Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-04-11
ADVERTISING A STATE
Vermont Before the Public-Secretary
Of State Head Of Publicity Bureau

Of State Head Of Publicity Bureau
Not every State is progressive enough
to have a publicity bureau whose busi-
ness 1t Is to keep the State before the
public. particularly the outside public.
Vermont Is doing that very thing. and
it Is doing 1t in a way to attract great
deal Of attention. The head of the pub
licity bureau is the secretary Of state.
Thus the bureau is just as much depart
ment of the government as any other
department. The present secretary OF
state. Frederick G. Fleetwood. is actually
conducting an advertising campaign in
many Of the leading periodicals. These
advertisements are intended to attract
the attention of people who may have
1t in their minds to buy summer homes
in the country. Consequently. the bureau
is out to exploit Vermont as real
proper place in which to spend the sum-
mer. In that the bureau is dead right!
Vermont Is an ideal spot in which to
recreate and to find rest and genuine en-
joyment.
Vermont's initiative in advertising it.
self is something that deserves COM
mendation. 1t is pity that all the
other New England States do not follow
the leadership Of Vermont and get into
the game of advertising their manifold
advantages. The other States should
have publicity bureaus just as snappy and
wide-awake as Vermont's bureau. YER
mont Is not more scenic and picturesque
than any other New England State. New
Hampshire. for instance. has more seem
cry to the square mile than any other
State this side of Colorado. Maine rep
resents a vast area of lakes, mountains,
forests and sea coasts to frame its Won
icrful agricultural possibilities. The
three southern New England States,
while not so we'll favored by command
ing mountains and expansive lakes and
cooling forests of spruce pine and Ar.
nevertheless has hil't ops awaiting buyers
Of bungalow sites. and certainly they
have seacoast areas OF no mean proper
tons.
Were the truth known New England
has all the natural advantages of a
summer play ground for all the people
east Of the Alleghanies. Though a great
many people have awaited themselves Of
these advantages, much might be done
to attract great many more. Vermont
knows 1t, and Vermont is out with a real
live publicity department to let outsiders
know that Vermont wants them to come
up and look her over. The State itself
is back Of movement to boom ver-
mont and to make people realize that they
ought to come there.
Advertising the advantages of a State
Is business proposition. and mighty
good business, too. The city that repre-
sents the greatest hustle to attract new
industries In the city that is both alive
and growing. Vermont Is out to create
more business within It's borders, and IL
will do 1t because Vermont isn't asleep.
The greater the number Of people of
wealth and influence who come to YER
mon to spend their summers. the greater
will be the business transacted in YER
mont. Every interest represented in tho
State will be benefited. Unfortunately, a
great many farmers do not favor colonies
OF city people. but the coming of
city people invariably enhance real
estate values and improve bust.
ness conditions generally. 1t would
be difficult to find . single in
stance where this has not been true.
very Few agencies have done more to
increase rural real estate values in New
England than the migration countryward
OF city people. The migration cityward
OF rural people depressed farm values
more than any other single agency.
When people begin to get out Of a COM
munity land values 60 down. when other
people begin to come in land values 60
up Every New England State has SUI
Tered enormous losses In wealth by rca-
son OF the migration of the rural popu-
iation. and Vermont has had it's share of
.ne losses. Vermont is out to recoup
,ne losses that have been going on dur
ing the past 80 years or more. Vermont
mas the goods and 1t means to find the
buyers. The same sort of .xoods'' ara
present all over New England. and the
state that does the most barking is the
STATE that will market its goods" FIRST.