The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1925-06-17
CONSISTENCY
Billings Gazette)

There has been brought to the attention of The
Gazette another case of the charming consistency
which occasionally manifests itself in this COM
munity. Doubtless other cities of Montana and
Wyoming have similar experiences. For its part,
while a sufferer is not a few instances, The Gaz-
cite believes that failure to think may be assigned
as the cause, as distinguished from generalization
and design to work a wrong.
In the picture houses of the city, or at least two
of them, slides are being shown with the purpose
of fostering the trade-at-home idea, This is COM
mendable, of course, for it is the home institutions
that foot the tax bills, make possible our truly
remarkable charities and the like.
1t would be a natural inference that the slides
had been ordered from a Montana firm, of which
there are several. There is no material difference
in the prices, to say nothing of a~ffOrding a prac-
tical object lesson with respect to the sermon
being preached. But quite to the contrary, one
cannot fail to note that the slides were made in
Kansas City, MISSOURI. Certainly consistency
demands that the slides should have been ordered
from a MONTANA concern. In this particular
case it would not have been necessary to go out
side the city of Billings to secure them.
This case is quite on a parity with that Of a
woman in this city who not so long ago brought
to The Gazette a printed program, asking free
insertion in the society columns, that the public
might appreciate the magnitude of the affair.
Noticing that the program had been printed in
another shop, she was asked if she realized that
The Gazette had the largest and best equipped
job shop in the city. She. responded that she had
not given the fact, although known to her, any
consideration. In other words, and unwittingly
of course, she was willing to pay another printer
to prepare the programs, yet expected The Gazette
to reset the same type and circulate it among>more
than 10000 subscribers without cost. It is only fair
to say that the woman felt deeply embarrassed
and sOlemnly asserted that it would never occur
| again nor has it.
The same general application of this observa-
ton may be found in .innumerable cases, in that
there is more money sent out of Billings for print
4 ing than the ordinary person realizes. This, too,
0 despite the fact that the print shops of the city
e are exceptionally well equipped to handle any and
all kinds of printing with the single exception of
Autograph work. This situation is practicularly
n CALLING to The, Gazette at times, because of the
n fact that scarcely a,day passes that some person
does not come into the office seeking free pub.
LEGATION of this or that item, or it's suppression
and yet at the same time when they have a lob
y where a printer can make an honest dollar, it is
y either sent out of town or given to another firm
The Gazette realizes it is a difficult matter e
d make people stop and analyze the situations that
> confront them. In a major portion Of the cases
the path of least resistance is chosen. In still
/ others, local printers are compelled to enter int
Il cut-thrOat competition with outside sweatshops
But when something for nothing is sought in III.
form of free publicity or the suppression of news
The Gazette has no competition whatever. Thes,
same persons would never think Of asking a Twin
= City publishing house to print and distribute
story for them among thousands upon thousand
Of readers.
Now, let us try and be consistent clear dow
the line. The newspapers are asked to foster tn,
trade-at-home idea and yet the chief offender
against that doctrine are the very men who sen,
their work out Of the state, forgetting that til
home printer spends his every dollar with then
and overlooking the fact that money thus spen
is irretrievably lost to their own cash register,
x # the trade-at-home movement is to be effective.
let the home printers be included. It is safe to az
that fully half Of the stationery used by Montan
lg establishments is not printed within its confine,
See that your own house is clean.