The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1915-04-16
RECEIVER Is ASKED FOR
BIG COOPERATIVE STORE

FOllOWlng is the essential part OF a
news item sent out by the Associated
Press under date of March 20, con-
tents of which will no doubt be deeply
interesting to some of our people who
will realize that they were flimflamm-
ed out of their coin by an artist that
was, in the vernacular of the times,
"a very smooth article:"
Spokane, March 20.-Application
for a receiver of the Northwest Gen
eral Trading Company was filed in
the Spokane superior court today,
charging President Gale Smith, now
OF Seattle, with gross mismanagement.
The application sets forth that more
than 10000 farmers and others in diff
ferent parts of the state have bought
approximately 100000 worth of stock
in the Northewest General Trading
Company, while it is charged that the
net assets of the concern do not ex-
ceed $4,000
In the Wenatchee World of March
20 is lengthy expose of the methods
of this concern made by the Wash
ington Farmer in which it is explain
ed that stock of this concern, of the
par value of 81 per share was sold to
the gullible public by smooth talker
at the small sum of 50 per share, rs
cents of which was supposed to have
accrued to the company, and $1.25 to
the smooth talker, alias the promoter.
All of which recalls to our mind
that year or two ago a sleek fat
gentleman dropped into this newspa-
per office one day, and unfolding this
great work he was engaged in of res
cuing the farmer from the high prices
that was being exacted by the local
merchant, somewhat peremptorily re-
quested that this paper endorse the
proposition, and give space to the en-
terprise in the manner of free public
ity. Giving space free to advertising
schemes, even though positively sure
they are legitimate, did not of course
Immediately touch our heart strings,
but desiring to be courteous to
stranger, the answer was made that
we would have to ask time for investi-
CATION before we fell" for his pro-
posal.
Within short time after this
couple of good farmer friends came to
this office with the surprising news
that the sleek fat gentleman was ped
ding the story that this paper was,
OF course, in secret, ugly, dark brown
tasting compact with the local mer-
chant in a combine to do" the farmer,
that through fear of losing local ad-
vertislng, ETC., ETC., and other cock
and bull stories, we refused to print
his advertising, cleverly avoiding men
tion of the fact that his ads were to
be run without pay. 1t was a smooth
scheme, SO smooth it was greasy, and
gathered friends for the schemer, and
many golden shekels-the most i'm
portant part of his mission. No doubt
this paper was roundly condemned by
some who did not know the truth, and
invested" in the high-sounding sch
eme, while others, of course, may have
put their money in with the honest be-
lief that the scheme was alright-be.
ing just mistaken belief.
So far as our information leads us
to believe up to this date, the parti-
cular loss to any local people who
were mislead into putting their money
into this affair will be in the money
they invested in the stock, and the
amount of this loss will be determined
OF course, by subsequent findings of
the receiver Goods bought of the
concern were obtained possibly, at
about the same prices the purchaser
would have paid the local store, the
particular damage being loss of trade
tc the local merchant, who has had to
carry about the same amount of stock,
pay the same amount of taxes and the
same rate of expenses to keep up his
business he would have paid had he
enjoyed the lost trade he was entitled
to have.
While on the subject, mention should
be made Of the contention of a few
people that they are Indifferent about
the existence of local stores, their
prosperity, or the amount of taxes they
pay, because, they say, whatever taxes
local stores pay, costs, or other ex-
penses, come out of them. Well, if
that is their belief, they will have an
awakening some day, as sure as will
be the awakening that they made a
mistake in investing in the Great
Western Trading Company"
The local merchant should cheer up,
for it begins to look like the time is
coming soon when several people who
are sending their cash away will be
reclaimed for the legitimate channels
OF trade and prosperity will once