The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-26
The Mail Order Business and The
Land Gunner

times they are all returned at no
cost to the customer.
Trading AZ Home.
Now let us take for granted that
all the claims OF the mail order
houses are true:. that the local deal
er does charge us on an average Is
per cent more than the mail order
houses do. Let US suppose that we
are sending $50 a month to the mail
order houses. That would be $500 q
year. IL we bought the same amount
from our local merchant we would
have to pay $500 for 1t, or $50 more
TO trade at home.
Now let us suppose that most of
us will save this $50 this year and
in that way put three or four of our
local dealers out of business. There
will be three or four vacant stores
In our nearest town. Will land
values in that locality increase
much? Hardly, they win likely de-
crease. Surprising land should de-
crease 81 an acre, would that 500 be
saved? Supposing we should all
decide to give this 500 to our local
merchants and business was so good
In our town that three or four new
merchants decided to locate there.
That would mean three or four new
buildings in town. Certainly that
would increase land values: il only
Sl per acre, would that $50 be a good
investment?
1t is impossible to give accurate
figures as to the amount of goods
bought Of mail order houses, but 1T
is estimated by those who are in the
best position to Judge, that more
than one-third of all the merchan-
disc bought in the northwest last
year came from mail order houses.
This means that most of the cash
business was done with the cataIog
houses and the credit business was
done at home. II the local merchant
has to do business on long time
credit basis, he is compelled to bor-
row money to do this, and of course
he must add the interest to the price
prices at least 8 per cent higher than
the mail order prices need to be.
High Interest and Taxes.
We have heard a great deal about
high interest rates and taxes during
the last few years. When we stop
to consider that North Dakota can
not collect taxes on more than one
third Of the merchandise business
done in the state, we can understand
that this shortage must be made up
increasing land. personal
ana OLuET LAAESa
The interest rate is affected still
more. II we send our best business
(the cash business) out OF the state,
II means few business opportunities,
which means fewer towns and a
small population, which in turn
means lower land values and high
err interest rate Furthermore; IL
most of the cash is sent east, it
means that the North Dakota banker
must borrow from eastern bankers to
get that money back to North Dako-'
ia, in short, the man who borroWs
money in North Dakota must pay
interest twice, once to some east
ern banker and once to the local
banker.
If a lot of money Is sent away
from a community, it means that the
merchant as well as the farmer
bust borrow a lot of money; this
means a large demand and a small
supply which is the whole cause OF
high interest rates. s.'.-e.
With a limited number of business
in the state, there viii
be only few isolated centers OF
and few educational
As the young folks
grow up they will go off to distant
sites seeking opportunities and
that do not exist near
nome.
Can you, Mr.. North Dakota Land
owner, figure that mail order buy
nE is not an expensive habit? Can
you figure that you saved the $50,
deferred to above no; it would be
your loss il it were ten times $40.