Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-09-26
Looker-On In Iona

Parkelsburg, Sept. 26.-In some towns
In Iowa the merchants are fighting the
| devil with fire." In the postoffice. on a
bulletin board. are marked in plain fg-
| ures the selling prices Of sugar, tea,
coffee. articles of hardware, etc., both
by the local dealers and the mali order
houses of Chicago. Opposite these
figures are the parcel post rates from
, Chicago, and also the rates from the
local postoftice. In all printed examples
the farmer can get his supplies as
cheaply from the local dealer as from
the mail order houses.
A man we'll posted in the mail order
business, says in the near future all
towns the size vi Marshalltown, and
many smaller ones will have one or
more local mail order houses. Such
dealers will deal entirely III packages.
Every article soid will be ready for
shipment to the consumer. whether it's
pound of tea or threshing machine
outfit. Many manufacturers are
now catering to this KIM of trade.
Others go farther and furnish such
mail order houses with a list of prices,
and ship the article direct to the con-
suner charging the same to the dealer
He says to illustrate this point that one
ers cater to the mail order houses but
actually manufacture grade Of goods
to De sold under the regular prices.
Says to illustrate this point that one
we'll known fountain pen retailing
everywhere at $3.50, is made for and
sold by the mail order houses at 10
cents. He claims that any large de-
par,ment store in Iowa can successfully
compete with the mail order houses i'll
Chicago, if said Iowa dealers will buy
the right grade of goods and advertise
them.
during the past few months, that many
strange curious and interesting affairs
have occurred in or near Ackley. In
the slang of the day the T.-R. cor
respondent at Ackley has put that
town OF the map Now the peculiar
part of this business is that Ackley has
not had any more strange and curious
happenings" than other Iowa towns.
but the Ackiey correspondent has "a
nose for news and has used his
smeller.
The automobile has produced many
changes in the social life of the COM
munity. 1t is charged with all manner
Of evil influence, all the way from dI-
vorce suits to lessened church attend
ance. But one thing Is sure, 1t is help
ing out the trade Of many country
hotel Automobile owners are begin
ming to find out where they can get
good meals in the smaller towns and
they figure to get there at meal time.
It's an easy matter with good roads
to go on ten miles more and get a
square meal rather than stop at noon
in the town they happen to be in. At
one Of these good hotels the writer
counted fourteen arrivals in automo-
biles, and on recent Sunday so many
arrived for Sunday dinner, at $3.50 sup
plies ran out, and lunch counters got
a benefit Moral Keep good hotel
and get the automobile trade.
Business practices are changing fast.
The pure food laws have resulted in
many new ones For instance at New
Sharon. the storekeepers buy their
fresh eggs of the butter and egg buyers
and shippers. Everyday these store
keepers order so many dozen of fresh
eggs. And they know they are fresh
because the egg house men candle"
each egg before they sell It to the
storekeeper This has the advantage
Of consumers always getting fresh eggs.
and also stops all claims on the part
of the buyers at the stores. To be sure
it costs the consumer cent a dozen
more for fresh "candled" eggs but the
women folks are willing to pay IT. And
reror. has IL few setting henig nests are
now robbed even if the retail price In
New Sharon goes up two or three cents
per dozen.