Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-04-03
JAPANESE ENVOY
TO TALK OVER AIR
0NBL0SSOMFETE
Pub|icizing Event on Ma
tionaI Scale Is Being
Arranged.
RAINEY WILL DESCRIBE
FESTIVAL ON NETWORK
Committee Expects Previous Rec.
ords for Visitors Will Be
Far Exceeded.

Plans for the first organized cherry
blossom festival moved forward apace
today as the Greater National Capital
Committee of the Board of Trade ar
ranged for rublicizing the event in
advance on national scale.
Hiroshi Saito. Japanese Ambassador
to the United States. is to deliver an
address over Coast-to- Coast hook up
of the Columbia Broadcasting system
at lis to 1870 pm. Saturday. ex-
planning the event in terms of Japa-
nese American friendship. The
cherry blossoms. considered symbolic
OF this friendship, were presented to
the United States in 1912 by the
municipality of Toxic, and accepted
by President Taft.
Rainey to Speak on Radio.
On April II Speaker Rainey will
describe the coming festival on a
Coast to-Coast hook-up of the Ma
tional Broadcasting Co. His .peech
will be broadcast from 7:3O to 7:45
pm At the same time arrangements
are being made for spot" announce
ments on many of the Nation wide
commercial radio programs.
Accounts of the coming festivities
will be sent to 400 newspapers within
300 miles of Washington and will be
supplied to all Washington CORE
spondents for their home papers.
II the weather is propitious and the
cherry blossoms come out on April
II. the date forecast by the horti-
cultural experts, the committee ex-
poets previous records for visitors at
tending Washington during the annual
spectacle Of the pink and white blooms
will be exceeded
On Sunday in April, 1881, an &C
tual count by park police showed that
225,000 journeyed to Potomac Park to
see the blossoms. The police counted
34340 automobiles crossing the inlet
bridge near the Tidal Basin in 10
hours.
Information Booths Arranged.
To take care of the great throng
expected, the Housing Committee of
the General Festival Committee is al
ready at work Offices will be main
tanned in, The Star Building and also
at the headquarters of the District
Hotel Mems Association, 1880 H street.
The American Automobile Association
has made arrangements to place in
formation booths at the four principal
entrances to the city and to maintain
an information and housing service at
their offices in the Mills Building.
Arthur ]. Harnett is chairman and
Thomas D. Carson vice chairman of
the Housing Committee.
The General Committee will hold q
meeting at 4 o'clock tomorrow after
noon in the board room of the District
Building Commissioner Melvin c.
Hazen, who is taking leading part
in the arrangements for the festival,
will preside.
Million Dollar Asset.
The Festival will be a million dollar
asset to Washington, Curtis Hodges,
director of the Greater National Cap
ital Committee of the Board of Trade
told the Advertising Club of Washing
ton at its luncheon at the Raleigh
Hotel today.
Mr.. Hodges said that If the Festival
succeeded in attracting to Washington
$4,000 more persons than would nor
mally visit the city at cherry blossom
time, the Washington merchants could
count on their leaving 100000 behind
them.
Other money would flow from Wash
ingtonians attracted from their homes
by the events planned from the festi-
val, and from persons who, attracted
by the national publicity campaign in
behalf of the festival, will visit Wash
ington in future years
He urged merchants to take adj
vantage of the period in the festival
program left open for store and shop
receptions Saturday morning, April 81.
BY suitable advertising and attractive
shop displays, he said. harmonizing
with the spirit Of the festival, the
merchants of the city should be able
to reap great advantages.
1--WE can't have prosperity as long
as people stay at home" he said.
You must get them out of their
houses. Once you do that you have
started them spending money"