Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-11-30
LOOKER.ON IN IOWA ]
Observation-Disclosures

Popejoy, Nov. 3O-The other day a
merchant in a nearby town, speaking
of the proposed parcels post, the rural
free delivery SYSTEM the catalos
houses, and other factors that seem
to be lessening the trade of the small
town, said: I'VE merchants in these
towns if we continue in business must
adopt Il new system in buying. We
have got to club together and buy our
stuff in carload lots at carload prices
MY idea is to form some sort of a
combine. with central distributing
point. hire a purchasing agent who
will buy for all merchants in such an
association, then reship and rebill the
quantity each member of such COM
bine can handle have not worked
out the details, but supposing fifty
county hardware dealers had such an
agent they could buy twenty-five car
loads of stores at one time OF one
firm. at much less than the present
methods. The same is true of nearly
all manufactured articles. The cata-
log houses buy cheaper than we do
because they buy in larger quantities
Still another thing must be done. We
not only must have a less number OF
stores in our towns, but much larger
stores. We must have In the near 1u-
ture big department stores IN the
small towns. Again these big depart
ment stores in these small towns must
become buyers of the formers pro-
duce and pay cash, or trade, or credit
on account just as the farmer Gus
toner prefers One thing that is kill
ing the trade Of the small town today
is that the farmer can take anything
he raises. from dozen of eggs to
carload of potatoes, to the larger town
and get spot cash. and naturally he
buys where he sells or takes the cash
and sends 1t to the catalog houses. or
course there is good deal of theory
In all this, but we have got to put
some of it into practice or the trade
of our small Iowa towns Will soon
dwindle to that Of the crossroads
country postoffice store"
The above in substance, Is what the
merchant said And while he was talk
ing the writer picked up on his count
or an unopened "Nextown News" a
model country newspaper with cor
respondence from nine towns in the
county and nearly all of the reading
"set at home" And in that eight page
six column weekly there was only five
advertisements of the merchants of the
town. The Nextown News has cir
culation of 1.4OO copies. goes all over
the county and the foreign ads to the
home ads were 10 to l. One friend
that was figuring on his buying, by
car loads. and selling in big depart
ment store did not have line IN the
NeXtown News. He was kicking on
the catalog houses, but didn't even ask
the farmers of Wright county to buy
goods of him.
In "the reimbursement of prices" COINS
on just now, the farmers Of Iowa are
particularly "hard hit" One farmer
near Grundy Center told in town this
week that he was worth thousand
dollars less than week ago, the les
sened prices on his farm products that
| he intends to sell making that differ
ence to him. But said he, II may sell
hogs at three and half, but l don
have to, just yet"
One dealer gives a very sensible ex-
PLANTATION of the recent Armour circu-
lar sent out to their agents, to snip
no more poultry or eggs. He says US
1ally at this time of year the big deal
RS take all poultry and eggs that is
offered. AS fast as it arrives in the
big cities, the surplus is put in cold
storage and the banks have been only
too glad to loan money to these deal
ers for this cold storage practice. But
now "the lid is on" There's big
stock of poultry and eggs on hand and
in transit. To put more on the mar
ket means big break in prices. So to
get rid of what they have on hand at
profit and to buy future receipts
cheaper, they have sent out such in
structions to their country buyers
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