Williams news., 1914-11-12
THE LOSING SIDE 0F
 MAIL ORDER TRADING
HOW AN IOWA FARMER
 LOST OVER $5,6OO
Killed the Home Town and Lost His Property Value, A Striking Testimonial to the Virtue of Preserving Local Merchant.

Hans Garbus, a German farmer of Iowa. has discovered that the benefits which appear on the sur face as attaching to the mail order plan sometimes spell disaster and has written a very Interesting story of his views in a certain farm paper.
 Here is part of his story:
 We farmers need awakening to the fact that we have unmistakably reached the period where we must think and plan. I am one of the slow German farmers that had to be shown, and am now giving my experience that others may profit, for knowledge is more expensive now than ten years ago.
 Twenty-nine years ago I began my farm career I had an old team and $50. Our furniture was mostly home made chairs, cupboard and lounge made from dry goods boxes, neatly covered with ten cent ere tonne by my girl wife.
 We rented eighty acres. Being a boy of good habits, I got all need ed machinery and groceries of our home merchants on credit, until fall crops were s,ld The first year was wet season and l did not make enough to pay creditors. l went t, each on date of prom ise and explained conditions, paying as much SIS possible, and they all carried the balance over another year. They continued to accommo- date me until I was able 10 buy a foitv-acre Ii iece of my own
 ''As soon as owned these few acres the mail order houses began sending me catalogues, and gradu- ally 1 began sending my loose change to them, letting my accounts stand in my home town where I had gotten my accommodation whep1 needed it.
 "We then had one of the thriftiest little villages in the State good line of business in all the branches merchants who were willing to help an honest fellow over bad year, and town full of people who came twice a week to trade and visit.
 Our little country town support ed d library. high scho l, hand, ball team, and We had big celebrations every year.
 ''A farm near live town soon doubles in value. I sold my forty acres at a big advance and bought an eighty, erAudually adding to it until 1 had 200 acres of the best land in Iowa. I then felt no need of asking favors. and found it.easy to patronize the mail order agents that came almost weekly to our door. I regret to say that I was the first in the country to make up a ncighborhood bill and send it to mail order h, use. Though we got bit every once in a while, we got in the habit of sending away for stuff.
 Gradually our merchants les sened their stocks of goods = for lack of patronage. Finally we. be- gan to realize that when we, needed a bolt quickly for machinery, or clorhing for sickness or death, we had 10 wait and send away for ii, which wasn't SO p!eas ant. One bv one our merchants moved to places where they were appreciated, and men of less energy moved in. Grad ually our town has gone down; our business houses are tacky' in ap- pearance, a number are empty, our schools, churches and walks a. going down; We have no band, no library, nor ball tam. There is n, 
 business done in the town. and. therefore, no taxes to keep things up. Hotel is cln ed for lack of