Honolulu star-bulletin., 1915-12-22
Noted Expert Worker Declares
Program Necessary to
Develop Activity
BY w. SCOTT RkoskER,
in The Rotarian.

ing secretary. of the Greater Muskogee
Association.l .: s.>~ .a.....
Why is a commercial organization
That is the question that has been
asked a good many times II has been
answered In many ways. Some people
are under the Impression that a COM
mercial organization, like the bow on
the back of your hat, is just fad,
one of those things we endure for fear
OF what would be said about us if we
didn't. Others who think deeply rea-
lie that every commercial organiza-
ton, no matter how inefficient 1t may
be, does some good.
The question arises: "If they are
so necessary to the growth of city,
how did New York or Boston or Phila-
delphia get to be such big cities be-
fore all this talk started about cham
bers OF commerce; how did they grow
so fast without such organizations? ?"
The a2swer is: They didn't"
The city of New York had COM
mercial organization before the Revo-
luton. Fifty years after the city of
New York organized her chamber OF
commerce, Philadelphia and Boston
followed suit. With few exceptions
these organizations worked largely
along the same lines that present day
boards of trade and chambers Of com
merce work.
II is worthy of note that at one
time New York and Charleston. s. c.,
each had an equal chance at being the
big city of America and that on ac-
count of better harbor, richer soil
and a more salubrious climate the ad-
vantage was with Charleston. New
York City had an active commercial
organization. Charleston didn't
Two Cities contrasted.
. The people of New York were az.
gressive and the people Of Charleston
were Indifferent. Look at New York
today and look at Charleston. 1t is
true that Charleston today has a live
commercial organization, and it is
equally true that New York City Is
reaping the benefits of those old
Knickerboekers in their chamber OF
commerce.
Benjamin Franklin and his little
club. known as the Junto, did things
for Philadelphia that she is still en-
joying and it is quite probable that
they are in a large measure. respotl-
sible for Philadelphia being such a
big dot on the map. Many believe
that they were the nucleus of the first
commercial organization in Philadel.
piia.
In. the last FIVE years a great deal
has been done toward standardiz
ing commercial organizations but
there are still many who believe that
the chief function of their community
organization is to tear down rather
than to build up. Commercial organi-
cations of today have a much broader
field than fighting railroads, raising
bonuses for slick promoters and 'cuss.
ing" the local public utilities corpora.
tions and the city and county officers.
Commercial Organization Necessary.
The commercial organization Of to
day is necessary because, by reason
of the increased transportation facili-
ties II the past 80 years business no
longer depends uDon FIVE or 10 large
trade centers. There are more than
288 major trade centers in the United
States today and new ones are spring.
ing up each year Competition is fore
ing the manufacturers in the New
England states, once the only manu-
featuring center in the country of any
consequence, to build branch factories
over the country and 1t is forcing job
bing houses to place branches nearer
the raw material and the ultimate con-
sumner.
This gives rise to the rivalry be-
tween cities. Aside from the fact that
every town cherishes the name Of be-
ing q good town there is the dollar
and the cents consideration.
Every city in the United States to-
day is the rival of every other city
of like size and environment and just
how successful she is in that rivalry
depends upon how constructive mind.
ed her citizens are. The local COM
mercial organization is the mirror that
this mental condition. II you
see a city with commercial organi.
zation working hard and making no
headway and the people OF the com.
criticising the few who are do
ing the hardest work land there are
always a few self-sacrifcing men who
bear the brunt in every city, don't
make the mistake that the directors
are to blame for the condition. 1t is
d TCH6CtlOu VI oStiSouO ~ 4
the community. Sometimes 1t can be
corrected and sometimes it can't
Usually it can, through big general
movements.
Civic patriotism, just like religion,
needs little stirring up every now |
and then. Commercial organization |
work mas been going on less than 200
years and we have had Christianity |
for nearly 2000 years. If they still |
have to have revivals to punch the |
people up to a realization that the saw
ing of their souls requires little of
their own personal effort and can't
all be done by the clergyman, it is rea-
sonable to suppose that the people |
have to be jolted real hard now and
then to bring them to a realization OF
their community obligation. The
booster part is valuable just to KEEP |
the people thinking about their duty
to their community. "
While the booster stuff is, from the
nature of things, the most obvious
part of commercial organization work,
Il is really only a screen for the hard