a conclusion was wrong; in fact, it is now apparent since every member is paying the same amount and each has an equal voice in the affairs of the organization, greater interest is shown.

"We believe it is necessary to build a com

mercial organization along democratic lines, and that the influence which radiates from the central body should be carried out by men from the middle and minor walks of life through committee service and recommendations."

D

URING the last decade several impor

tant plans have been evolved for the raising of funds by the commercial organizations of the United States. These plans have been given national publicity, and are known as the Williamsport plan, the Wilkes-Barre plan, the Davenport plan, the Sioux City plan, the Scranton plan, and others modeled along similar lines.

The chief aim in all instances has been to provide sufficient funds for development work and to maintain the funds permanently. Funds have been secured in various ways, by the collection of dues annually, or over a period of years, by special subscriptions, by investments in stocks of new companies, and by the organization of industrial development companies.

In Little Rock a plan has been devised by my associate, Carl J. Baer, Industrial Commissioner of the Chamber of Commerce, which with some modifications and additions I believe will finally solve the question so often asked, "What do I get out of it?" by returning to the subscriber of funds real estate which will be worth the full amount of his subscription at the end of a short period of years.

Soon after the organization of the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Governors decided to make a campaign for the establishing of new industries. Owners of vacant land in and surrounding Little Rock were asked to donate some of their idle real estate to the Chamber of Commerce, the funds secured from this land to be used for legitimate industrial development purposes. As a net result of a quiet campaign, covering a few weeks, we secured donations of property amounting to about $100,000. This property was then sold to the citizens of

praised value on the basis of 5 per cent down and 2 per cent per month without interest or taxes until fully paid.

Contracts were signed up for sales aggregating somewhat over $200,000. The property was then divided and the purchasers were allowed to make their selections of real estate in the order of their purchase, or the property was allotted to the purchaser by a real estate appraising board. It was found that not quite enough land had been donated which could be divided in units to suit all purchasers. Accordingly, the Industrial Development Committee of the Chamber of Commerce purchased a tract of land adjoining the city which could be divided up into lots suitable for a residential sub-division.

In Little Rock we have found that most of our business men will subscribe from two to twenty times as much to a real estate purchase contract as they will to a special fund or to the payment of dues. Most of our purchasers of real estate also pay dues to the Chamber of Commerce, naturally resulting in a duplication of effort for practically the same general purpose. To overcome this objectionable feature, it can be easily arranged that the membership fee be included in the real estate purchase contract, with a graded or limited voting power. If one member pays more than another, he will necessarily secure in return real estate of greater value. If the city grows and prospers, his real estate values increase, and he becomes the owner of property which at the end of a few years is worth all that he has paid for it. Stating it in another way, he has simply loaned the Chamber of Commerce some money without interest for a few years for the pur

Our fund in Little Rock is disbursed by an Industrial Development Committee composed of seven of our leading business men elected by the Board of Governors of the Chamber of Commerce. Each manufacturing proposition is thoroughly investigated and carefully analyzed by our official staff and is then presented to the committee. Their action is final on all propositions.

In a recent discussion of industrial development methods, some questions were asked which indicated possible objections to the Little Rock plan. For the benefit of other cities, these questions and the writer's answers to them are here published:

(1) What inducements are offered to real estate owners to donate land?

ANSWER-First, we appeal to the man's public spirit, then we appeal to him on a purely business basis, stating that we will sell the property donated at twice its appraised value. If the real estate owner has considerable land about the city we urge that he can donate some of this idle property to the Chamber of Commerce to be used in industrial development, thereby enhancing and giving more permanent values to all of his real estate.

(2) If some real estate is donated and other real estate is purchased, is there not apt to be hard feeling on the part of those who made the donations?

ANSWER-We have not found much, if any, hard feeling on the part of those who have donated real estate. Of course, there are some inequalities both in donations and purchases, just as there are inequalities in the membership fees paid in a commercial organization. Some men will pay more than their business really justifies, and others will pay less than their property holdings justify.

(3) To what extent are the development funds used for the current expenses of the Chamber of Commerce?

ANSWER-Our plan permits the Chamber of Commerce to use these funds for all legitimate industrial development purposes. For instance, freight rates are a very important factor to industrial development. Our Board has voted to appropriate $15,000 of these funds for securing permanent river navigation on the Arkansas River. This, we feel, is just as legitimate use of the money as to put it actually in the stock in new factories, or use it as a bonus. Our agreement with the purchasers of real estate and the donors of property does not permit us to use the funds for current operating expenses. In making up the annual budget, however, certain amounts of money from the development fund should be set aside for certain specific purposes. For instance, the making of an industrial survey of the city can very properly be charged to the industrial account. Nothing is of more importance to factory development than to know the things essential for the success of the new factory. We proceed on the theory that we had better lose the factory than let the factory lose after it is

located in our city. However, this whole matter must be thoroughly understood in raising funds and should be a part of the agreement, to begin with.

