The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-06
Topeka Merchants Plan a Campaign To
Increase Trade With Outlying Cities
Twenty Large Towns and S,46O
Square Miles Embraced in
Topeka Trade Territory; Is
a Garden Spot of Productivity.
Local Dealers Urge "Give and
Take" Business Relations;
Maze of Commercial Arteries
Weave Thru the District.

A total of $3.50 square miles of terri
tory surrounding Topeka, embracing
total of 20 towns of considerable size
and hundreds of towns of lesser pop
ulation, extending 2e miles east, a.
miles north, SO miles west and as miles
south, comprises what is known as
'tTopekas Trade Territory and at
fords a great volume of business for
the city.
There is no reason why the benefit
derived thru these business associa-
lions should not be increased by con-
centrated effort to build up these asso-
Citations and to develop the territory
thru a campaign of advertising and
publicity intended to acquaint the
thousands of persons in the district
trading IN Topeka" declared A. l..
Oliger, secretary of the local Chamber
OF Commerce.
A Garden OF Productivity.
The district spotted is a veritable
garden spot of productivity. On a
line extending 90 miles thru Topeka
north and south, and east and west
thru the city, "a miles, a district is
embraced that comprises the finest
agricultural land in the state Of Kan
sas. The population is more dense
thruout this territory than in any other
section in the state. Corn wheat,
dairy products, cattle, milk, butter,
eggs, poultry, potatoes and vegetables
are all produced on a large scale by
increasingly intensive cultivation
methods and efforts. 1T is territory
that Topeka must not make the mis-
take of neglecting or some city, no
better equipped to supply the trade
and take care of the business will an
mex it," Oliger warned.
Plan Publicity Campaign.
That an effort is to be made to es-
tablish firm connections in this terri
tory may be judged from the fact that
the Topeka Merchants association ex-
poets to institute publicity campaign
to create new connections thruout the
the business, merchants pointed out, Is
to let the people of this section know
that Topeka has the facilities to
| handle their business ana can give
them real service as well as a good
quality of goods at reasonable prices.
The larger towns included in the
district are: Harrington, Junction
City, Manhattan, Westmoreiand, Wa
mego, Alma. Council Grove, Emporia,
Soldier, Holton, Horton, Valley Falls,
Oskaloosa, Lawrence. Ottawa, Mel
vern, Usage City, Burlingame and Car
bondale.
Is Ideally Situated.
A maze of railroads provides con-
venient, efficient and rapid transpor-
tatiorf~for shipments between Topeka
and these outlying towns.
There is no other city in the state
as logically situated from geograph-
! ical standpoint to effectively handle
| the great volume of trade from these
points, both from the standpoint OF
what they have to sell and of what
they have to buy" Oliger asserted.
| THE idea that it is one sided
proposition, simply Topeka taking
their trade, must not be allowed to
grow. Topeka will also be purchas-
er. II is probably true that as much
| in actual dollars worth will be pur-
chased from the various towns as they
purchase in Topeka" a local dealer
said.
/ Topeka stands at the gateway to this
garden of food material. It buys the
J products and sells them to the rest OF
/ the world. The party of Cleveland
business men who recently visited To-
peka, while Dragging of the Quaiitie:
of their territory as the greatest indus
! trial and manufacturing center in tbs
United States. admitted that if it were
not for Kansas supplying great guam
titles of food material, they could not
| exist a week.
Largest Food Center OF State.v
sThis city is the biggest food gath
ering and food distributing center in
the state OF Kansas" said Oliger