Evening star., 1939-04-09
Business Leaders
Make Plans for
April 18 Drive
Greater National Capital
Committee Funds
Benefit City

More than 100 prominent business
leaders of Washington will partici-
pate in the Greater National Capital
Committee drive for $4,000 to bring
more visitors to the city this year,
1t was learned.
Although actual solicitation will
not begin until April 18, the date OF
the next meeting of the Campaign
Committe, invitations have been ex-
tended to professional and business
men in the District to cooperate in
the drive.
Thomas j. Groom, campaign chair
man. predicted success in the cam
paign, adding that special letters are
being prepared for distribution to be
followed by personal interviews. He
said that no time limit has been set
for the drive, but that the first re-
port meeting May probably will
give some indication as to how long
to continue the work.
He pointed out that the prosperity
OF community depended upon the
volume of funds which flow in local
trade. BY increasing the number of
tourists coming to the District,
money would be pumped into busi-
ness here benefiting everyone, he
asserted
Expenditures made by visitors to
Washington last year amounted to
more than $60000,00 it was esti-
mated This money was brought in
1,,,1 - Of
sons, according to Curtis Hodges.
promotion director. He pointed out
that this year with the New York
Worlds Fair, We expect even more
people and money to come here"
Members of the Campaign Com
mittee explained that more money
would be necessary this year to get
many of the fair visitors through
increased publicity. For this reason.
the quota had been raised 20 per
cent over that of last year, they said
Assisting Mr.. Groom on the COM
mittee are John j. Hasley. vice
chairman: Wayne Kendrick. Arthur
B. Heaton. Leo j. Rocca, Frank G..
Stewart, James B. Luttes A. NJ Nc
Lachlen. Fred A. Smith, Edwin l..
Davis, c. B. Dulcan, ST.; A. Burks
Summers, William H. Somervell,
Samuel S. Blick, NJ c. Mallon, John
H. Davis,sr.; L. Gardner Moore, Ed
win B. Olds. Edwin F. Wesley, Sef-
ton Darr, David S. Bethune, DR..
William P. Argy. Raymond M. Tay-
lor, Thornton w. Owen, j. w. Mar
riott, Norman c. Kal. E. K. Morris,
Stuart Ogilvie. Marcy L. Sperry,
Lyle F. O'Rourke and A. w. Lee.
Convention Saturday.
With the Washington Junior
Board of Commerce acting as host,
junior boards throughout the mid
Atlantic area will hold their second
convention Saturday and Sunday in
Alexandria, Va. Delegates are ex-
pected from some q junior COM
merce bodies in five States and the
District of Columbia.
The conference program, as out
lined by Chairman A. 2. Foster
Wood, includes round table discus
sions on problems confronting local
Junior chambers and dinner dance
Saturday night. The Virginia dele
cation will probably form a State
organization at the gathering, it was
learned.
At the time of the organization of
the Washington Junior Board five
years ago and its affiliation with the
United States Junior Chamber of
Commerce, there were only one or
two similar organizations in the area
between North Carolina and New
Jersey. Due to the interest aroused
by the Extension Committee of the
local junior board, there are now
more than 20 Junior Chambers of
Commerce in New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland, West Virginia and
Virginia.
The first extension work was at
tempted in 1885 in HagerstoWn, Md.
The committee next moved on to
Philadelphia, where an organiza-
ton was started In the fall of 1887
the work of the committee resulted
in the formation of Junior chambers
in Loudon County and Winchester,
Va; Martinsburg, w. Va, and Han
cock, Md
The Washington group was one of
the moving spirits in organizing the
mid-Atlantic Junior Chambers, COM
posed of all those in Virginia, Mary
land and Pennsylvania, for the pur-
pose of stimulating more interest in
extension work and to aid all the
organizations through the exchange
of ideas and views
The first mid-Atlantic convention
was held in Hagerstown in October
1887. Ideas developed there were
incorporated in co-ordinated ex-
tension program and worked out
under Arthur H. Clephane
To Award Saber.
The National Defense Committee
of the Junior board will award a
Saher to the captain Of tho uippipp