Nogales International

Nogales can and should be made a real convention city, with state meetings being held here at frequent intervals throughout the year, according to leading business and professional men of the city who have been reading the editorials in the International and who have the interest of the city at heart.

Primarily, they point out, Nogales is not an industrial town. It does profit materially from the agricultural development in this vicinity and from the imports from the West Coast of Mexico, and also derives some benefit from mining, although this industry is on the decline and has been for years. But if Nogales expects to grow and flourish, its best bets are conventions and the tourist trade, in the opinion of such men as Dr. A. L. Gustetter and C. E. Wibel.

CLIMATE IS IDEAL

Nogales' ideal climate, the hospitality of the citizenship of both border cities and the unusual entertainment facilities offered by these cities, all of these things tend to qualify Ambos Nogales as the ideal convention and tourist spot of the Southwest.

The prominent citizens interviewed on this subject were all very complimentary to the International for taking up this issue in its editorial columns. They all favored going after conventions in a broad and aggressive way, as suggested by the International.

Legion Meeting Great Event

The Nogales Legion Post brought the Legion convention to this city and it was one of the greatest events in the history of the town. It brought over 800 people to the city for four or five days. They left thousands of dollars in the local channels of trade. They made close friends of the citizenship of Nogales and they went away full of the Nogales spirit and will give this city more favorable advertising than it could buy for a half million dollars in cold cash.

Dr. A. L. Gustetter and Dr. W. A. Smelker brought the State Medical Society to Nogales. It will be here next April as a result of their personal invitation. They did not write letters or telegrams inviting the convention. They attended the last convention, got up on the floor of the meeting and told their doctor friends what Nogales had to offer and Nogales was selected by unanimous vote.

"Many other conventions can be secured for Nogales in the same manner, in the opinion of these men."

HELP OUR OWN CITIZENS

Aside from the cash value of a convention held in Nogales, Dr. Gustetter said, the moral effect upon Nogales citizens themselves was very beneficial. He pointed out that Los Angeles was virtually built by conventions.

"When outsiders visit us," said Dr. Gustetter, "we begin to feel that maybe we haven't a bad town after all. We begin to better appreciate the city in which we live. I am very much in favor of bringing as many conventions to Nogales as we can properly take care of and I am glad to see the International taking the lead in this movement.

"We have the best convention town in the Southwest and we can offer the convention delegate more diversified entertainment, the best climate and he can enjoy himself at less expense in Nogales than most any place I know of."

SEE CITY AT ITS BEST

"There is no question about the value of conventions to Nogales," said C. E. Wibel, manager of the Public Utilities Consolidated corporation.

"They bring new money into the town, they give others an opportunity to see Nogales at its best and the

city is given advertising that cannot be overestimated.

"Nogales took wonderful care of the Legion convention and it can take care of others. We should go after more of them.

"I like to see the International take the initiative in bringing this important matter to the attention of our citizens."

CITY NEEDS CONVENTIONS

"We showed them what Nogales could do when the Legion was here, and we could get that gang here every year if we wanted it, but that would not be fair to the rest of the Legion posts in the state."

This was the remark of Harry T. Conner, head of the Key City Tailors and one of the most prominent ex-service men in Nogales. Conner was one of the most active men in the city working for the entertainment of the Legion convention and the success of that meeting was due largely to his efforts.

Conner said unmistakably Nogales should go after more conventions.

"Nogales fundamentally is a convention and tourist town," said Conner, and we should go after as much of this business as we can get. We know we can take care of our visitors in a way that will make them want to come again."

THEY MAKE A TOWN

"Conventions are the making of a town," declared W. W. Barbee, vice president of the First National Bank. He said by all means the chamber of commerce should go after as many conventions as it could get for Nogales. "And the only way to land them," he added, "is to go after them. Don't write letters or send telegrams. They never pay any attention to them. I am glad to see the International taking the lead in this important undertaking."

GOOD ADVERTISING

W. C. Winegar, vice president of the Sonora Bank & Trust company, is another strong convention advocate. He declared that conventions bring new money into the town and give the city valuable advertising. "Visitors see the city as it is and they go back home and talk about us, and that brings more people later on," was the way Mr. Winegar expressed it.

"We showed by the Legion convention," he added, "that we can take care of a crowd, and we ought to have more conventions like that. The International is dead right on this."

EVERYONE IS BENEFITTED

"Money spent for a convention is money mighty well spent," said A. M. Gillespie, president of the Nogales National Bank, "and while a bank doesn't make money direct from a convention, a bank indirectly benefits, just as all other lines of business benefit from the right kind of a convention. We ought to have more of them."