St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-07-20
CLUBS
CAN BE MADE IMPORTANT FAC
TORS IN TOWN BUILDING.
BEST FIELD FOR THEIR WORK
Their Efforts Should Be Put Forth to
Keep the Dollars in the Home
Town-Protecting Bust
ness interests.

During the past few years there has
been more than ordinary activity IN
the organization of so-called CONNER
cial clubs, business mems leagues and
similar associations in the agricultural
sections of the country. Some had
mushroom growth, and like some How
srs, bloomed and blossomed, Wlthered
and decayed in an hour. Others strug-
gled along indifferently and succeeded
in spending much of the peoples
money without assisting the town to
greatness, while a very few succeeded
in doing things that were OF beneht
to the community.
There is little use in trying to make
a suit of clothes for a man out OF
pattern of cloth that has only sutf1-
cient goods for a child's suit. There
is little use in trying to build up
great town in a locality where there IS
not the material to sustain 1t, and
where there are only resources for the
support of a hamlet. Towns of i'm
portance exist only where there are
certain natural advantages, resources
that can be utilized in manufacturing,
territory sufficiently large to command
extensive trade, or some other favor
able condition. In the west manu1ac-
turing must by the economy OF things
be confined to such lines as can be
adyantageousIy produced. In manufac-
turing there are many factors. There
must be considered the cost OF fuel,
the raw material, the labor and highly
important are the transportation tacll-
| tiles.
One of the noticeable things about
commercial clubs is the optimistic
| tendencies of their members. Business
men of a strictly agricultural town Will
form an association. Perhaps the
leaders are interested in the real es'
tate business. They want the town to
boom. Some of them may have few
acres of land worthless unless for a
factory" site. Meetings are held
plans are made for the bringing in OF
some manufacturing plant that per
haps may give employment to half
| dozen or a dozen hands. Correspond
ence is started with view of getting
some outsider interested. The right
man, apparently, makes his appear
ance. He wants a bonus OF few
thousand dollars. His proposition il
seriously considered The subscription
paper is passed around, the amour
secured, and the real estate man sell:
his factory" site at good price. The
factory is started. 1t runs about
year and there is a vacant factor.
building for rent, or for sale How
many towns in the southwest have ha'
this experience?
Even had the enterprise been sue
cess, it remains that there is a fell
more productive of good for the tow
| that the Club" overlooked. Say that
N factory be started in small town.
8may give employment to dozen mer
1.-THE pay roll amounts to $50 day. Tn
Rutput Of the concern may reach
. Stal of from $4,000 to $4,000 yeal
Every little helps" and all othe
Sngs in harmony this adds to tn
II \ortance of the place. But let u
Dc little estimating" Suppose tina
/. then is about the town a territory c
$50 9nuare miles. Suppose that eac
squaA mile represents four families
farm IS families. This would max
- 600 ia plies who should do their trat
ing In he town. The reports Of th
bureau of statistics of the Unite
States department. of labor and con
merce, assures us that the average e:
penditureof the farmer each year fl
all the supplies he requires in the wa
J. of agricultural machinery, carriage
wagons, clehing, and food, is $62
Careful estimates of the amount of tt
farmers trade that goes to the maj
order house md is in other ways
verified from his home town, shows tn;
. it is more than 25 per cent. of all
spends. Thus we find that from tt
territory of the town there is annual
g diverted in trade the nice sum of mo-
than $4,000. This amount goes fro
y the town, ceases to be a factor in
| uDUullUluSs IL uSdHS IudI every UI
the town loses about 1892 in trade.
Now would 1t not be much better
the commercial club took up the ms
ter of devising means of protecting Il
business interests of the enterprises
the mercantile lines already esta
lished, than to bring in new ente
prise of uncertain success? Is not Il
trade of the farmers and the people.
the town equally as beneficial as Il
Z wages paid to the few men that t
: factory might employ? Does not 81
!, 900 in trade more than equal the OF
put and the general accruing to- t
wealth of the town by the factory
i 1t is evident that there is 2 wi
III field for commercial club effort ia t
a keeping in the town the dollars til
are earned and devising means of spt
,tecting trade.
His Dire Threat.
SThere was determination stamb
oAhis brow.