Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-11-28
Looker-On In Iona

Melbourne, Nov. 2S-"Get- Rich
Quick Wallinsford" might have ope--
ated near this town. Mr.. c. Z. Brown.
a farmer near here. put in a crop OF
cora last May. Inside Of six months
within 1S3 days he husked, shelled ard
shipped it and received some $500 for
this corn planted in May 1t is ques-
ton whether any emigrant from Iowa
to the Canadas or any where else for
that mtater can report any such per-
ceutage OF profit, even on low priced
land. This corn crop brought Mr..
Brown SIS an acre. Let's see. Five
per cent interest on $500 is SIS a year.
Therefore this Iowa land is worth so0c
an acre or to reckon the interest very
close as the banks Go six months IN
terest on $1,000, at 5 per cent is s25, and
as this investment could have been
made six months ago at $1,000 an acre,
mis- crop planted and sold inside Of siz
months. Therefore this land is worth
$1,000 an acre. Figures don't lie unless
men make them lie.
The retail trade in the smaller towns
has been light this fall, altho the cod
weather made an early demand for
winter clothing, overshoes, blankets.
etc. Even the grocery trade has fallen
off, altho il would seem as tho people
would eat as much one fall month this
eyar as the same month last year.
What makes it the harder to under
stand is that our farmers have coed
crops and good prices. One Observing
dealer in Tana county says the reason
is that in that county there is due this
fall s175,0OJ to the automobile manu-
facturers and he knows of one bank
that has $4,000 Of good notes due this
fall and every one Of them is for the
purchase of an automobile. Ills IDEA
is that % ople are economizing to pay
these notes.
With all the kicking sometimes
called criticism any newspaper man
INDUCES in. in a year, it's satisfac-
ton once in a while to mention the
good work Of men and corporations.
The following story is vouched for and
as Marshalltown is in Iowa the writer
will tell it in this column. Last
Christmas a coal dealer-there are
several in Observation-Disclosures loads
Of coal to many poor and destitute
people without orders from the charity
association. the board of supervisors
or the people that received it. Along
about Christmas last year, trade of
this kind was unusually good. But
somehow this coal dealer forgot to
charge it. or to send out bills, or give
such bills to his collector. And when
he took stock January first there were
~ .-,,o1, occo;,ptS on his hooks His
| kookkeeper was instructed to balance
such accounts into profit and loss ac-
count. And when this coal man reads
this he will wonder how this scribe
"got on" to these deals. for the coal
man has not told OF ii. Just the same
I ST. Peter credited every load OF eoai
thus given away. on the credit side OF
his ledger.
| And there's another well to do Mar
shalltown man that is not letting his
left hand know what his right hand
/ is doing In fact he thinks he's
/ smart and no one. not even his wife Is
aware Of the charitable work he is
doing. But his covered up. secret
! charitable work has to be known to
! a few and thru these men that carry
| out his work are sworn to secrecy,
| still murder Will out" Half OF the
satisfaction such charitable men get
out of such work is to keep 1T quiet, so
this scribe will not destroy any OF
tie pleasure coming to them, but
every word written above is true and
could be proved II they were brought
before the bar of public opinion.
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