Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1907-07-04
COMMERCIAL 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-Proteeting Bust
ness Interests.

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 dow
ers, bloomed and ~blossomed. wtthered
and decayed in an hour. Others strug-
gled along in%differently 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 benefit
to the community.
There is little use in trying to make
a suit of clothes for a man out OF a
pattern of cloth that has only uf1
cient goods for a child's suit. There
is little use in trying to build up a
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 manufac-
turing must by the economy of things
be confined to such lines as can be
advantageously 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 facil-
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 a 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-
.Laps may give employment to half a
kaozen or a dozen hands. Correspond
ence is started with a view Of getting
some outsider interested. The right
man, apparently, makes his appear
ance He wants a bonus of a few
thousand dollars, His proposition is
seriously considered. The subscription
paper is passed around, the amount
secured, and the real estate man sells
his factory" site at a good price. The
factory is started. 1t runs about q
year and there is a vacant factory
building for rent, or for sale. How
many towns in the southwest have had
this experience?
Even had the enterprise been a sue
cess, it remains that there is a fielt
f, more productive of good for the tow
that the "club" overlooked. Say that
factory be started in a small town. l
: may give employment to a dozen men
The pay roll amounts to $50 a day. Thu
output of the concern may reach
total of from $4,000 TO $4,000 a year
I Every little helps" and all othe-
things in harmony this adds to thu
importance of the place. But let III
do a little estimating" Suppose tina
there is about the town a territory o
$50 square miles. Suppose that eacl
square mile represents four families
: farmers families. This would max
600 families who should do their trad
y ing in the town. The reports of tn
! bureau of statistics of the Unite
l States department of labor and con
> merce, assures us that the average e1
penditure of the farmer each year 70
, all the supplies he requires in the wa
> of agricultural machinery, carriages
wagons, clothing, and food, is $62i
!. Careful estimates of the amount Of tn
farmers trade that goes to the mai
order house and is in other ways d
: verted from his home town, shows tina
', it is more than Is per cent. of all h
" spends. Thus We find that from th
=. lSTElIUTy VI lie LOWn bhClO In uHAuull
diverted in trade the nice sum Of NOR
u than $40, 900. This amount goes frol
:, the town, ceases to be a factor in il
y upbuilding. 1t means that every da
' the town loses about 1882 in trade.
Now would it not be much better
:, the commercial club took up the ma
: ter of devising mea Of protecting th
: business interests of the enterprises
!, the mercantile lines already esta
lished, than to bring in a new ente
y prise of uncertain success? Is not tt
- trade Of the farmers and the people
- the town equally as beneficial as Il
, wages paid to the few men that IL
- factory might employ? Does not 81!
: 900 in trade more than equal the GU
: put and the general accruing to IL
= wealth of the town by the factory
= 1t is evident that there is a vic
= field for commercial club effort in Il
= keeping in the town the dollars thi
are earned and devising means Of pr