; board of managers, officers |
ex-officio and n. b. Ballard. Donald w /
Smith, James AIackay and w c. John
son, ir; members of membership COM
mittee. Waldron Shields, james Sector,
James f. Smith and Merle b. Clark to
serve two years and B. W. Hooker to
serve one year with the hold-oyer mem
bers. A. C. Moore and William Mercer. I
Reports of officers were given; three /
new members We're admitted and one 4
T. I J. 4l.,a... - ss,.,