St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1907-12-21
HOME INDUSTRIES
ECONOMIC LESSONS TAUGHT BY
EDITORS OF MARY 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
his earnings wherever he desires. II
he wishes to buy his clothes in some
distant city, he has that privilege
| Sometimes he may have cause to dc
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 a 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 q
| 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 year
and in ten years 100000. Surprising
that a fifth or sixth of this represent
ed the profits that should be left in
the community. It would be quite
enough to establish business enter
prise that would support several fam
| lilies. But from some communities the
average amounts sent away for goods
is from a third to a half and otter
more than the total paid or needed
supplied. Think of what a great loss
! that is! Think that this trade, giveT
| to the home town, would immediately
increase its business from third tt
half! How many years would i
take if the home trade principle was
adhered to strictly before your toWI
would be more than double in size
1t would only require a very few
| years. And with the growth of th'
town everyone living within its limits
and it's trade radius would receive ;
| benefit.
All the residents Of a communit.
have common interest in it. The la
borer, the farmer, the merchant, thu
doctor and the lawyer prosper in com
| mon. Their interests are parallel
The community is cooperative. II tn
merchant employed men from SOM
distant city to do his work, wouI'
patronize an out-of-town doctor ant
the town doctor send away for tn
help he needed, the laborer would sui
fer, and suppose that the 1aborer
would send away for their eggs, thei
vegetables, fruit, butter, etc., woul
not the farmer be affected? Suppos
that the merchant is compelled to d
business without profit; can he pa
as good wages to his help as the
should be entitled to? So it goe
down the line The better the hom
town can be made, the better it is TO
all. Be a patron of home industry
and by being such you assist yoursel
and all in your neighborhood.
D. M CARR.