Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-01
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Old Orchard, March 1-(SpeciaD-
1--WE cannot sit supinely by and let
,, the world come to >us, because we
have a state that has more to offer
the tourist public than any other
state in the union" declared ,Harrie
B. Coe, general secretary of the State
of Maine Publicity Bureau, at the
meeting of the Old orchard board of
trade held here last evening.
In his address, Mr.. Coe gave sta
tistics and figures to prove that
Maine is up against very active and
intense competition from other re-
sort sections and that our state is
on the verge of an awakening to the
fact that through the tourist can,
and will, come opportunities for
great industrial expansion.
Continuing Mr.. Coe said:
True, we have our unrivaled sea-
coast which stretches for $500 miles
in a wonderful panorama of silver
beaches. beetling crags. against
which the Atlantic thunders and
breaks into raibow spray: spruce
covered islands, from the little one
with hardly room on which to hang
your hat, to great Mount Desert Is
land of 10000 acres, with its rocky
coast, its towering mountains rising
literally from the sea; its lakes of
pure water filled with gamey fish.
we have three great rivers, the
Penobscot, the kennebec and the
Androscoggin, into which pours the
waters from several systems Of lakes,
numbering over $500 in all.
I'VE cannot fold our hands and be
satisfied because we have the largest
and finest beach in America at Old
Orchard. because the largest lake
within the confines of any one state
in the union is our Moosehead, be-
cause we have III Katahdin a noun
tain which towers to the same rela-
tive height above the West Branch
waters of the Penobscot, only 500
!. feet above sea level at its base, as do
the Rocky mountains from their
base at Denver with 5000 feet above
sea level to start with, for Katah-
din's massive bulk is set in a 10000
| acre forest its spread and height un-
| contested by other peaks which ac-
centuates its domination of the wild
| country over which it stands isolated
| and supreme"
Mr., Coo cited that 100000 tourists
visited California in the months OF
May. June, July Tand August last
year. n state which we have always
regarded as a winter and not a sum-
| mer resort state, as result of
spending S65000o in newspaper and
| magazine advertising which brought
return of $365,000,000 left b. tour
| lists.
He told of Portland, Oregon.
spending 100000 San Diego spend :
Ing $1SS,000, the city of Milwaukee
| contributing $4,000 to the Wisconsin
Land o. Lakes Association advertis-
ing campaign, that by advertising
the Ten Thousand Lakes Association
or Minnesota increased their tourist
travel from 1900 people spending
1897, 900 in 1918 to 100000 people
spending s41.000,000 in 1923
he showed where 10 Florida cities
spent in 1923, $407,717 and that the
city OF Miami with a population of
only 29,571 people spent s275.00O in
advertising and the entertainment of
the winter tourist.
lie showed 1hat automobile travel
70 canada has increased over 600
percent in one year, a very active
competitor of Maine. Because the
government reports show that tour-
lists spent in Canada over $500, 000. 900
last year. the Canadian parliament
at its last session appropriated $500