Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-11-09
When New EnsIanders Travel

NDOSlOA 1IdllSCIlpLt
Anybody who knows New England
knows that its peopD are great
travellers. New Englanders in large
numbers join the procession of voy-
ayers to lands beyond the sea. New
Englanders who believe in seeing
America first may not travel away
from their home States in summer
as extensively as in winter, because
the charm Of the climate in the sum-
mer months is an inducement to stay
at home. But in winter it would
be impossible to find New England
city, and very difficult to find a viii
lage of any considerable size, that
was not represented in the annual
pilgrimages to those parts of the
land where snowstorm is a rarity
and green things are growing in Feb
ruary, not to mention such nearer
resorts as Atlantic City. Much is
said in these days about the rush
to Florida, but there are hosts of
New Englanders who, as usual, are
turning their faces toward the golden
West and the allurements of the
Pacific coast. The trans continental
CtdFSl, Willis IL 10 largely Ill Tie Will
ter, is not by any means limited to
that season. In fact, railroad statis-
tics show that during the past sum-
mer thousands of tickets were sold
in New England cities for Pacific
coast points.
But there is evidence to show that
New England does not get full credit
for this travel to other parts of the
land. From the nature of the case,
figures showing the total numbers of
the travellers are hard to obtain.
Tickets are sold at numerous points
throughout New England. The travel
originates on considerable number
of railroads. 1t moves by diverse
routes, including in recent years those
ocean highways over which passen-
ger ships voyage from coast to coast
by way of the Panama canal. Efforts
to express in exact figures the total
of this movement are very likely to
result in greatly Understanding 1t.
There is, for example, much travel to
the Pacific Coast on round-trip ex-
cursion tickets which require valida-
ton at the points of destination, but
a canvass Of the records of these
transactions as a means of getting
at the number of travellers would
obviously fail to give the correct re-
suit, inasmuch as 1t would ignore
the travellers who used tickets OF
other kinds.
There is another influence at work
to deprive New England of credit
for all her people who visit distant
parts of the country The ticket
bought in the first place may carry
the traveller only as far as New York.
There he purchases his transporta-
ton to his real destination. So far
as the records would show. he Is from
New York rather than from some
city in New England. This Is espec-
tally true of the shorter journeys,
such as those to Atlantic City. 1t
is true to some extent, perhaps to a
considerable extent, of the longer
journeys.
If, as appears to be the case. there
is a belief, especially on some parts
Of the Pacific coast, that New Eng
landers are not travelling in large
numbers in these days, 1t is desirable
that the facts should be presented
in answer to this misconception
Multitudes of the people of other
portions Of the land come to New
England in summer. Appeal is made
for their patronage of New England
resorts. 1t does not help this New
England activity to have New Eng
land deprived Of full credit for the
travels of her own people in the
quest for recreation, as well as in
the prosecution of their business af-
fairs. The subject is one that might
well receive the attention of cham
bers of commerce and other organ
izations in order that New England
may stand fairly before the rest of
tho country in this as in other mat
terS. ----