Imperial Valley press., 1917-03-28
Ell CENTRO CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE TAKES LEAD
IN IMPORTANT MA TIERS
Problems of Importance to Valley Referred to Local
Chamber-Organization Has Done Much to Bring
Valley to the Front-Plans for This Year Call for
Continuation of the Good Work Being Started.

"Why has the FL Centre Chamber
of Commerce taken the Lead among
civic organizations in the Imperial
Valley the past year," Press re-
porter asked Commercial Secretary D.
C. Bitter OF the local chamber to-
day.
There are various ways of answer
ing the question: declared the secre-
tary. Perhaps the main reasons for
the activities Of the Ell Centro cham
Ter were the hearty cooperation of
the members in the work outlined by
the board of directors and the secre-
tary and a universal effort on the
part of the members to accomplish
things for Ell Centro and the Impe-
rial Valley. The result has been no.
ticeable in the life of Ell Centre in
the past twelve months and doubtless
the best answer to your question is
that all concerned in the success of
the Chamber of Commerce have
worked necessarily to carry out its
plans.
"The active work of the Ell Centre
Chamber of Commerce began one year
ago, April 1, following a campaign
for members, in which 200 of the
leading business and professional men
Of Ell Centro joined. For various rea-
sens chambers of commerce previously
organized in Ell Centre were short
lived. A year ago there we're those
old-timers who insisted that the Cham
her of Commerce would follow in the
wake of it's predecessors, an oft-re-
'peated statement that caused the di-
rectors and those on whose efforts the
success of the organization depended
to work even harder than they would
probably otherwise have done, to as
sure a long life and an active one
for the infant organization. Today
the Ell Centro Chamber of Commerce
takes the lead in all projects of i'm
portance in Imperial Valley. When a
plan of real import to the valley is
suggested, it is usually placed before
the local organization for approval and
cooperation. Inquirers ere continual
ily writing to the Ell Centro Chamber
for information and literature regard
ing Imperial Valley. When an ex-
cursion or the entertainment of dis
't;nguished visitors is to be planned,
the Ell Centre Chamber is sought to
take the lead. The statement has
been made repeatedly by citizens OF
the valley and of Los Angeles and San
Diego that the Ell Centre chamber has
done more to bring the resources Of
Imperial Valley to the attention OF
the outside world in the past year
than any organization in the previous
five years. This extended publicity
work has been made possible by a
broad minded policy on the part of
the directors of the chamber, who be-
lieved that Ell Centr5, as the center
of the richest agricultural district in
the world, had something to tell and
should tell it. The newspapers have
mad much to do with the success Of
the Ell Centre chamber.
Several thousand pieces of litera-
ture descriptive of Ell Centre and the
Imperial Valley have been distributed
and mailed to all parts of the United
States and Canada. Numerous inves-
tors have visited the valley in re-
spouse to the invitation Of the Ell Cen
Itro Chamber of Commerce. Among
the various lines of work in which
the Chamber of Commerce has been
engaged in the past year were:
Encouragement of good roads
new industries, military preparedness,
irrigation system improvements, the
building of bridges, tree preservation,
closer trade relations with San Die
go. better domestic water supply, es-
tablishment of more friendly relations
with all valley towns, cleanup cam
paigns, voting of Irrigation District
bonds, extending acreage in truck gar
dening, urging livestock raising, CO.
operation with County Farm Bureau
IN holding livestock fair, Inauguration
of "First Monday" monthly trade
DAYS for benefit of farmers, and nu-
merous other activities of minor ma
Iture, all combining to make the work
of organization felt in all parts of
CONTINUED ON PAGE TWO)