The border vidette., 1926-08-14
TOURISTS SPEND MILLIONS

tuo OouellCS OI Lu0 touring tTdIHC
being distributed from border to
border and there is hardly ar
enterprise in the entire state
that is not affected either direct
ly or otherwise in the scope of
this gigantic expenditure.
On every turn of the rubber
casing upon we'll rolled high
ways. the tourist distributes
wealth in Arizona. He is the
states biggest customer from the
minute be enters. He leaves a
trail of silver in the wake of the
blue smoke of his exhaust The
motorist in his ceaseless trips
across the state is a harbinger
of good business and leaves
ready cash in the till. Purchase
of oil and gasoline are but few
of the things he does. !.
In the Office of the highway
engineer of Arizona can be found
q mass of statistics to substanti
ate the position of the tourist
as the Southwest's greatest
patron. To the uninitiated it is
q stock of mathematics to cause
a celebrai tornado. But it's easy
to~unravel in the highly develop.
ed form followed in the Office of
Chief Engineer w. w. Lane of
the highway department. For
the tourist is earnestly checked,
'rechecked and then an average
found upon his expenditures and
comparably, his status as q Gus.
toner.
Out of the tabulations comes
the established fact that each
car contains three and five tenths
persons upon an average basis.
Each person, it has been deter
mined, spends upon an average
of $3.50 a day within the state.
Time spent in the state by the
average foreign car is estimated
at FIVE days. Then with q total
oE672,OOO persons visiting the
state during 1926 determined by
state highway department stat
istics only a little arithmetic
is needed to determine the fact
that approximately 5000, 600
is left by the great, friendly
army which crosses Arizona's
boundaries.
Employees in the Office of Chief
Engineer w. w. Lane, of the
state highway department. in
calculating the number of tour.
lists to cross the state annually
are doing it upon the basis of
the months already passed on
the calendar year. The amount
of travel upon Wednesday is
taken as the foundation of figur.
ing.
This, it is pointed out by Chief
Engineer Lane, is because if an
average was obtained of Sunday
traffic, it would be excessive and
not an indication on the other
six days of the week. If the
figures we're compiled on Monday
it consequently would be lighter.
So Wednesday has been found
the ideal day upon which to base
figures of actual tourist travel
within the state by means of
purely methodical calculation if
nothing else.
Many interesting things natur.
ally contribute to the work of
the state highway department in
it's pursuit to bring out an ap.
Proclamation of the number of
out of. state cars which annually
traverse highways of this state.
1t has been found that upon the
state highway-between Yuma
and Phoenix-travel has increas.
ed more than 260 per cent while
on others there has been an in.
crease of but 30 per cent. Upon
other roads as much as a 400 per
cent increase has been recorded.
Al! of these facts are gathered
and Interestingly compiled in the
Office of Chief Engineer Lane as
they are pertinent facts in regard
to maintenance of the states
highways.
Primary among the things to
be taken into consideration in
the distribution of tourist wealth
is the fact that merchants, oil
and gas dealers, accessory esta
blishments, hotels and restaur.
ant operators are paid'the major
ity Of the sum but that it's con.
tribution to the state wealth at
large is widely felt. The state
exchequer, upon the other hand,
only benefits to the extent of
l. Al \