The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-17


syffty thou6end- business msns
mssbsfs Of tho Illinois Chamber u
Commercs and the local Chambefs
" Commsrce IN los Illinois cities.
~ watching Rock Island during
- expansion campaign and won.
1osing whether you will put i
&yef," 4. r Moss. manager Of the
] 0fEanixation service department OF
J ~ stats Chamber Of Commerce,
nd Rock Island Rotary club this
noOn.
Nj. Moss will remain In Rock Is
lard until the close Of the expan-
sion campaign Wednesday, Oct. Is.
Insisting the campaign workers.
II. Moss has been In Rock Island
10 days. and in his address he told
u result OF his observations IN
the city and commented upon Rock
Islands civic spirit as compared
With that Of other cities in the
state.
'You have asked me To tell you
the facts, and will do So" he said.
'The fact Is that the Rock Island
Chamber OF Commerce is the most
inadequately supported chamber In
Z the state, and that it has achieved
J wonderful results considering this
handicap. Its annual income Is
only $1,000. whereas it should be
from $4,000 to $4,000 in COMPARE
son with cities which are only mod
erately progressive. 1t has less
than 800 members. when it ought
% have 800 or 1000. The purpose
Of this campaign is to get the nee
essary number Of members, the nee
essary amount of money, and the
necessary amount Of cooperation
between Rock Islanders all the
year around.
Citizens Of Rock Island contrib
ute 20 cents apiece annually to
their Chamber Of Commerce. But
citizens Of Aurora and Blooming
ton contribute 81 cents; Kewanee
Waukegan and La Sale, 62 cents;
Decatur, 40 cents: Alton, so cents
Danville, IS cents; Elgin, II cents
Streator, n cents; Springfield, 81
cents; Dixon, $1.56.
During 10 days in Rock 1slane
I have met many people. / an
convinced that they will not be con
tent to run along with less than S0'
members of their Chamber Of Com
merce while Aurora has $40
Bloomington $50, Danville $50, Ell
gin IT'S, Kankakee, 480 and Spring
field 1.l06.
Gets Results, Nevertheless.
Despite its meager income ant
limited membership, the Rock Is
land Chamber Of Commerce ha
been getting results. That mean
4 that everybody in Rock Island
getting results. 1t brought tn
Il Rock Island Garment company t
D Rock Island. and this company
Il now operating ON $4,000 annus
4 bay roll. At the very lowest est
H mate, that means $4,000 net prot
n to Rock Island, or three times th
annual cost OF upkeep Of the Chan
Z Der Of Commerce. 1t also NEAR
NJ that employment was given to %
people, and this in turn made poss
Bile quite q large reduction in you
4 annual community budget. So e,
u cry person who contributes to tn
II community budget was benefite,
h The employees Of this~-one concer
Il spend 5000 every week. They rel
II houses and increase the value {
II every foot Of real estate in Ii
city. They consume the product
II OF farms round about, and OF tt
4 factories. either the products of II
II factories Of Rock Island or Of ia,
\ tories in other cities.
More Dividends Ahead.
n The Servus Rubber compap
y another factory brought here /
the Chamber OF Commerce, wi
/ soon be employing other hundre,
4 OF people, and once again Il
. Chamber of Commerce will be r.
1 turning dividends of from 500 I
1 500 per cent every year.
But the real purpose of Chan
4 Der OF Commerce is to provide Il
i means whereby all citizens may c.
operate for community advanc
4 nnent 1t is not what you get o.
Of 1t, but what you put into it, thi
counts. And it takes more tia
good wishes and piOus endors
Inent to build q chamber of con
nlerce. 1t takes money, and tim
and hard work, and the purpose ,
this expansion campaign is
align as many men as possible WI
will agree TO give all three. =
I'VE are not only seeking ne
members during this campaign, b,
4 We are asking present member
most OF whom subscribe only SIS
rear for one membership, to tab
out two, three and five membe
ehips. Some of the larger me-
chants and factories and most su,
cessful professional men and firm
Will be asked to take out five an
10 memberships apiece. 1t all d,
Ponds upon the estimate placed
the Rock Islander upon the valu
q his citizenship and his bushes
70 live and do business in otht
cities is esteemed a high privileg
4 believe It 10 just as great a pri,
tlege in Rock Island. and I belle,
yDu VIII agree with me.
objection is made that it cost
TO much; that one cannot affor
y belong to SO many clubs.
want to tell you that you cam,
1R0rd not to belong, and to emph,
lie the fact that the Chamber ,
Commerce is not club. The Chan
mr. Of Commerce does not limit i
Qembership and it is not selfis
lis for Rock Island first, last an
n the time. Do you know Of AZ
cher organization Of which tn
IN b. said p