Omaha daily bee., 1912-09-15
MANY NEBRASKANS ATTEND
Meeting of Commercial Secretaries
Held in Indianapolis,
COMMISSIONER GUILD PRESIDENT
Matters of Great Interest to Cities
Are to he Brought Up and
Given Consideration at
Sessions.

/
mercial cub of Omaha occupies promi-
nent place. AS president of the Central
Association of Commercial Secretaries, he
will attend the annual convention of that
body at the Claypool hotel indianapolis,
;September 20 and 81 This is no small
organization, as its membership extends
throughout the sixteen central states,
from Pennsylvania on the east to Colo
rado on the west, and from the Canadian
border south to the Ohio river Within
this area is approximately one half of the
population of the United States. The
honor of presiding over the meeting of
secretaries from such cities as Chicago,
Milwaukee, st. Louis, Minneapolis, Pitts
burg, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas
/ City, Denver, ETC.. is therefore no small
one. Each state has a vice president, and
w. S. Whitten, secretary of the Lincoln
Commercial club holds that office for
| Nebraska.
If any class of men need to get to-
gether once in a while it is those who
daily attend to the details of town boost
ing and city building. In their meetings
they talk in their own language and take
no action that is binding in any way on
the organizations they represent. The
conventions of the central association
are not for the discussion of current
questions, but are experience meetings
in the fullest sense of the word. Wnen
| In 1909, the need Of such forum became
evident, the Omaha Commercial club, on
learning of the central association and
it's purposes, hesitated not a moment, but
authorized its commissioner to join 1t as
q charter member. Since then no invest
ment of the clubs money and his time
has brought bigger returns, Acquaint-
ance is invaluable in this line of work
and makes possible many things that can
be handled only between men who under
stand each other. One city can gain in
formation and pointers from another on
request, and can very often warn each
other against some fraud when acquaint-
ance and confidence exist between the
two AS the result of the central asso-
citation 1t is not necessary for one or
ganization to follow the road of expert
ence blindly to some expensive and often
fruitless end, if another member has al,
ready Travelled that way, In their bust.
ness sessions every man Is an open book
to his fellow secretaries. Briefly the
purposes of the organization are ito pro-
mote the efficiency Of its members in
organization work. bring them in closer
touch with the problems common to all
workers in this comparatively new field
and enable each secretary to better serve
the community in which he resides; to
bring its members, through the medium
of the annual conventions, into personal
movements in civic, commercial and in
| dustrial development; to help each secre.
tary, through greater efficiency and
widened experience to avoid experiments
that have proven failures ite broaden ac-
cuaintance Of its members, foster good
fellowship and advance the standards of
the profession in every possible way
! Many Nebraslxans Attend.
| What it would men to have a dozen
or more secretaries Of the interior of
Nebraska attend the Indianapolis meeting,
has been laid before the varies organi-
cations in the state, and in addition to
Mr. Guild, there will go from Nebraska,
e. v. Parrish, manager of the Omaha
Publicity bureau; w. S. Whitten, secre-
tary Of the Lincoln Commercial club;
! A. M. Corners, Grand Island H. B.
Howell, Hastings; c. E. Oehler, Kearney;
George F. WOLF, Fremont; R. D, Nc
Fadden, secretary y-treasurer of the Ne
braska State Association of Commercial
| Clubs, Holdrege. I. A. Herrick of the
Deadwood Business club and O. B. Towne
are also expected to attend, Colorado will
| have three or, four, representing Denver,
Pueblo, Colorado Springs, etc.
The active membership of the associa,
tion is confined to paid secretaries in
cities of 5000 and over, while lesser COM
munities hold association membership.
All get the same benefit from the meet
ings, however. and all have an equal
share in the discussions. This years
program, just sent out by Secretary.
l
covers the entire field Of Commercial
club work and the soe9kers are invari-
ably men of long experience, and are
experts in their line. Some OF the SUBJ
poets are: Know Your Own City" by
Thorndike Deland, secretary of the Dem
yer Chamber Of Commerce; Getting Con.
ventions,' by Milton Carmichael, secre.
tary-treasurer of Detroit Convention and
| Tourists bureau; "City Building" by B.
M. Rastall, Industrial secretary of Duluth
Commercial club; Advertising and Pub.
| licity," by H. F. Miller, business manager
of Chicago Association of Commerce;
Cooperation of Municipal Authorities
with Commercial Organizations" by e.
M, Clendenng. Secretary Commercial
club of Kansas City. In addition to these
are such subjects as Trade Extension .
''The Financing of Commercial Or.
ganization, Membership" Transports,
ton" State Organizations, Industrial
Promotion and so on.
Round Table Talk.
! Even during luncheons, those who
attend the secretaries convention do not
stop, but on each of the two days while
funching there will be round-tabIe dis
cussion Of various topics, Cooperation
with the Press" the first day, under di.
rection Of Byrnes H. Gitche1l. secretary
of Detroit Board of Commerce, and Our
Mistakes by R. G. Mcclure, secretary of
indianapolis Commercial club the second
day
A banquet will be rendered the dele-
gates by the business organizations of
the city Of indianapolis the evening of
September 90 This will be given at the