Arizona republican., 1918-02-14
PHOENIX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL BEST IN HISTORY

from power would not be reduced. The, danger from shallow water removed and the water so secured could be utilized for additional lands to be taken into the project.
 Your committee has offered its Serv- ices at one and all times to the presi- dent and manager of the Water Users | association. J. P. Orme and w. R. El- liot, in any work which the association might have under way.
 An average of 300 to 400 inquiries a month are received at your office. All | are answered by personal letter and | the necessary printed matter and in- formation is supplied by your organi- | Zation. The call for printed matter continues with practically no break. ! In this connection your advertising committee desires to thank the board | of supervisors of Maricopa county for the supplies of booklets, folders and other printed matter which have been issued with the funds available under ! the county commissioner of immigra- tion. Without this printed matter it would be impossible to answer or take care of properly the large volume of inquiry letters which we receive daily. It is interesting to note that for only one month, that of April, did the vol ume of letters go below the usual num- Der for the past several years. In May
 the inquiries were back to their usual
 number. We believe this is a certain | indication that this valley and con-
 munity are generally and favorably
 known. During the year several films | of valley scenes have been prepared and distributed. In this way large amount of valuable publicity has been
 secured at nominal cost. As an illus
 tration of what free advertising has 1 been obtained, we would call attention | tc the items appearing in one paper | alone, which totaled nearly 500 inches ! of reading matter for the year 1917. There are great many publications
 which receive material direct from
 your office and the total volume of
 space secured is very large. Splendid
 advertisements for the valley were
 placed by the Goodyear people and by the Southern Pacific railroad company.
 and by the Santa Fe system. All of
 those advertisements result in big lot of inquiries which have to be at tended to properly aid call for still
 further supplies of booklets and fold
 CTS. A few samples of some of these advertisements naTe been prepared
 and are submitted with this report for
 future reference. The advertising work
 has been under the direction of c. A.
 Stauffer, with the able assistance of
 a strong committee.
 Boost Advertising
 By some it has been suggested that
 advertising be discontinued during the
 war. We question ;he wisdom of such a policy. Today California is spending
 I, coast. We must keep Arizona before the people of the United States. When
 the war is over, let us hope it will be very soon. there is going to be rush
 to Europe. Sightseers, tourists, rela-
 tives will flock eastward, and the con- munity that does not keep it's name beeore the people will be forgotten
 quickly.
 During the past the advisablity of i, permanent standing committees has
 been under review. In place of stand
 ing committees, the experiment of ap- pointing special committees for special 2 purposes has been tried and with con-
 siderable success.
 The directors met regularly every , week and there has been a meeting f for practically every week in the year ' The attendance of the directors has been such that not once has it been
 necessary to adjourn a meeting for lack of a quorum. In these busy days this is a record of which your organi- zation may be proud.
 Your chamber of commerce was
 asked to invite the national irrigation . congress to Phoenix. After careful in- vestigation it was decided that the , amount of money necessary, approxi- : mately $12,000, was too large at this d time, when so many calls for nationa 7, purposes are being made of the public U Your board was asked to take UT : the matter of the right of way through the Gila canyon. The report of the = board of army engineers appointed by Il '. the president was examined with care e and the conclusion of the army engi- Il peers was found to be very brief ant T certain. The report of army engineer: h reads:
 San Carlos dam site and reservoir $ site ought not to be given up. No rail
 road should be permitted to built
 through the dam site with lower ele II vation than 200 feet above the stream. e Your committee on this importan 'i matter believed that no recommenda I. tion which it might make would hav y weight as long as the board of arm, e engineers had not been called upon t K reconsider their findings.
 $ Your committee on fire insuranc e rates held important meetings with of IT ficials of the Underwriters association e with the local fire chief. MT. Wright e and with insurance men in Phoeni, u The result of this work has been tha 'I much better conditions all around ex H ist today and there has been consider 'e able saving in insurance rates. D- Redardp0 Extepeiop
 n A suggestion has been made that tn 'e area of the city be enlarged. Thi d suggestion should be taken up prompt
 ly in order that all necessary arrange 'n ments and adjustments be perfected i lS time for the 1920 federal census. You le directors believe that a committee o $, this matter might with advantage | l. appointed early this year so tha IS plenty of time be allowed for thei T. work
 ot A special committee under the chair T. manship of c. D. Doris is investigat or ing at this time the possibilities of 1e parking place for automobiles. Tn be committee is cooperating with a sin
 liar committee appointed by the Fed rs eration of Womens clubs. and is cor 1g ferring with the city commission wit to a view to the city taking some acto g. along this particular line. It is es rk pected that some results of the woI y. of this committee will soon be in ev ee dence.
 m A large delegation of Phoenix cit in zens visited Prescott on the occasio -l- l of the Frontier D1y celebration In