Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-04-30
COMMUNICATIONS.
BOOSTING MIDDLEBURY.

during Jne past year MluuleDuIy mas
suffered a severe business depression. |
With the Marble mill closed down,
many men have been idle here during |
the past winter. One merchant has
closed out his business and removed
from Middlebury and there are two
others who have offered their stores
for sale. Dwelling houses in town are
offered for sale at less than the original
cost of building Real estate is due to
take a decided drop unless something is
done to improve conditions.
| would suggest that the Middlebury
Board of Trade would try to see what
could be done to get the Marble mill to
open up its finishing shop again. 1t
certainly would benefit large number
of families, as well as every merchant
in this town, if this plant was continually
in operation with its force of workers.
In Schenectady, N. Y, two years ago
the city began to suffer a severe bust
ness depression, many were idle and the
General Electric Co. was considering
plan of moving part of their plant to
Erie. Pa. The matter was put up to
the Board of Trade there by the labor
unions and the merchants of the city.
The Board of Trade not only induced
the General Electric Co. to reconsider
their plan but they persuaded them to
build more shops and to employ many of
the cty's idle wage-earners. Since then
the Schenectady Board of Trade has in
duced three more big bu siness concerns
to locate in that city. Schenectady
owes all her prosperity today to her
Board of Trade. Cannot the Middle
bury Board of Trade do in a smaller
way what the Schenectady Board of
Trade has already done?
In Oneonta, n Y, the Board of Trade
induced several small manufacturers to
locate in that city. Business was never
better than it is today there and every
man, woman and child in Oneonta has
nothing but the warmest praise for
their Board of Trade The Cobleskill
Board of Trade of Cobleskil, n. Y, is
booming that place today and unem-
ployed men and women are fiocking
there from all parts of the country to
secure employment. Cobleskill is a
pretty little town no bigger than Mid
dlebury.
There are bright days ahead for Mid
dlebury days that will be filled with
accomplishments, if the Middlebury
Board of Trade will use their influence
to help the cause as other boards of
trade have done in other places. A
banquet at the Addison House is fine
thing to get the members together, but
does not help Bill Jones, laborer of Mid
dlebury, TO provide for his wife and
little ones to any great extent, nor help
the merchant pay for his rent and
lights.
The Board of Trade was organized to
more effectively advertise the resources
of the town, to procure new industries
and new residents and the establishment
of new business houses as they are re-
CURED Middlebury is no exception to
the rule in this but are we following it
as we should? Within the last six
months many families have removed to
Proctor and Rutland and in some cases
out of the State because of lack of en-
ployment here. Our merchants are
complaining that their trade does not
nav their running qXDenses
Many of the members of the Board OF
Trade as well as some of the other tax
payers of Middlebury are not patroniz'
ing the home merchants, but are buying
their groceries, clothing, etc, from the
big mail-order houses of New York anC
Chicago. Every one who is interested
in the prosperity of Middlebury SHOULD
buy from the home merchants as the
home merchant is the man who pays his
part of the taxes and helps to supper
our schools and churches.
Middlebury is prosperous town. 1T
continued development depends upol
the buy-at-home spirit Thus bond o
unity is wrought betweenthe retailer ant
the consumer Every link in the chan
of united progress is then securel.
welded to the lasting benefit of tn
town. All should remember that tow
LOYALTY is the basis on which cities ar
built.
The habit of buying at home is one o
the best ever adopted, and should b
persistently followed The future of tn
town depends wholly upon the loyalt
of the people in it to one another. You
prosperity depends upon the prosperit
of your neighbor. The more successfr
your neighbor is, the better opportunit