The Virginia enterprise., 1907-12-20
HOME INDUSTRIES
ECONOMIC LESSONS TAUGHT BY
EDITORS OF MANY PAPERS.
COMBATING A COMMON EVIL
Practices Of Sending Dollars from
Communities Where Earned Helps
Along the Capitalization Of
Business.

Apparently the press is now fully
aroused to the Importance of combat
ting the evils of patronizing other
than home enterprises. Editorial and
local columns of the papers, especial
ly IN the western states, are filled with
common-sense articles setting before
the people such facts as appeal to rea-
son and patriotism Some editors in
their zeal to accomplish good, perhaps
go too far in abuse Of systems that take
money from their neighborhoods, and
by severe criticisms of patrons of out
of-toWn concerns "overshoot the
mark and fail to accomplish what is
much desired.
None will gainsay that the wage
Garner has the inherent right to spend
MS earnings wherever he desires. If
ne wishes to buy his clothes in some
distant city, he has that privilege.
Sometimes he may have cause to do
so. His home merchants may not
carry in stock what he wishes to Sc
cure. Others may charge him what
he considers an exorbitant price.
Quite often he may learn that he
makes mistake by buying goods
without careful examination of
them. When this is the case-and it
frequently is-the purchaser becomes
better patron of home institutions
than ever before. But there are a
few things that the average man and
woman overlook. 1t is that the dollars
that they. send away means money
taken out of local circulation, and the
consequent impoverishing of the COM
munity to that extent. Say that there
are 1000 people in the community.
Five dollars year from each one
sent afar amounts to $4,000 a year,
and in ten years 100000. Supposing
that fifth or sixth of this represent
ed the profits that should be left in
the community. 1t would be quite
enough to establish a business enter
prise that would support several fam
lilies. But from some communities the
average amounts sent away for goods
is from third to a half and often
more than the total paid or needed
supplied. Think of what great loss
that is! Think that this trade, given
to the home town, would Immediately
increase it's business from a third to
half! How many years would it
take if the home trade principle was
adhered to strictly before your town
would be more than double in size?
1t would only require very few
years. And with the growth of the
town everyone living within it's limits
and its trade radius would receive a
benefit.
All the residents of a community
have common interest in it. The la
borer, the farmer, the merchant, the
doctor and the lawyer prosper in COM
mon. Their interests are parallel.
The community is cooperative. If the
merchant employees men from some
distant city to do his work, would
patronize an Out-of-town doctor and
the town doctor send away for the
help he needed, the ~laborer would suf-
fer, and suppose that the laborers
would send away for their eggs, their
vegetables, fruit, butter, etc., would
not the farmer be affected? Suppose
that the merchant is compelled to do
business without profit; can he pay
as good wages to his help as they
should be entitled to-? So it goes
down the line. The better the home
town can be made, the better it is for
all. Be patron of home industry
and by being such you assist yourself
and all in your neighborhood.
D. M. CARR.