The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-08-19
important MEETING
Of COMMERCIAL CLUB

text 1Or Cnem TO STUDY as our COuIuel-
cial life is being so affected by pres
ent conditions that it is bound to
dwarf our stature unless the handicap
is removed. Mr.. Scanlan's address
was as follows:
| The farm, forest and mile are tht
CHIEF sources of our wealth. ! III, 'op-
er distribution of their products ncc-
rssitates exchanges or trading in
VIII il differences in accounes are ad.
1ist, with money.
| It is obvious in assc. bling ITnd.
ucie toI exchange and in consuming
OK Il ahses that transportation is the
greatest consideration. The Jaw OF
ocHme"cial gravity is as absolute as
tie physical law. When the opera
ILD of this absolute law has once
t'GCt the lines of the least resistai ce,
wade and traffic to adopc and persist
cr7ly follow them till they meet IN
terfei ence from some superior s'tT1-
| ten Constant flow of traf'.c to
common point, makes a trade center
towards which is attracted all com
merce within a radius fixed by the
nature of transportation and its cost.
People surely follow this current,
and thus a city is founded.
AS the incipient volume of trade is
absorbed by the inflow of humanity,
necessity and faith beget enterprise;
enterprise brings fuller development
Of natural resources, Thus nature
and man unite their forces in build
ing a community
Nature makes a commercial center
possible; man must fashion it.
Agriculture, or the exploitation CT
natural resources or their utilization,
constitutes the basis of commercial
activity. Any trade center, of course
depends for it's growth and perTna-
nence, upon the basis of it's CONNER
cial life.
In the operation of the forces and
| influences that originate from the.
basic industry come collateral indus
tries and pursuits that enter in an in
terdependent way into a community's
life. These collateral lines mus be
shielded and promoted. They coneti-
tute that diversity of interests that
,,oI-,e 1oroo communities nOeSibIa
Failure to protect such a situation
from undue outside competition would
result in a large part of the commu'
nity's revenue, derived from the chief
industry, flowing into competitive
communities. Not only would part
of such revenue be lost to some COM
petitive center, but failure to protect
these collateral interests from all dam
aging influences, would tend to re
strict or largely divert traffic that
would otherwise come from the out
side, because if a people could not
trade advantageously in their own
city, certainly outsiders could not
trade there.
As the lines of carriage and commu- !
nication have been extended, tho
worlds activity has increased and its
wealth multiplied. The necessities oe
man and his insatiate desire for profit
have driven him with extreme hardi- /
hood into searching out almost every |
field of endeavor that could contrib |
ute to his comfort and profit.
Means of communication and trans
portation have been extended until de-
yelopment and exploitation have
caused these new fields to converge
or overlap. Powerful competition Is
the inevitable result Countries have
crowded on countries, provinces on
provinces, cities on cities and indl-
vidual business interests on each other
until the slightest neglect of the laws
of trade means the surrender of por
tion of the possibilities contained in
any given situation.
1t is true that when a man succeeds
well in his own business, he is bene-
fit to his community; if he has soul
enough, he may be blessing. But ell
fort solely for self does not suffice to
build a city. If man achieve great
er success than his neighbor or COM
petitor, such a man should better serve
his community. The individual sue
cess of every inhabitant of a city
would not develop that city's greatest
possibilities.
A citys interests must be shielded
like an individuals interests. II
business man discover that his compet-
itor is making inroads into his trade
or profits. he very promptly looks tor
measures to stop such an assault. II
Continued on Page Five. =