Evening star., 1933-02-27
'RENOv|zERS' FLY
TO PHILADELPHIA
Delegation of Three Seeks
Facts on All Phases
of Drive There.

With view to adapting phases Of
the successful property improvement
campaign in Philadelphia to the Reno
VIE Washington movement, a delega-
ton representing the local Renovize
Campaign Committee today made a
flying trip of investigation to the Penn
sylvania city.
The delegation, consisting of Arthur
B. Heaton, general chairman of the
Renovize Washington Campaign Com
mittee: Charles j. Columbus, manag-
ing director of the Washington Adver-
tising Club, and Col. Leroy w. Heron,
member of the clubs special Renovizs
Washington Publicity Committee. left
Washington Airport at 8 o'clock this
morning.
The group will be met in Phila-
delphia by leaders of the Renovize
Philadelphia campaign, the encourag-
ing achievements of which inspired
the Washington Board of Trade to
sponsor a similar drive in the Nations
Capital.
Full Details Sought.
The Washington emissaries will seek
full details of the Philadelphia plan,
with special attention to the intensive
methods used in canvasSing all reslden-
tial and business properties in that
city. Under this system a soliciting Or
ganiZation, composed Of divisions and
teams, similar to the Community Chest
set-up, has approached every property
owner in Philadelphia with request
that definite pledges for renovizing work
be signed.
Mr.. Columbus and Col Heron will
study particularly the publicity pro-
gram that is credited with having put
the Philadelphia drive over with un-
expected enthusiasm. This program
included newspaper publicity, radio
broadcasts, posters and many other
methods of publicizing the campaign.
The delegation plans to confer with
William A. Law, chairman OF the Phla-
delphia campaign, and other leaders IN
the drive there The group expects TO
return by air late today.
Chairman Heaton will report his
findings to the General Campaign
Committee upon his return. The COM
mittee then will adopt a concrete
plan of procedure for the local drive
and will set up all the machinery
necessary to carry the movement
forward along a dozen fronts.
Pool Excites Interest.
The Philadelphians have manifested
great interest in the action OF the Dis
trict Bankers Association in creating
a S500,000 credit pool for home I'M
provement loans to home owners VINO
NAV need to borrow in order to join
in the renovizing movement. Chairman
Heaton already has described this pool
in telephone conversations With Phlla-
delphia leaders and will supply them
today with supplementary information
on the loan plan.
The exchange Of ideas is expected to
prove beneficial to both cities and may
result in a future liaison for the mutual
good of the two campaigns.
Inauguration of a new national ad-
ministration simultaneously with the
opening up of the recurring seasonal
construction period offers propitlous
opportunity to defeat decisively the
forces of depression, Edward j. Harding.
managing director of the Associated
General Contractors of America. de-
clared in a statement issued here today.
Bold action in launching Immediately
an adequate program OF both punlc
and private construction Will nno tne
Nation by next Fall once again IN
period of thriving activity and den-
nitely on the road to recovery, ne as
serted.
Emergency Act Hailed.
Speedy enactment by the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES and approval by the
President of liberalization OF the con-
struction loan provisions OF the emer-
pency relief and construction act, as
recently passed by the Senate, together
with general adoption and 1ntenSinca-
ton Of the local campaigns to brlng
out needed public and private con-
struction, will give construction the OPP
portunity, heretofore denied, to prove
it's power as the key to prosperity,
Harding stated.
For the past three years. he pointed
out, I'VE have heard much reference
to the construction industry as tne
key to the return OF prosperity, ano
there have been few that dispute that
construction is a means of relieving
unemployment and distributing pur-
chasing power. An examination OF the
facts. however, shows that adequate
action has not been taken to utilize
the industry for this purpose-in other
words, construction has not been given
a chance"
Harding believes the incoming ad-
ministration must push needed public
works construction to the fullest ex-
tent, facilitate the financing OF all con-
struction authorized under lberaliza-
ton of the emergency relief and con-
struction act and encourage local 1ni-
tiative throughout the country to bring
out work producing projects, both pub
lie and private.
He pointed to the encouraging re-
suits of the various State Committees
of the National Committee for Trade
Recovery and of the local 'renoviz-
ing campaigns here and in other
cities in organized efforts to stimulate
recovery through construction, and
urged that intensification Of these ef-
forts on a nationwide scale be under
taken. The construction credit pool
recently created by local bankers in
connection with the Capitals 'renoviz-
ing" campaign is worthy of general
emulation in other communities, Hard
ing said, and. together with LIBERAL
ization of the Reconstruction Finance
Corporations lending policies, would
provide the needed financing to allow
the country to work itself out of the