The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1921-06-03
MERCHANTS MOVE
TO ENLIST AID OF
PUBLIC OPINION
STATE RETAILERS ASSOClA-
TION WORKING TO SPEED UP
BUSINESS AND BRING PROS
PERITY BY EDUCATION.

World; The vital Importance of the
merchandise distributing system to
life of the nation; the specialization
of the American people with their re-
sultant dependency on this system;
the force Of public opinion in build
ing up or impairing the efficiency Of
this system; and what the retailers Of
this state can do to restore normal
movement of trade which will result
IN general prosperity; these things
were discussed and the solutions ham
mered home by two remarkable
speakers at the meeting of the Che
Ian County Retail Merchants Asso-
citation at the meeting of the Chelan
citation at Commercial Club Wednes
day evening. One was Carl Bush. ex-
ecutve secretary Of the Washington
State Retailers Association, and the
other was DR.. w. j. Hndley, educa-
tional director of the same body
Both discussed economic problems
of the greatest moment to the whole
country.
Mr.. Bush said about the distribut
ing system: "John Smith and Henry
Ford typify the two extremes of liv-
ing: the simple life and the life to-
day. John Smith, the captain Of
Plymouth, really lived the simple life
because he had to. That life depend
ed for its happiness on good weather,
good fishing, good hunting, and good
soil. 1t was happy life while these
were given, but when the storms
came and the wind blew and the fish
stopped biting and deer grew wild It
was a hard life Smith wanted little
and he got it, Today, we want every
thing, and we get most of it.
Smith had to produce nearly every
thing he needed. That is the difreren-
ence. Today we are specialists and
it is the distributing system that has
worked the change. If we want
something, we have it, almost before
the thought. Close to us is a store
where goods of all kinds and from all
over the world are kept.
"We are the most dependent people
in the world. We depend upon others
to supply our needs. Even the farm
er, the last of the independents, is no
longer independent. Here in this val
ley you raise apples, but you come to
stores for your flour and sugar and
oranges and boots and machinery.
GLOW could each of us build \
Ford, but they are turned out by the
hundreds of thousands, and even
those of us who have small incomes
can have one. Each of us is trying
10 do that particular thing which he
likes best and for which he has the
best capabilities and most suitable
| environment.
'Thc thing that makes this special
izaton possible is that store on the
street corner,where you and | can buy
what we want, no matter what it is.
Anything that hurts the merchant.
the link Of the distributing chain
closest to the consumer, must also
hurt the consumer, the jobbcr, the
manufacturer and the producer.
Mr. Bush pointed out that the idea
the public generally entertains that
the retail merchant is holding up pric-
es while other factors in trade are re-
ducing them, is erroneous
ale could not if he would" Mr..
Bush said. "Competition prevents
that He would not if he could, be
cause his interest is to give service
That is the way to success before
him. His best policy is to give a.
much as he can for the public's money
in order that he may sell more and
more in increasing ratio.
DR.. w. ]. Hindley presented to the
retailers the big new idea of educat-
ing the public to the Importance of
the distributing system, and how to
aid it,
He said in part: "Public opinion
ii-N'o Pilt'S III lIlt DuSlnPSS MOlIll.
The public says whether or not it
pays. No one believed opinion could
break the market as it has done dur
ing the past year. Other forces had
their bearing. Peace negotiations in
Europe, the Republican party coming
into power, the opening of the Farm
Loan Bank, the flood of gold coming
from Europe: all these things had eff
feet, possibly % per cent of the tota,
effect. The other 10 per cent of the
effect was caused by lack of public
confidence. 1t was not oversupply
and over production of goods. People
need the goods. There is a large
market. if the goods could be brought
Z. a