News Release
Old Soanish Trail Association
OLD SPANISH TRAIL MANAGEMENT DISCUSSED Affairs Carefully Directed
San Antonio, Texas, May 14, 1929----Reoent statements
signed by Julius Dupont of Houma and W. B. Gill of Crowley in a circular letter to Old Soanish Trail people in Louisiana and other states attempting to justify calling a meeting of Texas and Louisiana people at Houston May 8th are declared false by Harral Ayres, the OST Managing Director. Mr. Ayres says he first read the statements after the meeting, no copy apparently having been mailed him.
Their meeting, he says, was a pitiful affair. Only two were oresent from Louisiana besides Messrs. Dupont and Gill and three from Texas besides Mr. Ayres and the manager of the Houston Chamber of Commerce where the meeting was held. It is a credit to the Louisiana and Texas people that they refused to follow such a call.
In the Dupont—Gill letter, Mr. Ayres says, they claimed West Texas people were withdrawing from the OST. The chairman of the West'Texas division in a signed letter brands the statements ’’wholly without foundation" and says they "never even thought of withdrawing." The Dupont--Gill statement says "Junction, Texas had withdrawn." The Junction leader authorizes the statement that Junction not only had not withdrawn but planned closer cooperation.
Many Louisianians have been loyal workers and they have a right to know whether their faith has been abused or not, Mr. Ayres says. No money has been misdirected as this loose language implies, he says. The only administrative officer that has drawn any salary the past ten years is the Managing Director, Harral Ayres, and his total salary from August 1, 1919 to March 28, 1929 (date of last audit) was $10,598.73. Mr. Ayres has given all his time and in addition has worn out three personal automobiles in the work.
The association's affairs are supervised by an Executive Board of San Antonio business men. The accounts have been audited three times. They have been approved at each convention. August 1, 1926 a complete statement was printed and distributed freely. Last March a special committee of leading San Antonians were appointed to examine all transactions and prepare a report to the people; this committee has employed its own auditors. Books are kept with scrupulous care, Mr, Ayres says. Every dollar reoeived is shown on the books. OST people may congratulate themselves, he says, that such care governs their funds.
The Dupont--Gill letter says funds were diverted from publicity purposes. Mr. Ayres says that until roads and bridges were built publicity was a secondary matter and few funds were subscribed for publicity. Even now many say there are still poor sections that cause travel complaint and that too much publicity reacts badly. Mr. Gill, according to Mr. Ayres, has had no part in the development of the Old Spanish Trail and not a dollar has been paid by him to the headquarters work.
Extraordinary publicity nevertheless has been put over, Mr. Ayres says. Thousands of magazine and news clippings are in the headquarters scrr.obook. The OST has been lifted from primitiveness 'to nart-ftmcsl end international acclaim. It