Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-14
Eurn4 ansua 4ursdag anarg 4 1904

80 s1o0
ever has been introduced here. 1t i
a pretty conservative estimate to sa,
that IL has resulted in an actual los:
TO the merchants of sl50,000 during thu
few months of fierce competition ant
strife that the scheme has been II
vogue.
AT least $4,000 has been paid il
cash to the stamp companies. AS t
rule prices of goods have not beer
marked Up. although there may be an
impression among some persons tina
this is true. The cost in profits ant
general expenses has been 100000
Goods could not be marked UP to an,
appreciate degree because of the
competition The public has pretty
good idea of value nowadays and 1t Is
a difficult matter to get a high price
for any article you sell. The feeling
among merchants that they must keel
their prices down to an attractive
basis for the shopper in order to hole
the trade has prevented the changing
of prices.
1T is true that the stamps have
stimulated buying to degree. but II
my opinion this has only been slight
The period of stagnation which al
ways follows the holiday season SEEM
ed just as dull this year as any other
year. aud our profits Were reduced by
the trading stamps.
The original cost of the stamps
does not end the expense connected
with them. for II requires the services
of an extra clerk to take care of them
and give them out to customers. Be
sides this is the annoyance of handling
the stamps. / think it has bean most
Improbable enterprise all around and
/ confidently expect the scheme Will not
be in existence after February l.
The battle on the stamp question
among merchants in which so many
odds were given. very materially re-
duced the holiday profits of the big
merchants. who participated in the
war
SOFT COAL NOMENCLATURE.
tBritt Tribune.l
A few weeks ago we inquired where
n load of it. 1t came in as Illinois soft
ut $5.75 per ton. 1t Is blacker than
thunder and has barrel OF
smoke TO a bushel of coal. 1t Will
take an hour to get 1t burning and then
ten minutes more for it to so out. IL
is LaSalle third vein. from Fort Dodge
via Chicago. Ii VIII fill a stovepipe IN
three hours so that it looks like the
ceiling of hades. Where. oh. where
is that old fashioned Iowa coal, that
burned with clear flame and didn
make ten bushels of smoke. five BUSH
els of SCOT, and fifteen bushels of ashes
TO each hod full? Echo answers: SOLD
In the east for Cape Breton sootless.
INCREASE THE STATE LEVY.
lOdebolt Chronicle.l
With an unexpected appropriation OF
half q million dollars for capitol re-
pairs confronting it. the Soth genera
a ssembly of Iowa will doubtless fee
to cut down many other APP
which are just as neces-
sary to the state as the repair OF the
state house.
Don't do it, gentlemen!
Levy a special tax for capitol re-
pairs, sufficient to restore the building
and don't starve the state institu
tons.
The people will justify you in this
The tax payer who is not willing e
stand a special levy should be drum
med out of the state
What do our state taxes amount to
anyhawo If people will look at theii
tax receipts they will realize the in
significance of the amount they con-
tribute to the support of the best com
in the union. What Is hall
IL million additional in taxes to tn.
wealth of Iowa?
II we could run the legislature for a
we would get the most liberal
estimate of the sum necessary to repair
the capitol and decide the percentage ui
levy necessary to raise it. Then we
would add this to the levy which would
be made had no fire occurred; ana
every state institution should get as
large an appropriation as it would have
been entitled to otherwise.
Gentlemen of the legislature, the
of Iowa are neither poor MOI
stingy. Go ahead as il nothing has
with the exception of in
creasing taxation to meet the emergen
cy. Clean up the deal at one stroke.