The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1910-12-20

in country towns are unfair TO the
farmers is in o. purchase Of fara.
produre. 4 goon many times fhe inrr
chants will combine IL S-.sF is.asu :tst'
prices If potatoes a;ni - afn
products often They vii. ~ts'i e -"
pr,,duts fron distance. i.,ssf'i 80
their arguments IN favor q blfs.s
the home community
One of the greatest nj'istlees Wlirt
the merchant I'D tile country Town iias
imposed upon the farmer aud upon
his fellows IN town as we'll Is ilai 81
useless duplication III many country
towns there are half dozen grocerS
where one could easily do Ill the bt'Sl
ness. Three or -four hardware stores
are trying to live where there is trade
enough to support only one There IS
duplication in delivery systems. dupl-
cation in rent and clerk hire and in
dozen other items All this the farm
er and the town people who patronlZe
the stores have TO pay TO be sure
that they do pay it there is often an
agreement among the retailers to hoid
prices at a certain level Then they
complain when the farmer sends away
for his goods They forget that the
farmer is a business man and that
business man cannot succeed unless
he follows business principles aud
buys in the cheapest market l ne
remedy is free competition Free COM
petition may force some OF the mer-
chants out of business. This VIII he
the best thing for the whole commn-
nity. Better one prosperous merchant
than half dozen who are making a
bare living The real merchants. those
who can run their business efficiently,
will remain in business The others
would better be at work on the farm.
The best interests of the whole coun-
try demand that business be decentral-
iZed-that it be taken to as great an
extent as possible from the cities 10
the country towns To make this pos
sible the country towns must learn 10
handle this business at the least cost
This consolidation of the business OF
the country towns will help to solve
| the mail order problem. The locai
merchant will not have to meet mail
! order prices The farmer is Wiling 10
paw something for the convenience OF
| getting goods when he wants them.
! He is willing TO pay for the PRIV
ilege of seeing what he is buying lie
is not willing to pay the cost OF a
/ no hpne-
fit He is not willing to pay some one
else's bad debts. He is not willing TO
nav store rent and clerk hire for twice
as many retailers as the trade de-
mands
In the most up to date country COM
munities the country town ana tue
farmers work together for the. best
good of all Many of the country
towns have commercial clubs that are
alive to every opportunity for advance
ment In many towns OF the mlddle
west these commercial clubs are the
foremost agencies in securing shor'
courses in agriculture for their com
munities The demand for these shof'
courses is so great that the agflcul
tural colleges do not as yet nave
enough men to furnish as many OF
these courses as are desired They
are allotted to the towns which SHOW
the most interest and furnish the Des
eolipment 70 work with The effort:
of the commercial clubs to meet these
requirements have helped the farmer
of many community TO have the agrl
cultural college brought TO their doors
If is the same with farmers instl
tutes. The commercial club provide
) a place and helps bear the expense
realizing that it's prosperity depend
upon the prosperity of the country
. Some of the towns have undertake.
another move that is of great value t
both town and country. They ar
} grading up and graveling the mai
travelled roads for several miles GU
into the country. From here the wor
r in many cases is taken up by the farm
2 ers. and the result is a system of goo
!. roads for the whole community.
: In numberless other ways the con
mercial clubs and the farmers al
working together to build up the con
e munity. Such a community can
e told at glance. The country shows
5 in smooth roads and well kept fence
e The farmyard shows it in painte