The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-07-13
(By r. Kenneth Evans)

ton for the many sleepless nights and !
hard working days he is forced to go
through in the competitive business
world and his struggle to make both !
ends meet. But on the other hand, |
if the merchant does not show an in !
terest in the development of his city
by the maintenance of a store that /
win not only furnish commodities to
the consumer but one which is a credit
70 the city and county wherein It IS
located, he IS not entitled to consider
at.On from the standpoint of patron
age, hence the story Of patronizing
home concerns has two distinct sides
to it IS have all questions.
In the first place no more effective /
method of encouraging the patronage
Of home industry can be found, than
the spirit of cooperation. If one
merchant viii work with the other in
the development of commercial cen
ter, it means that the standard of
merchandising VIII be raised; that
the farmer and consumer viii have a
Z
cbases as the growth of business oc-
casioned by cooperation will of neces-
sity create larger and diversified
stocks of merchandise.
The Consumers Responsibility
1t is a duty every individual living
in a city or county owes to that city
or county to spend every dollar he
can, in keeping with good business
/ judgment, in that city. The man who
lives in Hays gets the benefit of
| electric lights, excellent schools, and
all modern conveniences and as pleas
ant surroundings as he could possibly
/ desire. These institutions are all
maintained by the taxation of mer-
chants, business men and property
! owners. They are made possible be
cause there is demand for a COM
mercial center here. This demand
for commercial center is supplied
/ by the merchant and their large
stocks of goods. Therefore if it were
not for the many business houses here
]
this section of Western Kansas, there
would be none of these modern con
veniences- Hence you should support
home industry.
Another significant condition from
the standpoint of the property owner,
to have these modern conveniences
and growth of business, means the
enhancing of the value of real estate
in the community. Larger and more
business means more improvement.
And more business can be secured by
the spending of home money at home
What is responsible for the devel-
Opment of Chicago? One mail order
man is quoted through very reliable
trade journal as making the state
ment that enough money is paid into
his house in Chicago by the farmers
of Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma,
to pave one of the streets of Chicago,
by the payment of taxes alone, on the
expensive stocks of merchandise nee
essary to supply these demands.
i Therefore the farmers of these three
| states are paving foreign city IN
stead of developing their own city
and providing conveniences. Chances
are that not one out of 100 of these
i farmers will have an opportunity to
walk or ride on that pavement; while
on the other hand they get the bene-
fits of such ipmrovingoin their home
town year after year.
A few weeks ago a merchant in
Minnesota asked the writer to pre-
pare some advertising for him. He
was making a campaign against the
mail order house and a recent cata-
logue on automobile accessories and
had one of the catalogues available
He had checked twenty-five articles
Of common use by the automobile
owner and asked that these items be
included in this advertising matter,