Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-06-14
WILDWOOD BOARD OF
TRADE ACTIVITIES
Railroad Fares to Points on the
seashore Chief Topic for Dis
cuSSiOn. Chairma an of Rail-
road Committee Says he
"Was Not Asleep at the
Switch"
SECRETARY j. B. WRIGHT'S SIDE TOURS

Instead of meeting on the first Thurs
day night of the month, as is the GUS
tom for the Board of Trade to do, the
monthly June meeting had been de-
ferred from Thursday, June 6, to Tues.
day, June IL, in order to give all of the
members an opportunity to meet the
newly-elected paid secretary, w. Court
wright Smith, who began officially his
managerial career in Wild wood, on
the day prior, Monday, June 10. Sixty
persons, most of them members, at
tended this stated meeting. in the High
school auditorium, which was opened
at 1886 by President Robert j. Kay.
The minutes OF the previous special
meeting, held on Tuesday night, May
Z, wee read by Secretary J. B. Wright,
and approved by the Board as read.
Mr.. Kay then called for a report from
the chairman OF the committee on en-
tertainments and amusements; but g..
III. Huppert was not present. Philip
P. Baker, chairman of the advertising
committee, assured the Board of Trade
that all newspaper matter, etc., was
being carefully looked after, and con-
veyed the impression that our resort
would not suffer this season from n
lack of the customary publicity given
out. j. Thompson Baker, in a tone
that suggested a%ggravation, let s.. A.
Laning and other querulous persons
know that his committee had not been
"asleep atthe SWITCH" but on the con-
trary was doing all that mortal men
could do to obtain reasonable railroad
rates for the season of 1918. City Clel
Whitesell reported that he and Eve
u. Slaughter, the latter q mem ber OF
J. Thompson Bakers railroad COM
mittee, had just returned that day from
a trip to Washington, where they had
an interview with some u
connected with Director McAdoo's Of
flee. Very little good seems to be &C.
complished in any direction; and the
best consolation that can be given is
this: II we can succeed in placing on
the summer schedules, daily excursion
trains at 81 80, plus war tax of 8 per
cent, making total cost Of excursion
ticket $3.50 plus $.12 or $1.62, that is
the very best we may expect; and we
are admonished to be very thankful
If we get even that. The intention of
the Railroad Directors now is to charge
$1.75, plus $.14 war tax, making SIX 80
total for a daily excursion ticket. We
are truly, "%fallen upon evil times, and
it is the part of wisdom to be patient
under difficulties. The very best Is
day round trip rate we may hope for is
1925 net. This includes war tax. 1T
IL not certain as yet that we Will land
this rate. Secretary j. B. Wright,
told about some of his advertising tours,
in a decorated automobile. He says
about 5000 Wildwood booklets were
distributed by him in the past month
or two, and extending owe a consider
able area. No doubt this method and
the moving picture method, both, do
some good. To be sure, this alone
would only be equivalent to "a drop in
the bucket"; but in conjunction with
vaster plans, and more scientific sys-
TENS which a really live board of trade
would be interested in, the gay auto
and the seaside slides, might be COM
pared to a side show tackled onto a big
Barnum Circus. It's the main tent
tha needs looking after most. The
little BTkers only thrive when the big
show is auccess.
Miss Fislefnd Miss Henderson, ply
steal instructors at the high school,
were each tendereca vote OF thanks
for the services thes young women
rendered in training til pupils for the
May pole dance and tf FOLK dance
given on Memorial day. "A communi-
cation was received frof Alien NC
Guirk, of Tioga street, Pilladelpnla'
asking If Wildwood would p'ertaih d
proposition to, start an autom'oiie hue
from Philadelphia to WildwocT BE-
cause of high railroad fares hs pian
was not so fanciful as it may looRlo De-
Many quizzical glances, however, were
cast around the room, and someone
said ginning: "Pass on, he's a dreitm
er!" Mr.. Kay's spirits were i~ncreasso
visibly as he read a letter from F. :.
Leeds, president of Atlantic Citys
Chamber of Commerce, asking ques-
lions about our r%eorganized Board of
Trade and wanted to know if every
thing was working out satisfactorily.
Mr.. Kay could not repress a smile as
he remarked with much evident salts