The Coconino sun., 1923-08-10

engaged in business in Arizona are in
it only in the hope of "cleaning up"
and Icing able to go somewhere else
and of course that generally means
southern California-to live. 1t would
take u far longer period Of observation
than mine to tell whether there is any
ground for this kind of talk, but |
sincerely hope and believe that it IS
unfounded. Arizona needs business
men who are building with it for the
future. There is no reason why any
one should consider his residence IN
Arizona as merely a necessary period
to make enough money to live in ease
"on the coast" and | trust few of your
citizens have that idea.
A good deal is being said about the
fact that so many Arizonans go to
California for their vacations when
their own state affords delightful
summer climate with unusual scenic
beauties. have already said belleve
Arizonans do not see enough OF their
own state, and it should be interesting
to anyone to spend at least a consid-
cradle part Of his or her summer trip
in seeing Arizona.
Arizona does not yet appreciate
what it means to have such an IN
creasing flood Of tourists coming
through each year. Many of them
can be made settlers, and almost all
of them give valuable Word-of mouth
advertising to states which impress
Il. .s~kc I,
factor in the growth of southern Cal
ifornia, for men who are thinking. OF
retiring, or coming to a more desir-
able climate in which to enter busi-
ness, are always prospective residents,
and usually of desirable type. Ari-
zona now needs concerted effort on
the part of all her communities to
route tourists to her various scenic at
fractions and attractive new local
tiles, rather than permitting them to
go straight through on some one
route and seeing only small part
of the state.
1t will be no easy task to compete
with California in attracting residents.
California has had tremendous head
start, as it were, in advertising, and
hundreds of thousands of people are
passing through Arizona every year,
merely with the idea of going to Cal
ifornia. Both New Mexico and Ari-
zona are to them places to be passSl
through, and most of them are pro-
foundly ignorant of what these states
have to offer.
| have talked with numerous auto
tourists on their way through, and
they failed to see why anyone should
want to live in either of these great
states. They would not take the time
to stop and see what is here. They
thought only of their destination. So
| say it will be an uphill task. And
this is said without in way trying to
measure the relative advantages of
Arizona and California. Whatever adj
vantages the latter may have, we
know that Arizona has plenty, that
her attractions are manifold. The
point is that it will be an uphill task
to teach the tourist about Arizona,
because of the attraction of the be-
yond. But it will be done. There are
enough people seeking new localities
to fill California to overflowing, and
istill result in tremendous growth in
this state.
It need hardly be said that every
effort should be made to impress tour
lists favorably with the treatment Civ
en- them. | do not believe that Ari-
zona has been accused Of being place
where the tourist is "held up" and
care should be taken to give the visi-
tor square deal in every respect, as
he is medium of either good or bad
advertising. In five or at the most
ten years Arizona probably will be as
we'll known to eastern people as is
the middle west today, and it means
great deal to have it known favor
ably in every respect.
AS regards roads it seems a mistake
to me for the south to route people
/ through in the summer, and for the
north to route people through in win
/ ter. Progress of the state demands
! routing of tourists according to the
most favorable conditions, and less
/ competition between routes regardless
of the impression the tourist is likely
to receive. Why give strangers pobi
impressions when there are always
sections in which the climate is ideal ?
1 The state has enough to boast of with
! out exaggerating. The south has 9
steady heat in summer, and the north
has frequent severe cold spells in win
4 ter Why deny it? And regardless
of season, why not route motorists
from the south to the north and the
north to the south so that they may
see a real cross-section of Arizona's
life and industries and climate anc
/ scenery?
With reference to state advertising
| am for it, so long as it is truthful
and unexaggerated, and not "circus
stuff" Arizona as a whole should
advertise its climate, healthful, whole
some and curative; it's bewildering ar
ray of scenic wonders, its beautiful
mesas, multitude Of mountains
strange Indian customs, vast outing
advantages-and of course its oppor
tunities for settlers. Arizona shoulc