Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1916-02-04
The Losing Side
Of Mail Order Trading.

Hans Garbus, German farmer of Iowa
has discovered that the benefits which APP
pear on the surface as attaching to the mail
order plan sometimes fail and recently thus
expressed himself in certain farm paper;
I'VE farmers need awakening to the fact
that we have un mistakably reached the per-
iod where we must think and plan. / am one
of the slow German farmers that had to be
shown, and now give my experience that
othes may profit, for sno Wedge is more ex-
pensive now than ten years ago
TWenty-nlne years ago began my farm
reer. had an old team and 5000, Our fur
niture was mostly home made-chairs. cup
neatly covered with ten cent cretonne by my
girl wife. We rented eighty acres. Being a
boy of good habits, got all needed machinery
and groceries of our home merchants on cred
it, until fall crops were sold. The first year
was wet season and did not make enough
to pay creditors. ] went to each on date of
promise and explained conditions paying as
much as possible, and they all carried the bal
anee over another year. They continued to
accommodate me until was able to buy q
forty piece of my own
As soon as owned these few acres the mail
order houses began sending catalogs and
gradually began sending my loose change to
to them, letting my accounts stand in my
home town where had gotten my accom- mo-
dations hen needed it.
We then had one of the thriftIest little villages
IN the State--RoOd line OF business in all the
branches merchants who were willing to
help an honest fellow over bad year, and q
town full OF people who came twice week to
trade and visit. Our town supported a libra
ry, high school ball team, and had big
celebrations every year.
a farm near live town soon doubles in val
ne. | sold my forty acres at big advance
and bought an eighty, gradually adding to it
until had 2O0 acres of the best LAND in Iowa.
| then felt no need Of asking favors, aud found
it easy to patronize the mail order agents
that came almost weekly to door. | re
greet to say that ] was the first in the county
to make up neighborhood bill and send it
to a mail order house. Though we got bit ev-
cry once i'll a while, we got in the habit of
sending away for stuff.
Gradually our merchants lesSened their
stock of goods lack of patronage. Final
ly we began to realize thai when we needed q
bolt quickly for machinery or clothing for
sickness or death, We had to wait and send
away for it, which wasn't SO pleasant. One
by one our merchants moved to places where
they were appreciated. and men of less ener-
gy moved in. Gradually our town has gone
down; our business houses are 'tacky in APP
pearance; our schools, churches and walks
are going doW.l, we have no band, no library
nor ball team. Go down to the depot when
the freight pulls in and you will see the sequel
in mail order packages.
Nine years ago any farm was worth $4,000
acre: today I'd have hard matter to sell
ii at $l67, an acre. 1t is too far from live
town'so every farmer has said that wants
to buy, He wants place near schools and
churches where his children can have advan
tageS. 1 have awakened to the fact that in
helping to pull the town down. it has cost me
S5.60000 in nine years Reprint from the
Journal of Commerce and Commercial Bulle-
tin, New York.