Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-29
BY ERNEST T. TRIGG
On Business Conditions After the Fair

On Business Conditions After the Fair
THE Importance of laying business plans
L beyond 1926 is matter which is en-.
crossing the attention of some of the lead
ing business men Of the city, according to
Ernest Z. Trigg. former president of the
Chamber of Commerce.
'"The business history Of every city in
which a great fair has been held. said Mr.
Trigg, "shows that after the close of the
exposition there is n decided et.down in
business. 1t seems to me that this might.
at least to great extent. be obviated II
this end. The trouble has been heretofore
that no one has made it his business to try
to avoid this slump which has always fol-
lowed great exposition.
Should Plan Ahead
Therefore, feel that it will be mis-
take not to lay plans at the present time
beyond 1926. The usual experience OF
fair city is that, beginning some time prior
to the opening of the exposition. business
takes a sharp upward curve. which lasts
until the exposition Is over, and then there
is an almost equally sharp decline This Is
bad for the business interests of the city In
so many ways that it is not necessary to
enumerate them.
"Now the thing to be accomplished in
Philadelphia is for us to look ahead, not four
years, but ten, and make our business plans
now to carry US along until 1872 or, IN other
fects Of the Sesqu Centennial are over and
we are again on normal basis.
"To illustrate: Let us imagine an ascend.
ing line as illustrating the natural gain OF
business in the city beginning at 1929 and
reaching the height in 1882 that the normal
gain during that decade would attain. Now.
when the Sesqui- Centennial comes, there will
be q shooting upward Of that line which may
bring us to the 1889 level, or near it, within
the period of a few years.
ntr rpnh1 tharnfnrn n hrilpa
the chasm between that unusual development
and the 1882 point, SO that there shall be
no sharp decline with the result of Il hard
struggle to get back to the position we would
to plan so as to keep that line on level so
that by 1882 we shall meet the ascending
line as though there had been no exposition,
or even better than that, to take advantage
of the exposition so that by 1882 we shall
have a higher position than we would have
reached by normal business development
How to Accomplish 1t
''The next step in the situation is to de-
vel0p plan which shall meet it by CO.
ordinating the various factors. In the first
place, there will be tremendous amount
Of construction work done in Philadelphia
in the near future for the Sesqui Centen-
nial. Therefore. it would be sound business
policy for all Of us not to allow any work
of this kind not Immediately necessary to
be done while the erection Of the fair build
ings is going on. The enormous amount of
construction work incident to the fair will
make runaway market under any circum-
stances, and the restriction of individual
enterprise along these lines during this
period will tend not only to stabilize that
market, but will provide a vast amount of
work after the fair is over and when this
assistance will be very acceptable to gen.
eral business conditions.
"rhis plan will not be difficult one to
nut through, provided we can get full co.
operatiOn but without this co operation it
would be a hopeless undertaking. The State
and city officials and representatives of pri :
yate enterprises contemplating building on
a large scale should get together and decide
what shall and what shall not be done in
these matters. The normal outcome of such
a plan we'll conceived and well carried out
would be that, at the close Of the exposition,
there would be an amount of work ready
which would entirely cOunteract any weak !.
ening business effects that the sudden ces =.
sation of the immense activities OF the
Sesaui Centennial might have.
at would simply mean holding in reserve
all the work which 1t Is not immediatelv
necessary to do. This huge amount of wori
would simply be held until 1926 and then
released In the manner which seems To bo
for the best business interests of the citv
between that time and 1882
Co. o.operation Absolutely Necessary
''The plan seems to me to be perfectly
feaeble provided we can get the co opera :
| Ton necessary and coordinate the various