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Show THE TOWN DOCTOR (The Doctor of Towns) Some Towns Won't Take Telling i . Not long ago the executive head of a town's leading civic organization, organiza-tion, and the owner and publisher of tho largest newspaper, had called to their attention the fact that among other such tilings, grass was growing grow-ing on tho sidewalks and curbs of their business district. They laughed and said, "Well, I guess that won't keep any business ouL of towns." In the same month the officials of another city were reminded that they had no parks or playgrounds for youngsters or grown-ups, and they replied, "Oh that doesn't mean any thing; wo have plenty of other things, and a place to play wont keep any factories from coming here." About the same itime another community com-munity was warned that lack of interest in-terest in their community, shown by so many citizens, might provo costly. They saftl, "Ha! ha! What has that to do with it as long as wo have a Chamber of Commerce with plenty of money and pull?" Now I am told that city No. 1 was crossed off a list of seven towns selected as "possible" for a factory with a fifty thousand dollar monthly payroll, due to conditions reported as "run down, seedy and unattractive unattrac-tive appearance of the community in general." A large industrial concern, in the final analysis of two accepted towns, chose the other in preference to town No. 2, because the report on my desk shows said town had no recreational facilities for employees to whom five million dollars would be paid annually. In this afternoon's mail there is evidence that because a survey of town No. 3 showed the population 72 per cent negative civically, the town was refused a donation of $250,000 which it had asked of a large foundation. founda-tion. As long as citizens of a community communi-ty refuse to profit by the experience of others as long as they won't be told or appreciate the telling, just that long will those towns stay as they are, failing to get new business and allowing the business they have to go elsewhere. "He didn't know the gun was loaded," load-ed," "He didn't stop, look and listen," are famous epitaphs. Now, as far as many towns are concerned, you can add, "We never thought about that" Copyright, 1929, A. D. Stone. Reproduction Re-production prohibited in whole or in part. . This Town Doctor Article is published pub-lished by this paper in cooperation with the local Lions Club. |