(4) After the land already donated or purchased has been paid for-which will require about four years on the 2 per cent monthly payment plan-what will be the future source of income?

ANSWER-Mr. Baer's plan in Little Rock contemplates the raising of $1,000,000 in ten years, or $200,000 every two years. Although we have not yet entered into the second period, we have already had offers from some of our largest donors and buyers of real estate to duplicate their gifts and purchases.

(5) To what extent is money from the development fund given in the form of bonuses to secure new factories?

ANSWER-AS to when bonuses shall be given this depends upon the action of the Board of Governors. As a matter of fact, we do not advocate the giving of bonuses. We have given a few small bonuses in order to make a demonstration of our manufacturing possibilities and to get certain kinds of factories started here. The money may be used in stock investments or in any way the directors see fit. We do not expect to give bonuses unless it seems to us to be a wonderfully good investment to give a small amount in this way.

(6) In dividing up and laying out the land donated, is any attempt made to do this along modern city planning lines?

ANSWER-We have made no attempt to do anything along these lines except to work in general harmony with the plans proposed by the City Parkways Association. Under our plan the Board of Governors has the right to make purchases of real estate whenever necessary to fulfill contracts. With land thus purchased we have laid out one addition adjoining the city, but without any particular attention paid to beautifying it, with the exception of building good roads and streets through it. This is a good suggestion, however, and one worthy of careful consideration.

To sum up briefly some of the salient features of the Little Rock plan: It furnishes at once a good big fund for operation. The organization is not dependent upon dues alone, but immediately becomes a thriving financial institution with thousands of dollars to be used as collateral for city development. An organization thus financed is established on sound business principles, and has for its foundation a fixed real estate collateral. Again, any citizen who is not a donor or purchaser of real estate may still be solicited to take memberships under any membership plan which may be adopted. Hence, the inability to purchase real estate will not debar any man from becoming a member. Every man who wants to take part in the building of his city is given a full opportunity to do so.

U

NDER the auspices of the Reading Chamber of Commerce, the handsome reinforced concrete viaduct spanning the Schuylkill River at Reading, Pa., was recently dedicated. The structure was completed by the County Commissioners of Berks at a total cost of $610,840, which includes the payment of property

tracks, a total distance of 1,350 feet. It consists of a retained and reinforced concrete beam and slab approach, eight 48-foot arches, five 110-foot elliptical arches and one 48-foot elliptical arch. The width of the structure is 80 feet, and the greatest height above the water is 36 feet. The roadway is paved with creosoted wood

damages, the replacing of gas and water mains, sewers and other additional expenses.

In addition to spanning the Schuylkill River, the viaduct also bridges the Schuylkill Canal, the Wilmington and Northern, West Reading and Pennsylvania railroad

block and carries two standard-gauge electric railway tracks.

Provision is made to light the structure either with gas or electricity. Gas pipes and conduits for carrying the electric wires are laid beneath the balustrade on either side. Boulevard arc lamps are placed on

alternate trolley poles, and 26 clusters of tungsten electric lights are carried on concrete posts monolithic with the balustrade on each side of the structure. There are four lights in each cluster.

The new concrete viaduct replaces an iron bridge which was erected in 1884. The new structure was built on the same site as the old, and engineers were confronted with the problem of providing for the heavy traffic across the river at the foot of Penn Street, Reading's main thoroughfare, leading to flourishing suburbs west of the Schuylkill River. This problem was solved by building one-third of the width of the concrete bridge across the entire span before tearing down the iron bridge. Traffic was then diverted to the completed onethird of the concrete viaduct, after which the remaining two-thirds was built. It was thus necessary for the contractor actually to build two bridges side by side, and the task was successfully accomplished.

The people of Reading and Berks County are proud of the bridge, especially because nearly everything that went into it was furnished at home. The cement came from Evansville, the stone from quarries at the western end of the bridge, the sand from

A

Temple. The contractors, L. H. Focht & Son, are a Reading firm. The money to pay for the enterprise was furnished by the rank and file of the people, the bonds having been purchased by persons in all walks of life.

Materials were used as follows: Cement, 34,648 barrels, or 13,166,240 pounds; stone, 64,310,000 pounds; sand, 33,094,382 pounds; reenforcing steel, 934,826 pounds. The total weight of material, exclusive of wood block, was 111,505,448 pounds. The amount of concrete used was 23,320 cubic yards. There are 8,171 square yards of wood block paving.

