The Holly chieftain., 1915-07-02
ECONOMY" OF The
MAIL ORDER HOUSES
ADELUSION AND SNARE
Sensible Iowa Farmer Tells of
the Disastrous Results from
Sending Trade Away
From Your Town

Sending Trade Away
From Your Town
At the request of a we'll
known farmer residing near
Holly, the following interesting
story is published-and the ring
sounds true as gospel. ED.
Recently a German farmer re-
siding in Central Iowa was in
terviewed by the New York
Journal Of Commerce, and it was
such a telling and forcible indict-
ment of the mail order habit that
The Chieftain presents it in full,
just as that paper printed it. 1t
is just as true here as elsewhere,
so after reading it pass it along
to your neighbor who may be
laboring under the delusion that
it is the finest thing on earth to
send away from home for every
thing you possibly can, and get
your money out of the country
for ALL time, so that it will not
poster you any longer.
This is the way the German
farmer views the mail order bus
mess:
Hans Garbus, a German farmer of
Iowa, has discovered that the benefits
which appear on the surface as attaching
to the mail order plan sometimes spells
disaster and has written very interest.
ing story of his views in a certain news.
paper. Here is part OF his story:
I'VE farmers need awakening to the
fact that we have unmistakably reached
the period where we must think and plan.
an one of the slow Germsn farmers
that had to be shown, and am now fiv.
ine experience that others may profit, for
knowledge is more expensive now than
ten years ago.
'Twenty-nine years aSo l beaan my
farm career. ! had an old team and $50.
Our furniture was mostly home made
chairs, cupboard and lounee made from
dry goods boxes, neatly covered with
ten.oent cretonne by my eirl wife.
We rented eighty acres. Being boy of
good habits got all needed machinery and
groceries of our home merchant on credit,
until fall crops were sold. The first year
was wet season and l did not make
enough to pay creditors. went to each
on date Of promise and explained condi.
tions, paying a. much as possible, and
they carried the balance over smother
year. They continued to aecomodate me
until was able to buy forty acre piece
of my own.
"As soon as / owned these few acres
the mail order houses BEGAN sending me
satsloss, and gradually l BEGAN sending
my loose change to them, letting my &C.
counts stand in my home town where |
had gotten my accommodation when /
needed it.
1--WE then had one of the thriftiest vii.
laees in the statehood line of business
in all the branches, merchants who were
willing to help an honest fellow over
bad year, and a town full of people who
came twice a week to trade or visit. Our
little country town supported a library,
high school, ball team, and we had a big
celebration every year.
"A fara near a live town soon doubles
in value. sold my forty acres at a big
advance and bought an eighty, gradually
adding to it until had 200 acres of the
best land in Iowa. then felt no need of
asking favors, and found it easy to patron
ize the mail order agents that came al
most weekly to our door. rearet to say
that was the FIRST in the county to make
up q neieborhood bill and send it to mail
order house. Tho we got bit every once
in while, we got in the habit of sending
away for stuff.
"Gradually our merchants lessened
their stock Of eoods-for lack of patron.
age. Fiually we BEGAN to realise that
when we needed bolt for machinery, or
clothing for sickness or death, we had to
wait and send away for it, which wasn't
so pleasant. One by ono our merchants
moved to places where they we're appre.
ciated aud men Of less energy moved in.
Gradually our town has gone down. our