Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-01-11
Looker-On In Iona

Whitternore, Jan 11.-Nothing but
month will prevent a serious coal fam
inc in Iowa. Newspaper reports show
that in all of the northwest there is a
shortage of the supply in all of the
towns and country. This is easily I'M
derstood when it is known that the
Dakotas. large part Of Minnesota,
and Wisconsin get their coal from Du-
luth where 1t is shipped by water from
the east. Literally hundreds of thous-
ands of tons of hard coal are shipped
in during the summer months and
stored at Duluth and other lake cities.
The sWitchmen's strike at St. Paul.
Minneapolis, and other places has pre-
vented the distribution of this stored
up coal and now all over the northwest
they are getting all the coal they can
from the mines that supply Iowa, Mis-
souri,, Illinois, and Nebraska. The re-
suit is that nearly every town in Iowa
is short of coal. For instance in this
town, the supply gave out entirely
three days ago. and only because the
Milwaukee railroad let the dealers have
a car Of railroad coal, there would have
been serious trouble and inconvenience.
All last week from Iowa Falls to Sib-
ley on the c. r. l. G. P the writer
heard the same story empty coal bins
and cars of coal that failed to arrive.
Now this country is covered with a
foot or more OF dry fine snow that an
ordinary wind will blow into the cuts
and blockade occur that will prevent
the running of freight trains. The
storm ard cold weather of last week
prevented the running OF freight trains
for Two days thru this town and there
was hardly any wind TO drift the snow.
OF course it is TOO late now 10 take
anT measures to prevent q coal famine.
Al tina, can be done is for everybody
to be economical in using the supply
on hand, and that is hard proposition
With the thermometer regis ering 10 10
u degrees below zero. which was the
case along this part of the state last
week
The banks of Dickinson COUNTY have
dubbed together and offer $50 in prizes
for spelling contest 10 lie held in the
opera house at Spirit Lake on Jan 81
The old fashioned spelling bee always
was popular affair and great interest
is taken in this coming event. The
writer tried to find out whether the
spelling reform would he recognized in
This contest. but could not get any in
formation from official sources whether
the program would admit of flexible
programme. thru or through the entire
evening. However, it Will be thoro in
other respects.
All over the state one finds banks in
towns. one doing q big business and
another only a moderate share One
bank so crowded every day between
3 and in the afternoon that one has
TO fall into line TO be waited upon,
While perhaps on the next corner only
a little business is being done We are
all accustomed TO find one barber shop
crowded and al the same hour another
empty and understand why. But what's
the difference in banks. why should
the people crowd into one TO get checks
cashed? Why deposit money in the
First National instead OF the Second
National? All banks are safe, equally
d
cases find out to the contrary. Per
maps short story is to the point Dur
ing the war tax times nllen a check
or draft required 2-cent stamp there
We're two banks in Iowa that actually
charged the writer - cents for Chi
cago draft, the heretofore customary
price being 10 cents Presumably they
charged others that extra cents Ii
vas the worst possible kind of a deal.
Here's another story q travelling man
tells. He frequently has TO buy Chi
cago drafts. Much to his surprise one
bank in one town omitted the 10 cent
charge with the remark '.They would
like to have him leave his collections
there and get Chicago exchange for it,"
He did He also left $500 there with
out interest for three months once
because ne was awaiting investment.
lhfee dollars interest pays for thirty
CRAFTS at 10 cents each. II don't nav
our bankers TO be too close even with
strangers. But the real reason why
some banks are popular and others not
50 much so, is in the men behind the
ratings One stuck-up specimen of
humanity, the son of some bank presi-
TO the fact that he is the son of his
father rather than his personal quail
locations and ability, does more to drive
away trade, than hundred thousand
dollars surplus draws trade. We can
none of US change our spots or color
put we can keep under cover the dis
agreeable characteristics the Creator
handed down thru the third and fourth
generation. We have too many Young
men behind bank counters that seem IN
think their position as bank officials
give them an additional Importance in
business circles. They get over this
notion as the Years roll ON. Find ont
mat the renter later becomes the
owner. the hired man the proprietor
the clerk the storekeeper. That great
big We can not accommodate Won sir
is remembered. Outside of these young
smartys' are few old sticks in some
banks Only first class funerals will
make the banks they run popular with
the crowd.
a~ Me~z~~