The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1911-02-10

/
farmers Is in the purchase of farm
produce \ good many times the mer-
chants mbine to Keep down the
prices oi lotatoes and other farm
products. Often they will ship ia such
products from distance, forgetting
their arguments in favor of buying In
the home community.
| One OF the greatest injustices which
the merchant in the country town has
imposed upon the farmer and upon
his fellows in town as well is that of
useless duplication. In many country
towns there are half dozen grocers
where one could easily do all the bust
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, dupli-
| cation In rent and clerk hire and In a
| dozen other items. All this the farm
er and the town people who patronize
the stores have to pay. To be sure
that they do pay it there is often an
agreement among the retailers to hold
prices at a certain level. Then they
complain when the farmer sends away
for his goods. They forget that the
farmer is business man and that a
he follows business principles and
buys in the cheapest market The
remedy is free competition. Free COM
petition may force some of the mer-
chants out of business. This will be
the best thing for the whole commu-
nifty. 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 he taken TO as great an
extent us possible from the cities to
the country towns To make this pos
sible the country towns must learn to
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 local
merchant will not have to meet mail
order prices The farmer is willing to
pay 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 He
Is not willing to pay the cost OF
delivery from which he gets no bene-
at. He is not willing to pay some one
else's bad debts. He is not willing to
pay 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 and the
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 middle
west these commercial clubs are the
foremost agencies in securing short
courses in agriculture for their COM
munities. The demand for these short
courses is so great that the agricul-
tural colleges do not as yet have
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 best
equipment TO work with. The efforts
of the commercial clubs to meet these
requirements have helped the farmers
of many a community TO have the agri-
cultural college brought to their doors.
1t IS the same with farmers insu-
tutes. The commercial club provides
a place and helps bear the expense.
realizing that its prosperity depends
upon the prosperity of the country.
Some of the towns have undertaken
another move that is of great value to
both town and country. They are
grading up and graveling the main
travelled roads for several miles out
into the country. From here the work
in many cases is taken up by the farm
ers, and the result Is n system Of good
roads for the whole community.
In numberless other ways the COM
mercial clubs and the farmers are
working together to build up the COM
munity. Such community can be
told at glance. The country shows 1t
I'm smooth roads and well kept fences.
The farmyard shows it in painted