Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-07-05
THE ADVANCEMENT
SOCIETY ANDTHE FARMER


better town if the business men of
the place will only make the right
kind of an effort, and the effort can
be made only through harmoniously
working together. The members of
the Grand Rapids Advancement
society are busily at work. Can you
afford to stand back and watch your
brethren work when your support is
SO badly needed? This organization
will live and flourish under almost
any circumstances. The members
are SO interested in the work that the
thought of the association falling is
never entertained. We even wonder
bow any town can get along without
such a union. The organization is
new now. Get in on the ground floor.
Similar organizations are being
perfected IN nearly every town of
any Importance in the state and they
are doing much to advance the
interests of the community which
they represent. Grand Rapids is a
place where the box car merchant
works and the catalogue houses do a
considerable business. 1t might be
well il the new organization would
look after means of keeping trade at
home.
A vigorous club which means busi-
ness and takes lively and intelligent
interest in the matters it las for
consideration is very valuable
adjunct for city like Grand Rapids.
These clubs can be SO conducted that
they act as schools for towns, educat-
ing the people to be consciously aware
of their needs as we'll as to contem-
plate measures for supplying those
needs, A good commercial club
becomes the general intelligence
bureau of the municipality, the
organization to which will come those
with the means and desire to invest
for information, and they will obtain
it readily and much more quickly than
if left to dig it all out from individuals.
An active club is factor OF progress,
a half-hearted disinterested one is a
weight upon the oars.
A number of farmers have taken
interest in the work and are to be on
the membership roll. Here is a
chance for excellent work. Let the
business men who are members of the
club educate the farmers 10 let retail
catalogue houses and city department
stores alone, and give their trade to
home merchants, and thus keep their
dollars at home and help build up the
town. BY so doing they will enhance
the value of their own farm property;
fer there is anywhere from $40 to 500
an acre difference in the value of land
that is near good live town instead
of dead one.
AS long as the farmer came to town
for his mail frequently and regularly,
and came in close contact with the
local merchant the latter had an
opportunity in the old true and tried
way to offset the arguments contained
in the advertising matter of the
retail mail order houses.
The old excuse of ''going to town
after she mail'' is rusty now. The
farmers mail is brought to his gate.
He can become very much a stranger
to the local merchant and get along
unless he needs credit. The creamery
supplies him with some cash and in
many districts the buyer of farm
produce brings the wagon and the
money to his door.
At the other end Of the line several
big supply houses and the department
stores aided by the circulation OF city
dailies along the rural mail routes are
after his business. The increase in
transportation and mail facilities
brings the farmer in closer touch with
the big retail houses in the cities and
as evidence of this, one has only to
point to the rapid growth of mail
order departments in the big depart
ment stores. What is the proper
policy for the thousands of local
merchants who must meet this COM
petition?
1t is in districts where the mer-
chants are still ten years behind the
times that the city retail mail order
houses make their best profit. Those
districts and those sleepy merchants
are contributing to the increase in
city mail orders by their very igno-
rance or indifference.
The days of long profit in any kind
of retailing are past. The same is
true of jobbing. The consumer de-
mands that figures and quality be
matched and he is the judge.
The Grand Rapids Advancement
association has a mission to perform
and work to do that reaches beyond
the city limits, for the farmer is a
factor in the coming prosperity OF
our city and he must be reckOned
with as power to help or hinder the
advancement of Grand Rapids.
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