Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1912-07-11
BUILD UP SMALL TOWNS
Inland Empire Editors Organize Press
Association and Will Boost Com
munity Development Idea.


The Inland Empire editors met in
Spokane just recently and organized
the Inland Empire Press association,
which proposes to hold annual meet
lngs in Spokane and semi-annual con-
ventlons, possibly, at other points in
the Inland Empire. The next meeting
will be held in Spokane, either during
the Interstate fair or the Apple show.
Community development, or the
perpetuating and building up of the
country towns and small cities was the
principal topic of discussion, and plans
were set in motion which will result
Iii much benefit to the towns and rural
communities of the Inland Empire.
Community Development.
E. c. Hole, newspaper man of Chi
cago, took for his subject Community
Development, or There is No Place Like
Home" He referred to influences
which have been depicting and killing
the country towns and explained the
reasons which had induced him, as
publisher of lumber journal, to stir
up the local lumbermen to adopt more
progressive methods and to advertise
in their local papers and make that
advertising bright and aggressive. He
explained the broader community de-
velopment' idea, comprising all means
for the upbuilding of the country town
and perpetuating it as a desirable
place in which to live. Editors and mer
chants must cooperate to make their
town a better and more progressive
community and show the farmer the
local town is the place in whose pros
perity he should have the most concern.
The mail order business is taking a
great deal of money out of the local
communities; it is constantly growing
and one of the principal reasons for its
growth is that merchants are not pro-
gressive and do not advertise in the
local papers. In many communities
where we have made Investigations we
have found that the banks alone have
sent out more money in drafts to mail
order houses than the local merchants
have deposited. In a large section of
the middle west the population was
less in 1910 than ten years previous.
The railroads have suffered from this,
and they are beginning to realize they
must get into closer cooperation with
the people living along their lines.
Howard Elliott has assured me there is
no subject closer to his heart than
community development. The mail
order business can not stand the right
kind of competition. Why do they not
sell their goods in Chicagoa Simply be-
cause they cam stand comparison with
the goods of reputable dealers. One
large mail order house offered $4,000
to be admitted to our principal mer-
chants and business men s organization
in Chicago, but it was refused; they
cam belong. We must all take an
interest in and boost everything bet
tering country life. The high cost of
living is due principally to the fact
that there are too many people living
in the cities and too few in the coun-
try on the farms. Let the newspapers
exploit the country boy who went to
the city a little less and the country
boy who stayed at home little more.
The next speaker was w. G. Hollis
of Minneapolis, who explained what the
National Federation of Retail Mer-
chants Associations hopes to accom-
plish. This organization aims to get
united and concentrated action on mat
tiers of interest to all retail merchants
Referring to community develop
ment," he said boys leave the town
and go to the city "because there is
nothing doing in the small town." it Is
up to us to make something doing. The
decreased population in Iowa has come
neither from the farms nor the cities
but from the towns, and the depletion
of the towns is being brought about
by the mail order houses. Generally
speaking, when you buy from mail
order house, "you get what you pay
for''-but not what you expect. The
Chicago mail order houses sell $780,,
100000 a year. They have big buy
ing power, but they also have an enor
nous selling expense-from "a to rs
per cent. The average cost of doing
business of the regular retailer will not
exceed 10 per cent. If merchant is
progressive the difference between his
cost of doing business and that of the
mail order houses will fully Offset theiI
buying advantage and he can get 8
good share of the business. 1t is time
the merchant, railroad man, jobber and
editor should get together to save the
small town.
One of the important things the fed
Grafton is working for is laws prevent
ing fraudulent advertising of all kinds
this will put crimp in the mail
order business.
Resolutions.
The report of the committee on reso
lutions was adopted in substance as
follows
We heartily indorse the movement
now in progress for the development
and upbuilding of the small cities
towns and rural communities of the In
land Empire and pledge to said move
ment our earnest support.