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HEARRT’S SUNDAY AMERICAN, ATLANTA, OA., STINE AY, JUNE 1, 1913.
WITH ATLANTA MANUFACTURERS
Chamber of Commerce Leaders Tell
Why City Needs Permanent Exhibit
“A
center.
Permanent Display of Manufac
tured Products From City’s 548
Plants Projected—Chattanooga
Trip Serves to Show Feasibility.
Exhibit Can Be Made Self-Sus
taining, and Will Impress Vis
itors Strongly, Besides Leading
Directly to Advantageous Sales.
Led by Wilmer L. Moore, pres
ident of the Chamber of Com*J
merue, sixty-five members of At
lanta’s leading “booster” organ
ization took a day from their
business at home and spent
Thursday in a trip to Chatta
nooga. where they inspected that
city’s exhibit of the goods manu
factured at home.
For ten years Atlanta has slow
ly bpen developing sentiment in
favor of a permanent exposition
of hie same kind. Persistent
work by Brooks Morgan, Mr.
Moore and other enthusiasts
worked the vague sentiment up
into something definite this
spring. Finally, the interest be
came so great that it was decided
to find out everything possible
about the most successful exhibit
of the kind in the United States.
This means Chattanooga.
The trip was purely bu*lne»s There
was no entertainment program and
the Chattanoofana had been asked by
telegraph not to make preparations.
It was an earnest, serious crowd
which boarded the special coach at
tached to the -Dixie Flyer.” bent on
ascertaining whether the best inter
ests of their city, present and future,
demanded such a venture
The decision is unanimously in fa
vor of the plan.
The Conclusion* Reached.
After thorough inspection of Chat
tanooga's display, after an exhaustive
inquiry into every detail, including
the financial question, the Atlantans
have decided that —
There are no serious obstacles in
the way.
The expense is not prohibitive.
The exhibit will be self-sustaining.
If Atlanta will establish a display
of the thousand-odd products of Its
548 factories the profit will be lm-
measura ole.
O. L. Bunn, secretary and assistant
treasurer of the Chattanooga Manu
facturers’ Association, and K. M.
Temple, chairman of the exhibit com
mittee, guided the Allantans from
top to bottom of the two four-story
buildings.
Mr. Moore and Walter G. Cooper
plied the guides with questions.
They asked about expense, number
of visitors, how the funds were
raised, what the exhibitors think of
the results derived, and how the cas
ual visitor, if he shows interest, is
brought into touch with the exhib
itors.
How It W«* Done.
f>. L. Bunn gave in detail the plan
followed in establishing Chattanooga’s
exhibit. The site was offered the
Manufacturers' Association at a figure
below what it would bring on the
market. Mr. Bunn took the option in
his own name. Thep he proceeded to
sell bonds to cover this amount. When
this had been accomplished, the man
ufacturers were called upon to engage
floor space. At 10 o’clock of the last
day of the option the deal was closed.
A holding company was organized
railed the “Home Association.” Title
to the property is vested in it. The
Manufacturers’ Association pays a
fixed rental for its offices to this hold
ing concern, as do the exhibitors. The
rentals are enough to pay all expense
of operation and maintenance, to pay
Interest on the bonds, and to create
a sinking fund for retiring the bonds
The rentals amount to a figure be
tween t>0 and 90 cents per square
foot per year for exhibitors.
In the four years the exhibit has
been in existence few manufacturers
have expressed dissatisfaction or quit.
Most of them are enthusiastic as to
its advantages. Some can tVace many
sales direct to the exhibit. Others
have faith in it in the same way that
they believe in general advertising
that sales come even though they can
lot be traced.
Some Striking Examples.
Rome striking examples of direct
-a.es are given. There was a conven
tion of textile mill superintendents in
Chattanooga, and one of the delegate?
rlsited the exhibit, though he was not
ntendlng to buy goods. A few months
a ter the manager of his mill needed
i device, and did not know where to
<et it. He told his plight to the
.uperintendent, who said:
‘Why, I remember seeing just that
.hing in the Chattanooga-made ex
hibit.”
A sale followed.
There is a concern in Chattanooga
which manufactures automobiles
During the Confederate reunion last
week thrse orders were taken a.s a
street result of the display.
Several devices are used to mane
the display of value to the exhibitors.
For one thing the elevator (made in
Chattanooga, by the way) will not
flop at ! ntermediat€ floors, but carries
sll passengers to the *op. This forces
all visitors to see tl e whole exhibit.
Salesmen Called to Hall.
On each floor is stationed an em
ployee of the association. He show*
viators through and explains the ex
hibits. If any visitor shows that he
i* particularly interested In any one
uifpiay the attendants goes to .he tei-
TLANTA needs to keep in view of the fact that its future
growth depends upon its development as an industrial
Already, it is the principal distributing point of the South.
Almost every concern of im
portance in the United States
which does a national business
has a representative in Atlanta.
But there is a limit to this. In
creased population, increased
real estate values, greater bank
deposits, all hang upon the foun
dation of new factories and upon
the growth of those we have.
“For this reason, I believe an
exhibit of Atlanta-made products
is the most important project be
fore the city at the present time.
