The Wilmington morning star., 1947-09-21
What Price Talk?

.. oaoo more going to take up the Sledge ndInIneA omo 0Ne
some additional reasons why Wilmington should be a ~ eS'
~" +SoSau ho are tired of reading about the thing will find the
funnes on another page orro,1
49, Yesterday, over the signature of Chairman Louis orrel'
the q men who guided the Star-NeWs tournament %. - ~ -;
u uere called together for a meeting Tuesday, Sept 81. Al LIKE
meeting it will be decided whether wilmington VIII na' 10
. $40 900 golf tournament in 1913, or whetner I'LL n"''
~r .am;+ .o,ir land for the most awful time), that ak IS cheap
Aho,t . month ago Wilmington was invited to raise the money
and inform the PEA just what dates 1t would IKE 70 nase 90
aside in the fall of 1915. The letter from George H en- naenos s4%n #
a @mon+ Manager arrived here to this writer who had requested IL
fr tho benefit of the local group. A month ago IS a long ume'
and we would like to see things speeded up because N r1A Is
being bonbarded with requests by other cues aho "e ea'S '0
still gets the worm at last reports.
The committee members might remember al neil "ee'
n Sept. 30, that just because we in Wilmington are asked
to raise the money we aren't BUYING anythhg "e'
selling il. The PEA doesn't need Wilmington, but wilmington
does need the PGA in spite of a lot Of people here VINO Will
shout to high heavens that the Port City doesn't need any
~ thing.
That element that selfsatisfed element which wants no
rove in anv field, for personal selfish reasons, could be
stood up against a wall and shot, and II this writer were aug
the riflemen would get a reward.
Now these men, on whose shoulders rest the hope that a
good sports show will come to Wilmington, are more than just
personalities. They are the men who have been pehnd mos'
Of the civic programs for betterment here. They make a good
20 committee. Let's name them. There ere:
,so,1 n0q dinn,ie Wade E. R. Wilson, Ken Eaton, ". A. Raney, David
Jacob. Alan Marshall, Marcus Goldstein, A. B. Cheatha1n' COL
George w. Gillette, Walker Taylor, Robert Dannenoaum, JACK
Loughlin, Gil Pickard, J. M. Autry, Warren Johnson L" L. "hne'
Lon Slrler t1Gmy IGIuCl, Ivy L.
Walter Webb, James AHegood, and Jack Newman we are IN TIT
committee, only as a publicity member
However. as we understand it, this is not a closed affair."
and many other men, equally as civic-minded, are invited u
ion if thew would like to aid in bringing the tournament mere
next fall.
Some have voiced their feelings in advance of the upcom-
ing meeting. Eaton has led with the publicity, using the tourna-
~ment in his everyday work. Goldsten told US last night that Re
was enthused, and would support the thing to his financial limit
Well, that's all very fine, but actually these men should
not be forced to kick in with all the money needed o make
the classic a success. The city should get in on some OF the
-" gravy though it is doubtful Ii the council coulo Dc mau
~ to see that it would be getting a real break by being ALLOW
Nc ED to put up about $500 AS far as the county goes We'll
- dismiss that. The commissioners will spend a dollar to get back
-~ two, if they've already got the two.
But, if the city can spend $50 here and there for support OF
conventions, in order to advertise Wilmington to some $50 dele
gates of a plumbing association, or a BARRIERS group or something
of that nature, and if they can spend a little dough in a highway
association to stick up a sign four hundred miles from here say
ing "Stop in Wilmington" it would seem that they could support
the sort of thing that other cities are crying for, and begging
to support.
One of the fears that has been expressed is, Can WI
~ mington, isolated Is it is, draw enough golf fans to meet ex-
penses? Can we in Wilmington be compared to Charlotte and
ny Greensboro, each of which has drawing power nearby?"
Three thousand fans in four days will make the tournament
a financial success. Wilmington can put tickets on sale in White.
vile, Elizabethtown, Clinton, Burgaw, Jacksonville, Southport
Lunberton, New Bern, and all the other towns nearby. Sports
editors of the small weekly papers in those communities will
.publicize the event and we can draw the fans.
Let's look at a concrete example. Albuquerque, New Mexi-
r. co has a $4,000 golf tournament. 1t has a population about
the same size as Wilmington, in a state with a total popula-
ton Of 531,s1S d94o census figures by our dusty Rand Nc
~ Nally). There is NO OTHER CITY in New Mexico as large as
Albuquerque, and the state covers an area of 121,666 square
miles {same figures, but don't think they've changed).
Wilmington is not the largest city in North Carolina. 1t has,
besides Charleston, S. c., several cities in the state larger than
Itself within a drawing range. The state covers an area of only
32,I2 square miles, with a population of close to four million. Is
wilmington so far behind Albuquerque that, with it's advantages
Just explained, it cannot support the same kind of a tournament?
Or are we to believe that Albuquerque is losing money?
Phoenix 100000 and Tucson 100000 put on their S1O-
golf shows in Arizona where the deer and the ante
RI Iope outnumber the human beings, SO thin1y populated is the
.a'e' nave they in Arizona, some magic formula for success
That wilmington hasn't yet learned?
Sum it all up Wilmington could have had . tournament
years ago. just as it could and should have had a decent stadium
for FOOTBALL a decent indoor arena, and a better baseball fold
~ou II taxes more than talks and club endorsements.
90 We sincerely hope the Sept. 30 meeting WON'T he ius+ -.
10 otner one OF those fine cid times which accomolish NOTHING M
sen "a committee member to bed with a guilty conscience
~ rms tournament will make money hut a,1,o -
W. snoulo De played IN Wilmington in the fall of 1919 viii H.,
support. Let's really go all out, and say it should be n1.voa 49,
3oun. suppor' o running a community wisely and we'll does
not ALWAYS mean running it too economically
schneitner is waiting for a reply be uu n. ....
700 Tor the money to be raised he wants bs ,~u
Announcing 80. BULLDOGS DRILL
r. NJ. c- ATHENS, Ga, Sept. 20-WHl
ooach Wally Butts who wiped