Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-05-08
COMMUNITY COOPERATION
IN q a ny

Inquiry among local pusiiess NV"
brings the information that the out
look for business during the next
twelve months is encouraging, in fact,
a little more so than it has been at
any period since the war.
When the question is put to thel
average local business man, he in
forms you that business is good, but
might be a great deal better if local
buyers would all patronize the home
merchants instead of the mail order
houses.
They are right. A great many
people do send away for nearly every
thing they buy, including groceries,
clothing, furniture, hardware, etc,
believing, of course, they are bene-
fitting themselves by doing so. Wheth-
er or not they receive the benefits
they believe they do is open to serious
doubt.
But that is getting away from the
main subjec, which is community CO.
operation.
No community can be wholly sue
cessful unless the people comprising
that community co-operate--unless
all concerned practice that phase Of
economics generally referred to as
"Trade at Home" And that refers
to ALL, the seller (who is also a
buyer) and the buyer (who is also a
seller; the business man and the
worker, the professional man and the
retired farmer.
Business may be good. There are
several reasons why it should be good.
One, and the most important reason
is that local labor is fairly well en-
ployed and fairly well paid-that is,
they are receiving sufficient wages 10
some cases, a few Injuries. But not
ALL local labor is employed and
not ALL receive all the money they
should receive for the tasks they per-
form. (This is not story about union
labor, but concerns those who earn al
livelihood by the sweat of their brow,
exercise of their brains, skill of their
hands, or imparting knowledge from
a text-book).
But, if we believe in the Trade at
Home" slogan, we must also believe
that it should be applied to all, re-
CARELESS of what class" he belongs
to. 1t is as unfair for employers of
labor to send out of town to secure
labor because they believe they can
save little money by Ding sol as III
is for labor to send out of town 70
secure what they want to buy tbe-
cause they believe they can save a
little money by doing SOL.
The laborer who does his buying
out of town deprives the local mer
chant of just that much trade, thus
increasing the merchants overhead,
reducing his profits, and preventing
him from employing extra help. The
employer who secures his help from
out of town NOV we're limiting at
the contractor in particular, and all
employers in generaD deprives local
labor of just that much money paid
in wages, thus taking from him that
much buying power, which, of course,
affects local business to that extent
So, buying out of town is bad
thing for the community as whole.
In all cases, money spent away from
home never returns in full. A very
small percent of the money spent in
Chicago returns home, and it is spent
with concerns which have no more
interest in your community than the
money they can get out of it. The
imported laborer spends about $40 a
week and sends $50 a week back
home to fatten some other commun.
ity.
But says the laborer, "What do
give a rap for the business men. The,
import men from out of town com
munities to do their work. They dom
give damn for me. If they car
squeeze a nickle till the Indian ride
the buffalo, that Is all they are look
ing for. Pm for keeping mysel
where | can do il to my best advan
tage." And the employer says: "
don't see where labor has any kicl
coming. Here l am in business a
their very door; sell the same grad,
of goods cheaper than they can bu.
them in Chicago, and when they wan
an automobile tire or a pound o
prunes they send out Of town for il
I've got to economic somewhere.
can't pay help, rent, taxes etc, an,
make a profit with half the population
doing their buying up there. wan
to stay in business, ana if I'm goin,
to stay in business I MUST emplo,
help where can get it the cheapest.
So there you are-tit for tat.