■ ‘ Such an exhibit will bestow
two great benefits. First, it will
give the manufacturer publicity.
It will let the city and the rest
of the world know what is made
here, and will, in a few hours, do
more to show the visitor what
Atlanta is than will anything we can do in any other way.
“As I see it, we must have a distinct organization of manufac
turers, following the Chattanooga plan. I would favor adding to
the system there some means whereby sales could be made at the
exhibit. The real estate holders, the bankers, the owners of huge
office buildings all must be aroused to the benefits they will derive
from developing Atlanta as an industrial city."—Wilmer L. Moore,
president of the Chamber of Commerce.
A TLANTA, by reason of its peculiar location, its climate, and
its railroads has become a city of 200,000 people, not one of |
whom can give an intelligent answer to the inquiry recently sent
out by our splendid and loyal
citizen, J. K. Orr, “Why is At
lanta?’’’
I do not want to be consid-
••• ’ ■
■=2S?B0GET:
ephone ar<d calls up the exhibitor, who
sendH a salesman to the building at
once.
Then there are inquiry blanks,
whereon the visitor writes his name
and address, and the name of the
Ann from which he wishes informa
tion. Inquiries of this sort are nu
merous.
Ordinarily, an attendant on each
floor and two Jaintors are enough to
take care of all visitors. When there
is an unusual crowd, the office force
from the association's headquarters
is pressed into service, and if these
are Inadequate, members leave their
offices to assist.
At every display, descriptive liter
ature is made available for visitors.
Booklets answer many questions
which no attendant could memorize.
Many displays explain themselves.
For Intance, a lighting device manu
facturer has a display of lights in
operation.
An effort is made to group kindred
lines on the same floors, but this is
not always practicable. Almost every
foot of floor space is In use, and It
has to be utilized to the best ad
vantage. so that competing manu
facturers of stoves, for instance, can
not always have their goods side by
side for comparison. There has been
no complaint from the exhibitors on
this account, however.
New Haven, Conn., and Richmond,
Va. t have been so much impressed
with Chattanooga’s example that
these cities are following suit.
Every effort Is made to maintain
an attitude which shall he strictly
impartial as between rival exhibi
tors.
Mr. Bunn records an actual conver
sation of recent date.
A man, a stranger to him, viewed
the exhibits and expressed his Inter
est in office supplies.
Avoids Neat Trap.
”1 see you have two displays of
office devices.” he remarked, "both
are excellent, but which is the bet
ter?”
’’Both are among Chattanooga’s
most progressive Arms,” replied Mr.
Bunn.
‘‘But confidentially, now. which is
the better firm for me to trade with?"
persisted the visitor.
"They’re neck and neck," said Mr.
Bunn. “You’ll have to decide for
yourself. Shall 1 call them up?
They'll he glad to send salesmen
over.”
“You needn’t mind.” said the
stranger. "I’m one of Smith’s sales
men myself.”
laid a trap to test the attitude of
Smith was an exhibitor and had
the exhibit manager. He was satis
fied.
One of the greatest tasks which has
confronted the Chattanooga ns Is the
difficulty of making the exhibits
strictly "Made in Chattanooga” dis
plays.
This caused a tussle with the job
bers, Many of the manufacturers
carry lines made in other cities,
which they sell as supplementing
their own goods. They wanted* to
display these lines in which they are
distributors.
The association firmly ruled them
out
"We want to be able to tell every
visitor that everything in this build
ing was made in Chattanooga,” said
M. E. Temple, chairman of the ex
hibit committee. ‘‘And now we are
able to do so truthfully. It is much
more impressive when this rule is
adhered to strictly. I think every ex
hibitor sees it that way now, and
we are having no more trouble on
this particular score. Those who
were exhibiting jobbing lines have
withdrawn their exhibits and are fill
ing their space with their own goods."
"We have no secrets,” said O. L..
Bunn, secretary and manager of the
Chattanooga Manufacturers’ Associa
tion "We are glad to explain every
thing. even to open our books to you
if you so desire. We feel that the
building of such an exhibit by At
lanta can not hurt us, and. in fact,
that it w ill aid ue by advertising the
South even more widely as a manu
facturing section."
Among other details which the in
quisitive Atlantana learned ere
these:
An average of 50 persons a ay,
year in and year out. visit the di? lay.
Few manufacturers w ho once make
an exhibit ever cancel their reserva
tion of floor space.
Many sales can be traced direct to
the exhibit.
Some manufacturers have abolished
their yile** rooms and use their exhibit
space for this purpose
During large conventions the visi
tors throng the building and carry its
fame to their homes all over the
United States.
While the Confederate reunion was
in progress 35,000 persons went
through the building.
The "home folks" do not Ignore the
displays. New Year’s Day, 1913. 15,-
000 Chattanoogans attended a recep
tion in the building.
Chattanooga jobbers and retailers
are proud of the label. "Made in Chat
tanooga," *and they have been edu
cated to this point largely through the
exhibit.
There are 120 exhibitors in the
Chattanooga exhibit, out of 300 mem
hers in the Manufacturers’ Associa
tion. Within four years the exhibit
has outgrown a four-story building.
