The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-12-19
THE FOE OF SMALL BUSINESS

SIC IllllXS DIS uO Ll0 1dIIleIS. Lie LlIuC when
every keeper of a village store considered chat
his business interests were bound up with what
the farmers call "big business" is slipping fast
away.
Many a farmer has pointed out to his store
keeper that the true interests of every mer-
has refused to listen, and has continued to
think that the proper alliance was with the far
off, gigantic concerns whose only aim is to
wiring the utmost in profit from the small mer-
chants to whom they wholesale.
Like the farmers, the merchants of North
Dakota are organized. And their organization is
making some discoveries. The vigorous cam
paign for membership now being waged by Fred
P. Mann of Devils Lake, president of the North
Dakota Retail Merchants association, and the
secretary, w. A. Donnelly of Fargo, shows this.
1nclosed in one of their letters is a reveiw of
the Federal Trade commission. It begins thus:
"Are the retail grocers of the country soon
to face direct competition from the big meat
packers of the country through chain stores or
methods of distribution? The report of the fed
eral trade commission shows that not only do
the Big Five handle directly 81 to IS per cent
of the meat business, but that they are gradu-
ally attaining control of the entire food bust
ness"
The circular sent out by the merchants as
sociation goes on to point out that Swift is the
greatest butter distributor in America, handling
so million pounds in one year. The canned fruit
and vegetable trade is rapidly being taken over
by the packers, the merchants publicity shows.
Rice, sugar, potatoes, beans and coffee promise
soon to be dominated by the packing trust, &C
cording to the newly awakened organization of
North Dakota merchants.
The statement is quoted from the federal re-
port that early in 1917 Armour first undertook
the handling of rice and in the year sold 16 mill
ion pounds of it, becoming the largest rice con-
Germ in the world. During this period" says
TIM nJor+b no1yoto Pn4oi1 Moroh opfc' occ0oio-'
ton, "the wholesale price of rice went up IS per
cent"
This confidential bulletin to the merchants of
North Dakota reveals that the packers are gain
ing control of the grain business, Armour own
ing 80 country elevators and eight in Chicago
and two in Kansas City. This is over Is per cent
of the terminal elevator capacity of those cen
tiers.
Perhaps it would demonstrate more clearly
the change of heart of the merchants of North
Dakota, to quote directly from their secret ad-
vice to their membership:
"Then there are breakfast foods, grape juice,
stock and chiken feeds, fertilizer, coal, fence
posts, wire fencing, builders hardware, binding
Irvine, lumber, millwork, cement, lime plaster,
brick, sand, gravel and roofing.
Add the instrument of control such as stock
yards, private refrigerator car lines, cold-stor-
age plants, branch house system of wholesale
distribution, banks and real estate, consider that
the Big Five ramifies over North and South
America, and the immensely sinister potential
tiles of the combined packers can be glimpsed.
FINALLY, the Big Five has distributing houses
in 1,O93 towns from which they operate 9,297
wagon and truck routes, covering no less, prob
ably, than 80, 1000 towns-Armour alone cover
ing 24,681 towns.
$50 it is clear that with such a general
store stock as is included in the lists given-be-
sides thousands of lines and articles not here
given-distribution directly to the consumer
and the total elimination of the retailer is not
only impossible but could be effected quite
readily with the machinery already in the pack
ers' hands"
At the foot of this document the Merchants
association has printed this warning:
"Mr. Merchant, Watch Your Step. Don't Step
on Your Own Neck"
Just what can the retailers do?
Joining with the farmers and the progress
i've groups IF the towns for government owner
ship of the packing trust would seem to be the
first step. Then a more careful cultivation OF
trade, through advertising and through a cessa-
ton of hostility to the organized farmers is to
be recommended.
But the biggest step of all has been taken. 1t
was the realization that big business menaces
the small merchant just as much as it does the
consumer-Grand Forks American. =
From the remarks of the kept press it would
appear that if the farmer would only raise bet
ter produce the bankers would forget about 10
and IL per cent, the market thieves would for
get their thieving, and the tenant could become
a landlord the next year. When the farmers
learn how to raise spring wheat, for instance,
without weed seeds or a little flax or oats, the