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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1918)
."WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 231918 &mimmmti LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER ' 4 4 Advertising Has Helped The Government To Win Th e War Business Men, Bankers and Clergymen Have Placed Their Unqualified Endorsement on the Economic and Educational Value of Full Page Advertising. In Chicago and Other Places Business Men, Bankers and Advertising Men Have Bought and Don ated Advertising Spaces for Red Cross, Liberty Loans, Knights of Columbus and War . Savings Stamps Campaigns. V'-' r :: ' : Read This Article by William H, Rankin, One States: THE 1918 OUTLOOK (By AVI LLIAM II, RANKIN -of Chicago) A review of the work clone in 1917 brings forth the fact that advertising,' and especially newspaper . adver tising, has done more than its share to help win the war. While the government has not found it possible to use an advertising campaign to reach the people of this coun try, the business men, hankers and clergymen have all placed their unqualified indorsement on the economic as well as the educational value of full page newspaper ad vertising. Eesults have proved that their judgment was, good. These men showed not only their faith in newspaper ad vertising to bring' the desired results, but' they backed their faith with their own dollars in payment for this ad vertising as a patriotic contribution to our government. While this plan of advertising originated in Chicago last April and May during the original Red Cross inem in the United States have been furnished this plan and have used it successfully. N In Chicago business men, bankers and advertising nien have bought and paid for half a million lines of adver tising in the Chicago daily newspapers from May 1 to date first for the Red Cross campaigns, then the Liberty Loan campaigns, the Knights of Columbus,' the war sav ings stamps. , In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Min neapolis, Des Moines, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles and other cities business men have done just as well if not better. It is estimated "that nearly $5,000,000 has been spent for advertising by business men or contributed by the newspapers, magazines, farm papcra, billboards, painted and electric sigus, street cars and trade papers of the United States all to help win the war and bring tho people of this country to the realization of their own re sponsibilities during the war. , The treasury department at Washington, the officers 'of the Red Cross and the President himself all have ex pressed their approval and have thanked the bankers, business men, newspaper men and advertising men. for their patriotic work in planning and securing tins adver tising for the government. THE BUSINESS OUTLOOK FOR 1918, ON THE WHOLE, IS VEIIY ENCOURAGING. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL HAVE MORE MONEY TO SPEND BY FAR THAN DURING ANY PREVIOUS YEAR; THE GREAT MASSES OF PEOPLE, THE WORK ING MEN AND THE FARMERS THE VAST MAJOR ITY, WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO SPEND; THE INORITY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ACCUS TOM ED TO BUYING NEARLY EVERYTHING THEY WANT, WILL HAVE LESS TO SPEND, BECAUSE OF THE MANY WAYS IN WHICH THESE MEN WILL HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO HELP PAY FOR THE WAR, THEY ARE MAKING THESE SACRI FICES CHEERFULLY AND THIS MEANS MUCH FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR WAR EFFORTS. of the Foremost Advertising Mn in the' United There is no question in my mind that business condi- '' tiohs during the next two or three years, whether we. continue to have war or not, will be very prosperous. Money will be spent for desirablo necessary things. It will.be spent more carefully, 'more advisedly, njore wisely than ever. Every dollar we have will be spent "where the dollar counts j- !.. Our per capita of wealth is now $2136; ; that of Ureal i i.751; that of France. $1750;.' of German'- $l:S.'v,. : ' ' '-!:'".'', Our present national debt U j.15 per capita; that of i' Great Britain $370; of France $200- of Germany $290. '.; We could pay our debt 142 times 6ver without being '. broke. We have eighteen billions of liquid money in our bank deposit subject to checks. Our trade balance in 1916 was over two billions in our favor. It's.a bigger balance . ' now. , , '...- ;. ; We may all take a lesson from London in this respect, where business all has increased during the war. At the annual meeting of Self ridge's Limited Department stoTe, held jn London last February, the earnings for the last i five years were given as follows: Year ending January 1, 1913, $520,000. . '"; ' j'; Year ending January 1, 1914, $650,000. ,' ; Year ending January 1, 1915, after six months of war, ' "'' " $670,000. Year ending January 1, 1916, $750,000. . . And in the year just ended, $1,125,000. , Harrod's, Ltd., another London department store, H- creased its earnings during 1916 to $20,000 over the per vious year. Hope Bros., Ltd., John Barker & Co.; DickenS' 'Jones and other stores selling general merchandise, all report similar increase. Sir George Paish, Great Britain's : trade representative to the United States, says: "Amer . ican merchants will enjoy greater sales than they ever expected to deal wijh. War means trade activity, not depression." ONE THING IS CERTAIN AND THAT IS THIS; -. BUSINESS FOR THE MANUFACTURERS OR MER- 7 CHANTS WHO SENSE THE SITUAION AND PLAN TO REACH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE MONEY ' TO BUY NECESSITIES AND EVEN THE LUXUR IES, WILL BE EXCEEDINGLY GOOD IN 1918i NEWSPAPERS WILL PLAY AN EVEN MORE IM- . PORTANT PART IN REACHING- SUCH CONSUM ERS THAN EVER BEFORE. There will be' large new advertising substitutes for articles that the food administration or the government wish the people of this country to use or eat less of 7i' -. eat plenty of. For instance, through advertising, people could be told that there are plenty of potatoes, cabbage, , onions, apples and root vegetables at prices jm cheap, if not cheaper, than before the war. : NEWSPAPERS ARE THE LOGICAL MEDIUM FOR ADVERTISERS TO USE TO INFLUENCE OUR PEOPLE IN THE ADVERTISING COLUMNS TO WATCH THE UNUSUAL AND SUPERLATIVE CO OPERATION NEWSPAPERS HAVE ALREADY GIVEN THE GOVERNMENT IN ALL BRANCHES. THEN 1918 WILL BE OUR BEST YEAR, AND IN MAKING IT THE BEST YEAR FOR ALL BUSI NESS, WE WILL DO OUR PART TO HELP PRESI DENT WILSON AND OUR ALLIES WIN THE WAR. ADVERTISING PAYS. The newspaper sl;aid be paid for Public and National advertising. PAGE THREE . ' -V