Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1920-10-05
Good Showing Made on First
Day of Civic Campaign---
Luncheon Served.
CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS
Spurred on by Address of
Civic Work, Those in
Charge of Move Full of Pep

The firstSreport of the team work
ers in ths~ Chamber of Commerce
reorganization drive at the luncheon
held in the Madison Hotel this noon
was received with great enthusiasm
when it was reported that sixty
three new members had been Sc
cured up until that time today. Con-
sidering that the captains and their
teams have just started in and are
lot yet warmed up" and proper
tioning the number of memberships
with the workers who have already
started their canvass, the results
were particularly gratifying.
w, N. Goodell, president of the
Lowell, Massachusetts, Chamber of
Commerce. proved as great an inspi-
ration to the workers as the reports
! themselves. when he told of the
wonderful accomplishments of the
chamber in his city. First explain
ing the workings of the organiza-
tion after its reorganization a short
time ago, Mr.. Goodell mentioned sew
erai specific instances where civic
matteres have been and are being
taken up by the body he represents
and making Lowell better place in
which to live.
In the first place, Mr.. Goodell ex-
Tlained that there is an executive
committee and several other COM
mittees to care for the various
phases of the work that comes up
, for consideration before the Lowell
y Chamber of Commerce.
To put Lowell on the map" an
advertising committee was intro
duced which has accomplished much
for the city. This committee has
erected 250 signs on the roads with
in a radius of thirty miles of Lowell
designating the distance and direc-
ton to the city. In short time this
territory will be extended and Mr..
Goodell mentioned a possibility of
signs being erected in Perth AM
boy to show the direction to Low
ell"
Another committee has been look
ing after the fire conditions of the
city, including all the apparatus and
upon the suggestion of this commit
tee the city has purchased S2S,000
worth of modern apparatus thus de-
| creasing the fire loss in the city con-
4 siderably. A recommendation to sell
an old fashioned firehouse, material
lied and in it's place a structure of
4 most modern type has been erected.
Still another committee handles
much of the Americanization work
T the city and working hand in hand
With the school authorities Is doing
much toward the education of the
Foreign born. Through the chamber
4 group meetings are being held which
u cover entertainment, literary and
4 educational work and a promise has
been exacted from the school au-
lthorities to provide night classes for
levery group of more than five in any
lsubject.
A municipal affairs committee
Va e ho n mo Of a
city which before the Chamber of
commerce took hand was being
handled very unjustly. Work is now
(being done so that the assessments
DO not all fall upon those in the
business section or any other section
in particular but upon each his full
share only.
An active committee on parks,
y Backgrounds and recreation has pre-
vented numerous accidents by divid-
ing the city into districts, parts of
which are roped off for the children
hnd where no traffic of any kind is
allowed. Although eight of these
sections were applied for, the city
MAS thus far granted only two, but
I'm these two sections there has not
peen a single accident this summer,
hnd 10000 children were taken care
of.
This work and much other was
Explained by Mr.. Goodell and the
workers were given a very fine idea
of what a real Chamber of Com
merce can do after the proper or
fganization.
u "The cities of America are today
on trial." said L. w. Sprague, direc-
tor of the campaign. "The census
kreports that over one-half of the
Amerycan people are living in cities.
Many' of these city dwellers are not
Honly new to city life, but are also
new 20 America, needing to learn
the English language, American
Ideals and American ways. From
the war the cities of America have
received great characterization,
labor readjustment, the necessity for
housing the people adequately, and
the re-uniting of public opinion and
a civic spirit, both Of which were
sadly disintegrated by the war.
There are revolutionary forces to be
dealt with.
Perth Amboy is no exception to
other cities along the Atlantic sea-
board. Only a united effort on the
part of It's conscientious and pro-
fessional citizens working through a
civic-commercial organization can
meet the need of the hour and the
coming months and years.