24 Prockkdings Nioth Annuai, Meeting 



that fact. One thing we can do is to show the world that we 

 reaHze it, and that we are going to make the situation better. 

 We are making it better. The point brought out by the 

 parable of the Prodigal Son in the Bible is the Prodigal's 

 repentance which brought him home. I do not think we 

 need be ashamed in New Jersey if we admit the situation. 

 Whether it is as bad as any other place or not, the repu- 

 tation is sufficient to keep a great many people away from 

 us. People come into Atlantic City by the thousands and 

 on looking out the train windows, they see miles and miles of 

 strange looking ditches. They ought to be made to understand 

 what they are for, so when they get back home they can say, 

 "We have been to Atlantic City over the salt marshes and we 

 weren't bitten by any mosquitoes, nor did we hear of or see any." 

 Somebody will then say, "Why they have thousands of ditches, 

 we saw them when we passed by." 



You cannot get into Atlantic City without reading a few miles 

 of advertisements for chewing gum and other things. Why 

 shouldn't the people who come here from all over the world 

 read some other signs. It's a little bit presumptive for me to 

 come down here and tell Atlantic City people anything about 

 advertising for if anybody knows the game, it's Atlantic City. 

 When things get a little dull, they have a lady relieved of a 

 $20,000.00 engagement ring or at least that is what they say. 

 My opinion is that any lady who has a $20,000.00 engagement 

 ring ought to have it stolen ; but whether it was stolen or whether 

 she had a ring or not, it makes no difference^ — that little item 

 goes forth and is published in everything in the United States 

 that has any printer's ink. 



We need not be particularly sensitive. When people get 

 educated to this mosquito work and get to know, as we want 

 them to know, that standing water breeds mosquitoes, they will 

 question as they pass any swamps or standing water in their 

 automobiles whether that particular pool contains mosquitoes or 

 not. Now it seems to me that some form of advertisement 

 should be devised for these signs of Mr. Gies' are certainly 

 good even if they do tell a painful truth. They will help con- 

 vince a person so that he in turn can convince and educate 

 someone else. 



Mr. WiIvFrkd a. Manchee — I would like to ask Mr. Gies if 

 he has any information to give us on the cost of the kind of 

 publicity they have done in Union County. He has made more 

 of a study of this intensive advertising than perhaps anybody 



