Imperial Valley press., 1920-09-21
BUYEVERYTHING ATHOME

able those products may be or no"
| efficiently his plant may be operated
The wholesale merchant and the re
fail merchant may have the choices
stocks Of goods. but they may as wei
go out of business if they have not
market where they can dispose OF theii
| stocks. The farmer may produce
bumper crops. but they will rot upoI
the ground If he cannot find marke'
for them. The wage earner's skill ant
/ muscle bring him no returns unles'
there ia a market for his labor.
The question of markets is the bis
one In every line of business and II
every community the question Is
vital one. In each community, which
must be taken to include not only ali
the people who live in the town but
the farmers who live in the surround
ing country as well. there are two
sides 10 the market question. The busi-
ness men Of the town must have q
market for the things which they have
to sell. Otherwise they cannot con
tinue in business. At the same time
the farmers must have market for
the things which they raise or they
NAV as we'll go out Of business.
When Either Fails Both Suffer.
The merchants of the town can pro-
vide market for the products of the
farmers and the farmers can provide
market for the goods which the mer-
chants have to sell. AS long as each
class of citizens provides market for
the other class all is well and the goose
hangs high, but when either class fails
TO provide a market for the other the
goose is cooked. not only for the class
which is deprived of the market but
for the other as well.
The farmer has q right to expect the
town which is his natural trading point
to provide q market for his products,
and the town is not performing its
proper function as the trading center
Of its community If it does not see
that such a market is provided. The
responsibility Of looking after the full
f1llment of this obligation rests largely
upon the merchants Of the town. The
farmer Is producer and he must dis
pose of his products before he can be-
come n consumer. 1t is, therefore. not
only right but necessary from busi
ness standpoint that the merchants
sh ,uld aid the farmer in turning his
products into money. Otherwise the
farmer naturally will have no money
to spend In the stores of the town.
Obligation on Farmers.
| On the other hand. the merchants of
| the town have right to expect the
farmers to provide market for the
| merchandise which they have to sell,
| and the farmers are not doing their
| duty 10 their community if they Go not
provide such a market. In this case,
also. it is not only right but it is nee
essary to the prosperity of the farmers
that they should aid the merchants in
turning their merchandise into cash.
Otherwise 1t is obvious that the mer-
chants will have no money with which
to buy the products of the farmers.
This is double-barreled proposition
and the obligation rests equally upon
both the merchants and the farmers to
maintain the markets which are essen
town which would import from points
hundreds of miles distant the farm
products which 1t could buy at home
| would be pursuing very shOrt-siShted
policy, for il would be making it i'm
possible for the farmers in its terri
20 l,rx- shn dc n$
chants As a matter of fact no town
does this unless 1t Is forced by unusual
conditions to do so. A town may be
located in a community which is not
productive enough to meet the local
demands. and in that case ii is forced
70 import farm products but the town
which Is compelled to do this is at
disadvantage from commercial
standpoint unless il is essentially n
manufacturing town. in which case its
products are sold to other communi-
ties and bring in enough cash to offset
that which is sent away to purchase
farm products.
Must Have Outside Business.
In the average community, however,
the town is dependent for its pros
perity upon the money received from
the farmers in the ordinary channels
Of trade, rather than upon that OBJ
! tained from the sale of it's own prod
ucts. In the average town the Nor
| chants canno. make money and con-
tinue in business if they are depend
ont solely upoli'the people of the town
! for their business.
No business can last long with "ev-
erything going out and nothing coming
in," and it is eQuahr true that no bust
ness can be operated on the principle
Of Everything coming in and moth.
| ing going out" To maintain the bal
ance which is necessary to the mainte.
nance of prosperity in community
there must be an even trade between
/ the business men of the to.n.
PHONE 70-J