Fergus County Democrat. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-1919, 1916-11-23
g., i, ,,;s'['o[ T1lRIES
| IN CONVENTION
FIRST ANNUAL MEETING OF COM.
MERciAL CLUB SECRETARIES
OF THE STATE.
many INTERESTING ADDRESSES

At 8 O'Clock last evening there end
ed the first meeting of the Montana
Association of Commercial Club Sec
retaries. This organization was
formed at the last meeting of the
Good Roads convention in Anaconda.
A few of the visiting commercial
club men got together for the purpose
of an exchange of ideas, and it result
ed in the forming OF the association,
which yesterday finished one of the
most interesting meetings of the kind
ever held in the state. in fact, the
first event OF its kind in the state Of
Montana.
There are in Montana but twenty
or twenty-five paid secretaries, and
while the men in this work not draw
ing salaries were invited, it was to
be expected that the majority who
would attend the meetings would be
the paid men. 1t was exceedingly
gratifying to the executive members
Of the association to have fifteen men
present, all filled with enthusiasm.
A program OF intense interest to
these civic workers had been pre-
pared, and with one of two exceptions
was followed out in detail with round
table talks after each subject had
been dealt with. The only persons
who did not appear on the list as
scheduled was Secretary Austin of
Butte and +. c. Leedy of st. Paul,
immigration agent for the Great
Northern. Mr.. Leedy was to have
been here and is i'll the west, but
for reasons explained in a telegram
was unable to be present 1t is to
be hoped that he will be present at
the future meetings, for undoubtedly
the immigration agent of any big rail
road is directly interested in the
work of a constructive chamber of
commerce or commercial club.
The Program.
The program in detail was as fol-
lows:
Address of welcome. w. J. Johnson,
president LeWistown chamber; THE
Reason Why We Formed the Organ
ization," H. NJ. Robinson, Roundup.
president M. o. Of c. G. S.: "The
Value of Getting Together" p. NJ
Bernard, kalispell THE Commercial
Clubs Position in City Affairs" G. w.
Fowler, Billings: Cooperation Be
tw~en Immigration Agents and Com
ercial Secretaries" J. II. Ginet, Spo-
kane, immigration agent Milwaukee
system: "A State Chamber of Com
merce and Its Relation to the Develop.
ment OF the State" A. j. Harader,
BOzeman; Methods of Financing a
TIT,
Moore, Glasgow; Publicity, the Sort
That Attracts the Settler" A. J. Brett
enstein, Great Falls; Commercial
Clubs Relation to Country Business
Men. Not the Small Town Store Man,
But the Farmer" T. E. McCroskey,
Havre.
The vital reason of the forming Of
this organization is to standardize
commercial clubs in every town in
Montana, not only tile larger towns
but in the smaller towns where the
secretary does not receive salary,
but whose interest is just as great as
his paid brother.
Every talker handled his subject
concisely and brought out ideas that
started discussion that would have
been endless if the chairman would
have allowed it.
Address on Publicity.
Perhaps the paper by Mr.. Breitcn.
stein of Great Falls on publicity"
was the best paper on that subject
that has ever been presented to IA
commercial club secretary, and he
started trains or thought about the
way in which commercial club man
should get the attention of the people
directed toward his town, that will
bring about great good for every com
represented. Mr.. Breitenstein
is past master at the publicity game
and knows it from the angle of the
commercial club about as well as any
man in the state in this work.
J. II. Ginet, representing the Mil
waukee road, talked most interesting.
ly on the relation of the commercial
club secretary to the immigration
agent and from him came an informal
talk that put pep into every man there.
Mr.. Ginet, In ii manner all his own,
was able to show that the commercial
club secretary and the immigration
agent We're both working for the same
results, namely, tonnage" and rela.
tiOn was so marked that undoubtedly
every town represented will find itself
Dney i~I