The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1917-06-02
ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL

suppose IL were poSSlDle To hidhe d
good consistent saving on all goods
purchased by mail.
A case that isn't possible.
For in instances too many to COM
pute, when freight. express or parcel
post charge is added to a mail order
article, the article costs just much
as it could be purchased for in Col
vile.
And then, the article is often found
to be only second while goods
handled by Colville merchants are
practically all advertised, standardized
goods
But for arguments sake, let us as
sumo that it is possible to make a saw
ing by purchasing goods by mail
Well let these assumed savings ac-
cumulate for a number of years-take
the total.
Then let us take stock of the land
We hold-its increase of depreciation
in value during the same number Of
years that We accumulate our mali
order savings.
Then let us strike balance.
What have we?
Gathered data shows that in mail
order communities, land depreciation
because of the back sliding of towns
nearby, invariably more than offsets
the greatest savings that could be
but aren't-made by patronizing the
mail order house
On the other hand, in those COM
munities where the people buy their
goods-spend their money in the home
town-land in many many instances
has actually doubled in value.
To make the illustration complete,
the case of an Iowa farmer will be
cited.
Twenty-Five years ago he began in
the business of farming.
His assets were an old team and $50
He rented an eighty acre farm.
He went to local merchants and got
credit enough to stay him over the
first crop season.
But crops were poor. So he went to
the merchants, explained the situation,
paid what he could. The balance they
carried over for him.
With the helping hand of the local
merchants he prospered.
Finally he acquired forty acres of
good land.
He was close to town. Everybody
was doing their buying there.
The town was prospering-going
ahead.
And in going ahead, it pulled the
country around it up along with it.
Values Of land increased.
This farmer sold his forty acres and
bought an eighty acre farm. To this
he kept adding until he had 200 acres.
nj oil
ing from the mail order houses.
Their claims Of extravagant savings
attracted him.
He started patronizfng them-send-
ing them his loose change and letting
accounts with local merchants stand
Then he began going among neigh
boring farmers. making up car-lot
shipments.
Business among local merchants be-
gan dropping off. They had to reduce
their stocks-cut out many lines of
goods
The progressive ones left town.
The town went down and down
land values dropped
The hotel is now closed for lack of
travel.
There is no business done in the
town, and therefore no taxes to keep
things going.
A short time ago the farmer made
this statement: 1--WE farmers need
awakening Nine years ago my farm
was worth $195 an acre-there was
live town close by. Today I would
have a mighty hard time trying to sell
1t at 1857 an acre. Too far from
live town. says every farmer who
wants to buy. They want a place near
schools, churches-where their chill
dren can have advantages. Ny short
MISUNDERSTANDING to pull the town
down by patroniZing mail order houses
has cost me just $1,000 in nine
years."
If 1t were possible to make big saw
ings by paxonizing the mail order
house, 1t would be only case of rob-
bing Peter to pay Paul.
What one would save on one hand
they would lose on the other.
And then to think of what many of
us have been doing-buying goods by
mail without making substantial
saving, it is pretty poor Judgment.
Like the Iowa farmer, we need to be
walked up.
We should be awake now
Let us prove that we are buying all
our goods in Colville.
The biggest business in the country
Is the best managed.
The price of postage stamps and
the rates for parcel post have not ad-
vanced as part Of the high cost of liv-
ing.
The prices of labor and of all the
necessities and taxes have all been
going up by leaps and bounds for years.
But scandalous as it may seem to
politicians, the monopolies that are
most howled about have not advanced
rates.
The railroad passenger rates and
excursion rates are the same and in
some cases SO low 1t is cheaper to
travel than stay at home.
Telephone and telegraph rates all
over the country have been reduced
in the past five years and the service
improved all around.
Even the robber express companies
under the influence of the parcel post
have come down and reduced the high
cost of existence.
The only food products that have
not advanced in price are bananas and
oranges both controlled and market ed
by gigantic trust