The total cost was raised considerably by the payment of heavy property damages. The new concrete viaduct is much wider than the old iron bridge which it replaces, and much valuable abutting private property had to be taken over by the county to make possible the erection of the present structure. The total cost is divided as follows:

FTER a big fire it is an easy matter to stir sentiment to undertake fire prevention methods. After some bit of carelessness has cost several lives, any city can be roused to action. To start a campaign for greater safety and for the prevention of accidents in a city which has been peculiarly free from accidents and fires is a cold-blooded proposition that is likely to prove discouraging. The need seems so remote that to stir enthusiasm is about as easy a job as to take a bone from a shebear with cubs. Yet it can be done.

In a large city such a movement carries itself along more easily perhaps than in a smaller community, because not so large a proportion of the population has to be stirred up in order to make the thing a success. On the other hand, when a smaller

community is really waked up to such a proposition, each citizen becomes a potential factor in the spread of the religion of safety. That was the problem that confronted Rome, N. Y., last winter when the subject of a "safety first" campaign was broached. For months a small group of determined, thoughtful men in the Chamber of Commerce kept at work at the proposition, steeping themselves in the tenets of the safety faith, gradually gaining enthusiasm as they went further into the study of this movement which is gradually swinging across the country in an effort to make the United States a better place to live in by making it a safer place. It is no difficult matter to find statistics which show how much greater is the risk of death from accident or violence to persons in the United

POLICY NO 3397

READ. HEED-THAT'S CARE

PEDESTRIANS

Walk deliberately.

Keep to the right.

Don't visit in the street.

All loose wires are dangerou Look before you step off the curb. "BE Ware."

When you start to cross a street do Bat stop.

Do not manicure your nails on the street car tracks.

Use the beaten paths of travel for pedestriana.

Do not depend upon the traffic of Licer to protect you.

Oive the street car and auto chance.

Because you have Eternity before you, do not plunge into it to date a minute.

When you are on the street keep your eyes and ears alpri to what others are doing.

EMPLOYERS

Educate your employes to safety.
Safety means money to you.
The compensation law is strict.
Worn out tools are dangerous.

Five fire buckets of water are 25 per cent lens effective than one 2% gal Jon chemical. And a chemical is al ways full and ready.

Remember, Fire Underwriters' reg ulations are made for your henefit as well as their own. See that they are observed

PARENTS

Teach the child to think

AUTOISTS

Signal when making a turn
Be courteous and cautious.
Take time in making a turn
Observe the traffic rules.

Never dash thru a crossing.

Look at it from the other fellow's viewpoint

Keep your machine under easy contral. It may save you hours in court

Give the pedestrian a chance. He has kes on this earth. longer

Use the boru as a warning-not to frighten

The horse may be old fashioned, bat be still had some rights

EMPLOYES

The "safe" man is trusted
"Safety matches" are safe.
Rusty nails may mean blood noison.

When slack times come the first man laid off is the man who drinks.

Your safety and help is important to your employer, yourself and your family. Don't take risks.

By the compensation law, the eraplayer is not liable for the man onder the influence of liquor.

Teach child to go safely to school-safely from school and to play carefully after school

Always set, tlunk and act the Safety Example. To prevent toothache in children-begin the care when first Towth comÊN, Ask your dentist.

First aid to the Uninjured-is Safety First.

FIRST AID SUGGESTIONS Keep eunt.

Don't give liquor

Call a doctor. It's his businege, Leave an injured person prone. beam from his experieone to lie safe yourself.

Let obe accident prevent another.

BICYCLISTS

The sidewalks were ladt for pedestrians

Don't be a law breaker

If the mails are not good enogh, work for better ones.

Keep to the right.

Never ace how beat you can nouie to being run over

If you can't swan, lehen

BAILROADS

Mill street is dangerous

If found dead on the tracks, please notify my beneficiary I was carelest.

Crossings are dangerons to vehicks and pedestrians,

In & tussle with an engine most of ns are helpless. Let the engine have

Look where you are riding Be the right of way.

careful when near children,

The street proper is for bicycles as well as other vehicles.

THEATERGOERS

In a crowd keep cool.

Slop a panie, don't start one,

More are hurt in ponics than fires. Take time think.

It pays to Stop, Look, Listen!

Germs like, dirt.

HEALTH

Sat the fly the year around. They rarry disease and dirt.

Sweep without dust. It's safer.
You look after your property. How

The power to think maken yon different from about your person! the beasts,

It will never get well if yon pick it. Better be safe than sorry.