25 by 110 feet, and now tills another
building of identical s*izc. Rental of
floor space has served to pay all in
terest charges, expenses and to create
a sinking fund. It will not be many
years before the buildings will l>e free
of debt. As it is not the Intention of
the association to realize a profit on
the undertaking, it is likely the rents,
reasonable enough now. will be re
duced from year to year as the debt is
retired and the interest charges grow
less.
7
ered a pessimist I am by nature
otherwise inclined, but in my
humble opinion, if Atlanta does
not begin to go along other and
more substantial lines, she will
not progress nearly as fast in
the future as in the past.
Our real estate values and
our position, from an invest
ment standpoint, can not be, mm
maintained unless we do some
thing to increase our pay roll 5 ' ‘ ?'
Our pay roll, as compared witl
other cities with the same and I > '
smaller population, shows up in . 'J/j
a very unfavorable light, par- —
ticularly alongside our neigh- '
bors—Chattanooga and Birmingham.
Pay rolls of the progressive cities of the United States come
from manufacturing industries. If Atlanta expects to increase
its pay roll, we must look to the manufacturing industries.
Georgia is the tenth State in population, the twenty-fourth
in manufacturing.
We believe a permanent exhibit of Atlanta-made goods would
increase sales right in the city, besides attracting hundreds of buy
ers from all over the country.—BROOKS MORGAN, Leader of
the Movement.
/ i
2E
-sate
'SEABOARD PUTS ON
LOW RATE TO RICH
MOND.
$16.70 from Atlanta, on sale June
8. Through trains, steel Pull
mans and dining cars, unexcelled
service. City Ticket Office, 88
Peachtree.
MADE IN ATLANTA
VARNISH APPLIED WITH A CLOTH
Let our demonstrator show you. No hard work to apply. Only use
" * ‘ ~OLISH.
cloth. Runs to a free surface. A VARNISH, not a P
Varnish, Not Polish
Varnish With a Cloih
TRADE MARK
Always Something New
Insure Brisk Trading with New Goods
When you buy, don’t you look for the
best and newest articles to be had?
If you do, our facilities for getting
new articles make it possible for us to
keep our customers supplied with the
latest novelties as well as the newest
staples at all times.
If you have tried us, you know; if not,
do so and we will make a friend of you
with our service and quality.
Ridley-Williamson-Wyatt Co.
Wholesale Dry Goods and Notions
77 North Pryor Street
“Made in Atlanta”
ATLANTA, 0A.
DIXIE PICKLE AND PRESERVING CO.
Manufacturers of
Pure Apple and Distilled Vinegar, Catsup, Pickles, Mustard, Pepper
Sauce, Sauer Kraut, Jelly, Etc.
CANNED GOODS
364 to 378 Marietta Street. Atlanta, Ga.
tCvTrp
PEANl/T „ J
PRODUCT^
SELL SINGLETON’S
Peanut Products
FOR SURE and STEADY PROFITS
157 1-2 Whitehall Phone Main 665
BRAND
Varnish With a Cloth
Varnish, No! Polish
WATER-PROOF
DUST-PROOF
No brush marks. Dries In five hours TACCO wil
look like NEW. Don’t have to rub off.
HEAT-PROOF
make your furniture
THE AMBER CHEMICAL CO.
Office: 603-4 Forsyth Building
Phone 3131 Ivy
Jing.
Labo-atenes: 91 Piedmont Avenue.
For sale by Alexander-Secwald Company and KFnp Hardware Company.
Insist on Crystal Mist
“Ginger Ale”
Do not confuse with others. This drink is ab
solutely different from any on the market, and is
in a class by itself, as a thirst-destroyer and mild
laxative. Discriminating people know.
MADE AND SOLD IN ATLANTA BY
JACOBS STORES.
ATLANTA SODA COMPANY (4 Stores).
ELKIN’S STORES.
GREATER ATLANTA CONFECTIONERY CO.
BENJAMIN'S.
JOHNSON'S PHARMACY.
WEINBERG BROS.
PALACE OF SWEETS.
STERLING SODA CO.
ON DRAUGHT—IN SYPHONS
Crystal Mist Ginger Ale Co.
307 Peachtree—Ivy 6708
66
THE SIMMONS
SAFETY”
NEVER SCREAKS
i 4
SIZES
- AND ■ —
PRICES
F. O. B.
. $5.00
. $6.00
. $7.00
■ \$
1
M
«■
Nothing Better In
Porch
Nothing Stronger in Hangings.
Nothing More Durable.
We use light artistic steel frames and bolt them securely with carriage
bolts (NOT A NAIL IN THEM).
They are suspended by two strands of heavy chain at each end, giving
double strength, making adjustment easy, and also prevents their tilting.
Delivered throughout the city by auto, and hung in a very safe man
ner by an expert.
Or shipped complete with full printed instructions, for cash. (See
cut.)
A Boon to Heavy Weights
See our 102 Swings at Grant and Piedmont Parks.
Manufactured and Sold by
G. W. Simmons & Son.
j
1378 DeKalb Avenue Atlanta, Ga.
Bell Phone Ivy 5773-L
Calls Answered Day or Night